Max Verstappen set for Lando Norris showdown as F1 rivals crank up the heat.
For the first time since 2021, F1 fans have a title fight to look forward to as summer break comes to a close. McLaren trail Red Bull by just 42 points ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix and they have momentum on their side.
Aug 18, 2024
Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express

“I think we can; we’re certainly going to try [to win both titles],” the McLaren Racing CEO told Sirius XM. “Obviously, the constructors’ is more within reach because of how many points are available at a weekend and the fact that they have only one car always performing at the front at the same time.

“But I think Sergio is capable of turning it on it at any time.” McLaren aren’t giving up on the Drivers’ Championship title either. Lando Norris is squaring up to a 78-point deficit heading into the final 10 races of the year. 2024 has been a breakthrough year for the Brit, but an inability to turn podiums into a steady stream of wins has cost him in his battle against the formidable Max Verstappen.

‘Showdown’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ando-Norris-F1


Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko sends warning over car ahead of F1 restart as he admits he's concerned issues 'will not be resolved in time' for the Dutch Grand Prix
19 August 2024
Matthew Mcevoy
MailOnline

Red Bull's head of driver development and key advisor, Helmut Marko, has said he fears issues around the RB20 will not be ironed out ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, this weekend. According to The Mirror, Marko claims problems with the car's balance and speed have still not been addressed fully by the constructor's technical and mechanical teams.

He said Red Bull 'no longer have balance in the car', and that 'problems are likely to continue' ahead of Formula One's summer restart at Max Verstappen's home Grand Prix in Zandvoort. 'During the summer break, nothing happens for two weeks, which means that no work can be done on the car,' Marko wrote in an editorial for Speedweek.

'We have to solve our problems and find out where the problem lies, because we no longer have the balance in the car if you compare the current situation with the first three races. But it is difficult to estimate how quickly that will happen. I don't think that the big solution will come in Zandvoort.’

‘Car's balance and speed’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...rand-Prix.html


Perez changes race engineer with Red Bull for the Dutch Grand Prix
19 August 2024
Nicole Mulder
GPblog.com

GPblog can confirm that Perez will get another race engineer at Zandvoort. Bird is going on paternity leave and will be temporarily absent for that reason. Bird will still be present during the Dutch GP to supervise, but after that, he will not attend any Formula 1 races for the time being.

Performance engineer Richard Wood will take over Bird's duties for the time being and will, therefore, be heard on Perez's team radio from the F1 race at Circuit Zandvoort. Richard Cooke, performance engineer of the team's simulator, will in turn take over Wood's role. The new division of roles will apply for at least the next three races, up to and including the Singapore GP.

‘Perez changes race engineer’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/29520...rand-prix.html


Red Bull expecting tough Dutch GP after recent RB20 struggles
19 Aug 2024
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Verstappen, who has excelled at the track in recent years, will need to deliver a strong performance on Saturday afternoon to maximize his chances of victory on Sunday. “One thing is clear: qualifying at Zandvoort will be decisive, because overtaking is hardly possible there,” Marko added.

“And Max could well succeed in a good qualifying, because he has been good there recently. We were the fastest in Austria and also in Spa. In Hungary, only a few hundredths were missing – so we are already complaining at a high level.”

Marko acknowledged that finding a solution to the car's problems is crucial, but he doesn't expect a quick fix for the Dutch Grand Prix. “It’s difficult to estimate how quickly this will happen. I don't think the big solution will come in Zandvoort. We do intensive brainstorming and also have various ideas. But I can't say yet what we will implement and how.”

‘Tough Dutch GP’;

https://f1i.com/news/516571-red-bull...struggles.html


Wild Dutch GP weather forecast as rain threatens F1 return
In cooperation with WeerOnline, RacingNews365 presents the weather forecast for the 2024 F1 Dutch Grand Prix.
19 August 2024
Nick Golding
RacingNews365

Whether it is dry or wet, Friday will be the hottest day of the weekend with temperatures reaching 22 degrees Celsius. On Saturday, there is a significantly greater risk of rain than on Friday, with the strong wind from the southwest also set to remain present.

The exact timing of the rain is currently difficult to forecast, although the chance of a wet qualifying is high. Strong gusts of 60 km/h are expected whilst the temperature will struggle to reach 20 degrees Celsius.

Rain on Sunday is not expected, with the sun expected to be shining brightly for the race but still no warmer than around 20 degrees Celsius. However, due to the wind and the location of the circuit, it is impossible to completely rule out rain.

‘Wild Dutch GP weather forecast’;

https://racingnews365.com/wild-dutch...tens-f1-return


Thousands of tickets still available for Dutch Grand Prix, says F1 organizer
19August 2024
NL Times

There are still a few thousand tickets for sale for the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort this weekend, said a spokesperson for the organization behind the Formula 1 event. "In general, we are sold out," he explained, but there are still tickets being returned to the organization from various parties.

This includes resellers in the Netherlands and abroad who get the right to sell blocks of tickets themselves based on prior agreements. A recent lawsuit was filed against the Dutch Grand Prix by one of those reselling firms, Platinum Group.

The company expected to sell 35,000 tickets but was disappointed by the lack of sales. About 8,000 tickets from this company were returned to the organization behind the Dutch Grand Prix. A large part of these tickets have now been sold, said the spokesperson. "The interest remains undiminished."

‘Still a few thousand tickets for sale’;

https://nltimes.nl/2024/08/19/thousa...s-f1-organizer