2024 Formula 1 Preview & Review.

[Fortitude]

Logan Sargeant’s Williams catches fire in final Dutch GP practice after scary crash.
Logan Sargeant’s Williams F1 car was engulfed in flames after a heavy shunt in the opening part of final practice at the Dutch Grand Prix.
24 Aug 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

Final practice has been a difficult session for a number of drivers due to the tricky conditions.
�� RED FLAG ��

Logan Sargeant suffers a heavy crash but he's out of the car #F1 #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/zsGoU1pRz9
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 24, 2024

Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg hit the wall at Turn 11 - damaging his front wing entirely. It's been a tough season overall for Sargeant, who will be replaced by Carlos Sainz for 2025. It means his F1 career is effectively over.

‘Williams catches fire’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105386...er-scary-crash


Dutch GP: Free Practice 3 Results
24 August 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Full results from Free Practice 3 from the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

Pos Num Driver Team Laps Best Diff

1 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 5 1:20.311

2 20 Kevin Magnussen Haas 9 1:20.450 0.139

3 77 Valtteri Bottas Sauber 7 1:21.155 0.844

4 4 Lando Norris McLaren 6 1:21.387 1.076

5 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 6 1:21.461 1.150

6 31 Esteban Ocon Alpine 4 1:21.643 1.332

7 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 10 1:21.850 1.539

8 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 7 1:21.941 1.630

9 27 Nico Hulkenberg Haas 5 1:22.354 2.043

10 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 6 1:22.589 2.278

‘Full results’;

https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Sport/F1...+Prix/Dutch+GP


Official: Sargeant misses Dutch GP qualifying after heavy crash
The American racer crashed heavily in the third and final practice session at Zandvoort, destroying the car.
24 August 2024
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

In wet conditions at Zandvoort, Sargeant clipped the grass at Turn 4 which spat him across the track and into the armco barrier, destroying the car, with a fire breaking out at the rear of the wrecked machine.

He was able to climb out unaided, but the incident disrupted the 60-minute session with almost 40 minutes of it being red-flagged owing to barrier repairs. Only three minutes of running was possible with Pierre Gasly emerging fastest.

Given the extent of damage, and despite Williams' best efforts, it was unable to repair Sargeant's car, which means he must apply to the stewards for permission to race. As he completed a lap-time within 107% of the pace, this will be granted for the American driver, who could yet start from the pit-lane given the need for a replacement chassis.

‘Sargeant misses Dutch GP qualifying’;

https://racingnews365.com/official-s...er-heavy-crash


DUTCH GRAND PRIX: F1 FREE PRACTICE 3 RESULTS
Formula 1 returns from summer break for round 15 of the championship and is joined in Zandvoort by F1 Academy
August 24, 2024
Hannah May
FormulaNerds

Lights out for FP3: A soggy start to the session saw all the drivers opting for the wet tyre compound. The lights went green for Free Practice 3 but the drivers were slow to head out on track.
Yellow and Red Flags: Hulkenberg triggered a brief yellow flag, losing part of his front wing at Turn 12 and returning to the pits. The German driver was plagued with brake issues yesterday, causing him to crash in FP1. The issues repeated in this session, locking up his tyres and sending him into the barriers.
"Something weird is going on there!" ��
Nico finds the barriers for a second day running �� pic.twitter.com/gEcbGHe8MM
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 24, 2024

With 45 minutes remaining, a Sector 1 Yellow Flag quickly turned into a Red Flag due to Logan Sargeant’s Williams. His FW46 was on fire in the middle of the track.
RED FLAG ��
Logan Sargeant has walked away after a scary accident �� pic.twitter.com/UQvC3LObxf
Sargeant went onto the grass at the exit of Turn 3, losing the car and hitting the barrier at speed. Luckily, Sargeant extricated himself from the burning car, confirming on the radio to Williams that he was okay.

Session restart: Free Practice 3 was due to restart with only five minutes left on the clock. The barriers required significant repairs, taking 40 minutes of practice time. However, just as the restart time arrived, race control delayed it by a further three minutes. With only two minutes to go, every car was queueing at the pit lane exit ready to go out on track.

‘FW46 was on fire’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/du.../?nowprocket=1


Massive Sargeant crash wipes out most of final Dutch GP practice
Aug 24, 2024
Edd Straw
The Race

Williams has sufficient spares available to run Sargeant in the upgraded spec after repairs, but Vowles said the team will have to take a view on whether it wants to risk further new parts. “There’s a limited amount [of the parts],” Vowles told Sky, “so if something happens now to the other car you need to make sure in parc ferme you have enough spares. That’s more what I want to evaluate now - when under parc ferme condition can we service both cars?”

NEW JEOPARDY FOR SARGEANT? The crash is the latest blow in a trying season for 23-year-old Sargeant, who won’t continue as a race driver with Williams next year following the signing of Carlos Sainz. He needs to make the most of the remaining races in an attempt either to keep a foothold of some form in F1 or earn a ride in another category next year, but such an elementary error is not helping his cause.

There also remain persistent rumours about the possibility of Williams replacing him before the end of the season given the need to maximise its points in the constructors’ championship and this hardly helps his case.

