The Dutch Grand Prix will mark the return of Formula 1 after the one-month summer break.
After a win and a disqualification at the Belgian Grand Prix, Mercedes will be looking forward to proving they are winning contenders.
We saw a fairly inconsistent Red Bull in Belgium, a McLaren who wants to prove they deserve to be in the top places, and a recovering Ferrari.
This weekend in the Netherlands will definitely spice up the Constructors Championship.
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The track
Zandvoort was first opened in 1948 as part of the post-WWII motorsport surge that occurred in Europe.
The first Dutch Grand Prix was held in 1952, F1 raced in Zandvoort all the way through till 1985, and it wasn’t until 2021 that the track returned to the calendar.
Alberto Ascari was the first F1 driver to win in this circuit, making it a Ferrari 1-2-3 alongside Giuseppe Farina and Luigi Villoresi.
The circuit consists of 14 corners and two DRS zones and has a total length of 4.250 km (2.5 mi). The lap record holder is Lewis Hamilton in 2021, with a time of 1:11:097.
The track features the Tarzan corner, a curve at a banking angle, making it a challenging, fast-paced circuit. It is 72 laps full of action for the drivers.
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What to watch out for
McLaren will be trying to keep their consistency after coming from a second place in Belgium with Oscar Piastri and fifth with Lando Norris. The Australian driver achieved his fourth podium of the season.
Norris will be looking forward to redeeming himself after a fairly disappointing weekend in Spa. The English driver already has eight podiums under his belt this season.
Mercedes proved last race that they should not be left of the equation just yet. They had achieved a 1-2 just before George Russell was disqualified (due to his car being underweight) and the win transferred to his teammate.
Red Bull will always be the main team to watch out for, but after the last few races it seems they haven’t quite found what their main issue is. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will have to do what they can to get back on the podium and score points for the Constructors Championship.
Carlos Sainz will finally be racing with a weight off his shoulders, after being announced that he will be driving for Williams from 2025 onwards.
This week it was announced that Peter Bonnington, also known as "Bono," has been promoted to Head of Race Engineering at Mercedes. Meaning this will be his last season as Hamilton's race engineer.
Alpine will be kicking off the weekend with a new Team Principal. It was announced after the Belgian Grand Prix that Oliver Oakes would be taking on the role starting in Zandvoort.
Robert Shwartzman, Ferrari’s reserve driver, will take over Valtteri Bottas’ Kick Sauber this weekend during the first practice.
F1 Academy will be making its return to the track since Miami. This will be the fourth round out of seven of the feeder series.
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Schedule
Free practice 1 - Friday August 23rd - 6:30 am EST (3:30 am PST)
Free practice 2 - Friday August 23rd - 10:00 am EST (7:00 am PST)
Free practice 3 - Saturday August 24th - 5:30 am EST (2:30 am PST)
Qualifying - Saturday August 24th - 9:00 am EST (6:00 am PST)
Race - Sunday August 25th - 9:00 am EST (6:00 am PST)
All sessions will be available through F1TV and ESPN in the United States
