The 2023 F1 races resumed after the summer break with the Dutch Grand Prix. The home crowd cheered for the two-time F1 champion driver Max Verstappen as he drove through the torrential downpour to win his home race. Celebrating his nine successive F1 wins, the Red Bull driver leads the 2023 season with 138 points.
The action-packed Dutch Grand Prix got the F1 fans jumping in their seats as heavy rain poured down with eight laps to go resulting in a red flag and a 45-minute delay. The Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso bagged the second podium, while the final podium went to Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, after Red Bull’s Sergio Perez who officially finished third but got penalized for speeding in the pit lane.
In the turn of events in the final seven racing laps, Perez took over Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. Following the top 10 were Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, McLaren’s Lando Norris, William’s Alex Albon, McLaren’s Oscar Piastre, and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon.
With the final rain shower setting up the show, lights went out dragging Verstappen away from the pole. Starting fifth was Alonso who passed Albon around the outside in turn two, and on the next lap, he crossed Lando Norris.
On the first lap due to the heavy rain, Perez decided to take the pit for treaded intermediate tyres at the end of it. To follow him was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, adding a lead in Perez’s bag.
Driving on slick tyres was Verstappen and Alonso who lost time on the second lap. In the end, they pitted resulting in fifth and seventh places before other drivers started to pit.
With the onset of lap 10, giving competition to Perez, Max was less than five seconds behind him. A lap later Verstappen changed to slick tyres. Though Perez followed him in a lap later, till this time Max was three seconds ahead.
Following the drama, Mercedes drivers waited and delayed their stops. But the slick tyres made them realise their faulty strategy. As Hamilton made a stop in lap 3 and George Russell on lap 4, Mercedes couldn’t make it to the top 10.
