Max settles for P2 in Zandvoort: 'Cannot win them all'

Published on 25 August 2024 by Kees-Jan Koster

Max Verstappen finished second in the Dutch Grand Prix. The Dutchman managed to overtake polesitter Lando Norris right after the start, but the Brit regained the lead and drove a very strong race. The McLaren driver finished 22 seconds ahead of Max. Charles Leclerc secured the third podium spot. Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz completed the top five in Zandvoort.

"Of course, I would have preferred to win today. But I cannot win them all," says Max after the race. "I am still very happy with P2. We tried everything today, but it was clear that we were not fast enough. So, I aimed to secure second place."

Immediately after the start, it looked like Verstappen might secure another victory in Zandvoort. He managed to overtake Lando Norris before the Tarzan corner. Max commented on this: "I know we start well, so I was confident we would have a good start. Fortunately, that was the case. After that, I just tried to run my own race."

Max was able to stay ahead of Norris for a few laps, but eventually had to let the McLaren pass. He explained: "I led for a few laps, but I just could not keep up. The tyres did not hold up. We simply did not have the speed. The first time I was able to defend, but the second time he came up really early. There was nothing more I could do. I had no balance in the car. I could not attack, and the car would not turn. A two-stop strategy would have been too slow again, I think. This was the only thing we could do." Even though Max could not deliver a victory to the Orange Army, he mentioned that he still enjoyed the fans in Zandvoort: "The atmosphere here is always great. That is the positive thing about the day."

In Zandvoort, where the stands are once again coloured orange and the atmosphere is electric, Max starts the race from second place. Like the rest of the top ten, he begins the race on the medium tyres. Lando Norris, who was the fastest yesterday, starts from pole position. When the lights go out, Max has an excellent start. He dives into the Tarzan corner first, overtaking Norris. After the first lap, he already has a one-second lead. Both Ferraris also get off to a good start, gaining a few positions.

For a moment, Verstappen seems to be pulling away from Norris, but then the Brit gradually closes the gap again. In lap 17, Norris makes his first attempt to attack, but he fails to pass Max. However, a lap later, he succeeds; the McLaren driver overtakes Verstappen on the straight and retakes the lead. The Dutchman tries to keep up but ultimately has to let the papaya-coloured car go. While Max expresses his frustration over the radio about the lack of grip from his tyres, Norris, on the other hand, reports that his tyres feel just fine.

Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz slices through the field like a hot knife through butter. The Spaniard, who started from eleventh position, has already worked his way up to seventh place by lap twenty thanks to some impressive overtakes. Verstappen comes in for his first pit stop on lap 28, switching from the medium tyres to the hard ones in a stop that takes 2.5 seconds. Norris does the same a lap later but has a slower stop of 3.1 seconds. Despite this, the Brit manages to rejoin the track ahead of Max. The first round of pit stops does not go smoothly for everyone; both Pérez and Russell have slow stops, and Stroll receives a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

Halfway through the Dutch Grand Prix, Norris still leads the race, now with a nine-second advantage over Max, which he continues to extend. Leclerc is running in third, followed by Piastri and Russell. While the gaps among the top five are widening, the battle at the tail end of the top ten is a different story. The fight for tenth place produces some exciting action, with four cars side by side, during which Gasly gains two spots, and Magnussen loses three positions. Meanwhile, Sainz is battling Pérez for sixth place. A slight contact occurs, but the Spaniard does not get through. However, with a very late braking manoeuvre, he eventually makes the pass. His teammate Leclerc, meanwhile, keeps an eye on his mirrors, where he sees Piastri getting closer.

In lap 49, Hamilton is the first to opt for a two-stop strategy, choosing the soft tyres. Russell adopts the same approach and switches to a set of softs as well. While Norris continues to extend his lead over Verstappen, his teammate Piastri starts to fall back from Leclerc. With ten laps to go, the top five look as follows: Norris, Verstappen, Leclerc, Piastri, and Sainz. Norris has now built up an 18-second lead. The Mercedes drivers, benefiting from the soft tyres, are closing in on Pérez. Leclerc also edges closer to Verstappen, but in the end, none of them manage to overtake the Red Bulls. Lando Norris crosses the finish line first in Zandvoort, with Max following 22 seconds later. Leclerc takes the final podium spot, finishing 2.5 seconds behind Max. Piastri and Sainz complete the top five.

Results Grand Prix Netherlands: