Lando Norris romped to a second career Formula 1 victory at Zandvoort last weekend, but how did the 20 drivers fare in the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix?
Read on to find out who maximised their opportunities and who left the seaside Zandvoort circuit wanting more.
Lando Norris: 9.5
Grid Position: P1, Race Finish: P1
McLaren rested plenty of hope upon a major upgrade package that it brought to the Dutch GP, allegedly the first set of performance-enhancing parts since Miami. That was according to the team’s star candidate Norris, who had a near-perfect weekend. A barnstorming qualifying lap saw Norris pace the field by three-tenths of a second, but another sluggish start is a blemish on an otherwise impeccable report card. Losing ground to Max Verstappen at lights out, Norris recovered well to reclaim the lead on Lap 18 of the Dutch GP and from there he cruised to the chequered flag, winning by a margin of 22s and setting the fastest lap of the race on ageing tyres upon his final tour of the Zandvoort circuit.
Oscar Piastri: 7
Grid Position: P3, Race Finish: P4
Oscar Piastri was without a doubt the second-best McLaren driver for the entire weekend at Zandvoort and the Australian will rightfully want to learn from a weekend in which his team-mate won so comfortably. The Australian admitted that he wasn’t “jumping up and down” upon missing a spot on the front row of the grid and like Norris, he lost ground at the start of the race. Stuck behind Mercedes’ George Russell on the opening stint left Piastri vulnerable to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who jumped both drivers after the round of pit-stops. With a healthy tyre offset Piastri was able to close down Leclerc with relative ease in the second phase of the race, but a combination of dirty air and the Australian’s tyre management achilles heel hampered any further progress from P4.
Max Verstappen: 9
Grid Position: P2, Race Finish: P2
From the outset, Verstappen encountered balance issues with his Red Bull RB20 at Zandvoort. The Dutchman complained that his car felt disconnected from front to rear and the once dominant RB20 was not only struggling with turn-in, but felt delicate at the rear. Putting an ill-at-ease car on the front row was an impressive feat given the context of the situation and Verstappen did well to snatch the holeshot on the short run down to Turn 1 at lights out. However, Verstappen was fighting his car from lights to flag and it’s a testament to his skill that he wound up second by the time the chequered flag fell.
Sergio Perez: 6
Grid Position: P5, Race Finish: P6
Some exclaimed surprise that Sergio Perez retained his Red Bull seat through the summer break amid a poor run of form, but Team Boss Christian Horner insists the Mexican just needs the backing to regain his confidence. Horner eventually rated Perez’s Zandvoort performance as “solid,” but to us, it was by no means remarkable. Perez did well to qualify fifth at a circuit which is by no means his strongest amid Red Bull’s car trouble, but losing out to Carlos Sainz in the race doesn’t look great given the Spaniard started 10th. Furthermore, with the two-Mercs switching to the less than optimal two-stop strategy, once again Perez was spared the blushes of being eighth in the top four team race.
Charles Leclerc: 9.5
Grid Position: P6, Race Finish: P3
Charles Leclerc was concerned with Ferrari’s lack of pace through practice and qualifying during the Dutch GP weekend. On Saturday, he qualified nine-tenths off of Norris’ benchmark and likely feared the worst come Sunday. Alas, the Ferrari was a different beast altogether on race day and Leclerc was arguably one of the standout drivers. The Monegasque driver was able to close in on Piastri’s McLaren ahead of the first round of stops, and rose to third once the stops had been executed. From there, he never relinquished his podium spot, keeping Piastri at bay for the latter half of the Grand Prix. On a weekend where Ferrari feared the worst, Leclerc delivered the utmost.
Carlos Sainz: 8
Grid Position: P10, Race Finish: P5
Amid Ferrari’s woe on Saturday, Sainz had a disaster as he tumbled out of Q2, but boy did he make up for it on Sunday. Zandvoort is not a circuit known for overtaking but that was of no issue to the Spanish driver, who set about picking off the drivers ahead with aplomb. Ferrari’s pace on Sunday surprised many and Sainz utilised it to incredible effect to bring home a top-five result for his team.
George Russell: 7
Grid Position: P4, Race Finish: P7
George Russell was full of confidence coming into Zandvoort given his Mercedes team had won three of the last four races ahead of the summer break. That confidence waned slightly on Saturday when the best Russell could muster was fourth in qualifying, despite feeling he had a shot at pole. Russell believed he could race his way into contention on Sunday, but the pace just wasn’t there for Mercedes, with his tyres declining in a big way in the second phase of the GP, Russell was left no choice but to sacrifice positions when he switched to soft-tyres during a second pit-stop. 44s off of the lead and P7 was not the way Russell wanted to kickstart this portion of the season.
Lewis Hamilton: 7
Grid Position: P14, Race Finish: P8
A Q2 exit and a three-place grid penalty for impeding Perez was a dismal qualifying for Lewis Hamilton, but like Sainz, the Mercedes driver was able to make good progress through the field on race day. A lowly starting position prompted Mercedes and Hamilton to start on the soft tyre, favouring the unfancied two-stop strategy. Without those hiccups, Hamilton felt like he had the pace to finish in the top five and given he finished just five seconds behind Russell, who started fourth, the seven-time Champion was probably right in his assessment.
Pierre Gasly: 9.5
Grid Position: P9, Race Finish: P9
With Q3 appearances coming at a premium for the midfield team, Pierre Gasly delivered a fine Saturday performance for Alpine to ensure he started Sunday’s race from ninth on the grid. With a Ferrari and Mercedes starting behind him, finishing with some vital points was always going to be a tough ask, but Gasly had an incredible start to leapfrog both Aston Martins on the first lap. That gave the Frenchman vital breathing room when Sainz and Hamilton inevitably came through, leaving him ninth place to defend. Gasly did just that, holding on to two points and delivering the maximum possible result for Alpine as best-of-the-rest behind the top four teams.
Esteban Ocon: 5
Grid Position: P15, Race Finish: P15
With his team-mate enjoying a remarkable weekend, it was a dismal affair on Esteban Ocon’s side of the Alpine garage. A Q1 exit in qualifying was bumped up to a P15 grid slot following Alex Albon’s disqualification. However, being stuck in a DRS train for great portions of Sunday’s race meant 15th was all Ocon could muster while Gasly took all the plaudits.
Fernando Alonso: 8
Grid Position: P7, Race Finish: P10
Alonso and Aston Martin returned to showing off the team’s proficiency over a single lap as the Spaniard took seventh in qualifying. With Sainz and Hamilton starting behind him on the grid, Alonso knew he wouldn’t finish where he started, but getting pipped by Gasly on Lap 1 made things harder for Alonso. Alonso was unable to recover the lost ground to Gasly, but was able to cling onto the single remaining point on offer to him on Sunday, beating stiff competition from the rest of the midfield.
Lance Stroll: 5
Grid Position: P8, Race Finish: P13
Qualifying a single place behind his more experienced team-mate was solid work for Lance Stroll, but he undid all that good progress on Sunday. Like Alonso, Stroll was pipped by Gasly at the start, but unlike the Spaniard, he was unable to overcome the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg, who gained track position over the Aston pair with an extended second stint. Compounding Stroll’s issue was a penalty for speeding in the pit-lane, relegating him to 13th place.
Nico Hulkenberg: 7
Grid Position: P12, Race Finish: P11
Nico Hulkenberg recovered well from persistent rear-locking issues through practice to wind up 12th on Sunday’s grid following Albon’s disqualification and Hamilton’s three-place grid drop. Haas pitted Hulkenberg early to undercut him through into the top-10 positions and the German performed admirably to hold station inside the points-scoring places for the majority of a 57-lap stint on a single set of Hard compound tyres. The gamble didn’t pay off but it was still a commendable effort by the German.
Kevin Magnussen: 6
Grid Position: Pit-lane, Race Finish: P18
Despite making it through to Q2, Kevin Magnussen was forced to start Sunday’s DutchGP from pit-lane after taking on new engine components. From there, his race was destined to be one fraught with defensive tactics as once again the Dane was told to play the team game. Cue some questionable driving to hold rivals at bay to give Hulkenberg a chance at scoring points. He might not like it and it might cause irritation among his competitors, but Magnussen is an effective moving road block.
Daniel Ricciardo: 6.5
Grid Position: P13, Race Finish: P12
Returning to the circuit that halted his F1 comeback a year ago, Daniel Ricciardo had one of his less-than-convincing outings for RB at Zandvoort. Out-qualified by team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, Ricciardo found himself out in Q1, but a disqualification for Albon, a penalty for Hamilton and a pit-lane start for Magnussen gave the Australian a more favourable starting berth. Were it not for Stroll’s pit-lane infringement, Ricciardo would have been resigned to finishing where he started.
Yuki Tsunoda: 6.5
Grid Position: P11, Race Finish: P17
Yuki Tsunoda did well to out-qualify his team-mate at Zandvoort on Saturday, and misfortune elsewhere bumped him up to 11th on the grid. From that sort of position, a well-executed strategy would have granted Tsunoda a chance at scoring points. This was not the case. The Japanese driver was hampered by a bizarre decision from the RB pit-wall to switch to a two-stop strategy, putting Tsunoda behind traffic and into a position from which he couldn’t recover.
Alex Albon: 7
Grid Position: P19 Race Finish: P14
Alex Albon utilised Williams’ first major upgrade package well to qualify an impressive eighth on Saturday at Zandvoort. Alas, an illegal floor by the smallest margins undid the Anglo-Thai driver’s efforts and he was forced to start from the back of the grid. Albon noted how Williams newfound performance has brought them to the front of the midfield fight, but not by a margin that allows them to sail through cars, particularly at a circuit like Zandvoort. Stuck at the back of the grid, Albon could only muster 14th on a weekend that could have yielded a points scoring finish.
Logan Sargeant: 2
Grid Position: P18, Race Finish: P16
Logan Sargeant put his Williams team into a world of pain on Saturday morning when he inexplicably pushed his upgraded FW46 too hard through the exit of Turn 3 in an inconsequential Free Practice 3 session. Dipping wheels onto wet grass, the costly lack of judgement saw him trigger an almighty Williams wreckage. Driver okay, car, not so much. Cue a painful rebuild job for the Williams mechanics and a no-show in qualifying. At least the American driver had a clean race… Sargeant’s error could prove costly for him in the short-term with Team Boss James Vowles looking at potential replacements for the rest of the season.
Valtteri Bottas: 6
Grid Position: P16, Race Finish: P19
The Dutch GP was Sauber’s worst weekend by far in 2024, with the Swiss team looking out of sync with the rest of the field and severely lacking pace. Valtteri Bottas at least outqualified his team-mate by a hefty 1.1s and finished well ahead of him in the race. However, with a car this poor, there’s little the Finn can do but try his best at the back of the field.
Zhou Guanyu: 3
Grid Position: P17, Race Finish: P20
Amid Sauber’s dismal form, Zhou Guanyu, has struggled for confidence with the car underneath him. That is evident in his qualifying deficit to Bottas. Moreover, the Chinese driver was way off Bottas’ pace during the race. It’s looking like a sad end to a young drivers F1 career, without the tools to give him the confidence to show his true capability.