‘Massive Sargeant crash’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/l...x-f1-practice/


‘Worst time’ for a crash says Vowles after Sargeant hit in FP3
24/08/2024
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

The timing of the crash could not have been worse for Williams, which introduced its first major upgrade of the season this weekend on both of its cars. The new parts were expected to boost the team's performance, but the crash has left Williams grappling with a shortage of spare components.

Williams team principal James Vowles expressed his frustration over the situation, emphasizing the limited availability of the new parts. “There’s hundreds of hours spent on the update, it looks like it’s working, but there’s few of them in the world,” he told Sky F1. “Really, the worst time is when you’ve just introduced it with small amounts of bits and put it into the wall at the circuit.”

Vowles feared a chassis change would be necessary to keep Sargeant in the running for the remainder of the weekend, although his participation in the afternoon’s qualifying session appeared seriously compromised. Sargeant’s mishap also comes at a particularly challenging time for the 23-year-old, who will not be remaining with Williams next year as the team has confirmed he will be replaced by Carlos Sainz Jnr.

‘Worst time’;

https://f1i.com/news/516983-worst-ti...it-in-fp3.html


Pierre Gasly tops Dutch GP FP3 after Logan Sargeant causes lengthy red flag delay
Pierre Gasly set the pace in final F1 practice at the Dutch Grand Prix after most of the session was red flagged following Logan Sargeant's crash.
24 Aug 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

Pierre Gasly set the fastest time in final F1 practice for the Dutch Grand Prix following a 40-minute delay to the session following Logan Sargeant’s crash. The majority of the session was under red flag conditions after Sargeant crashed heavily on the exit of Turn 4.

The session ultimately restarted with two minutes on the clock. It was Gasly who got a clean lap in, storming to the top with a 1m20.311s, a tenth ahead of Haas’ Kevin Magnussen. Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas completed the top three in an unrepresentative final practice.

Lando Norris was fourth overall ahead of Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon. Oscar Piastri, Lance Stroll and Nico Hulkenberg were next up in the order. Hulkenberg had another tough session, locking up at Turn 11 and destroying his front wing in the process.

‘Lengthy red flag delay’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105387...red-flag-delay

[Fortitude]

Dutch Grand Prix qualifying results: Lando Norris dominates as Hamilton suffers nightmare.
Lando Norris clinched pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix after pipping Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri to the top spot at a windy Zandvoort Circuit. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, could only manage a P12 grid slot.
Aug 24, 2024
Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express

The likes of Sergio Perez, George Russell and Carlos Sainz all climbed to the top with the aid of track evolution on their final runs. It was also a familiar tale at the bottom. Both Sauber drivers were eliminated along with Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon, while Logan Sargeant didn’t set a time after his heavy shunt during FP3.

There were bigger scalps in Q2. Russell had the pace to challenge the two McLaren drivers on his first run, but his team-mate struggled significantly. Hamilton couldn’t improve enough on his final attempt, crossing the line in P11 before being relegated to P12.

He was joined in the elimination zone by another big hitter as Sainz was bumped out of the top 10 by team-mate Charles Leclerc. Also in the bottom five were the Haas duo of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, while Yuki Tsunoda also couldn’t improve.

‘Lando Norris clinched pole position’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ifying-results


Dutch GP: Qualifying Results
25 August 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Full results from Qualifying from the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

Pos Num Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Diff

1 4 Lando Norris McLaren 1:11.377 1:10.496 1:09.673

2 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:11.393 1:10.811 1:10.029 0.356

3 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:11.541 1:10.505 1:10.172 0.499

4 63 George Russell Mercedes 1:11.049 1:10.552 1:10.244 0.571

5 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 1:11.006 1:10.678 1:10.416 0.743

6 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:11.370 1:10.689 1:10.582 0.909

7 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:11.493 1:10.845 1:10.633 0.960

8 23 Alex Albon Williams 1:11.503 1:10.768 1:10.653 0.980

9 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:11.518 1:10.661 1:10.857 1.184

10 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:11.718 1:10.815 1:10.977 1.304

‘Full results from Qualifying’;

https://speedcafe.com/dutch-gp-qualifying-results/


F1 LIVE - Dutch GP QUALI - (HEAVY RAIN) - Commentary + Live Timing
25 August 2024
F1 Gamer

This is a Formula One (F1) live stream which has full live commentary and live timing data alongside a track map. It is the first F1 (Formula 1) Grand Prix this season in Zandvoort, Netherlands held at the Zandvoort Race Circuit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbvFR1SgSeI


Lando Norris storms to Dutch GP pole by 0.3s, Lewis Hamilton only 12th
Lando Norris will start Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix on pole position, storming to top spot by over 0.3s.
24 Aug 2024
Connor McDonagh
Crash.Net

Lando Norris clinched pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix with a blistering lap, beating F1 title rival Max Verstappen by 0.3s. After two of the three practice sessions were hit with rain, the competitive order heading into qualifying was unclear. It was McLaren who immediately appeared to be the team to beat throughout qualifying.

Come Q3, Norris proved to be untouchable as he was the only driver to dip into the 1m09s. His eventual margin was 0.356s over Verstappen. Verstappen did make a mistake on his final lap into the Turn 11-12 chicane - but it was enough to secure second for his home race. Oscar Piastri will start the race from third, 0.499s down on Norris’ pole time. George Russell will start fourth ahead of Sergio Perez, who was an encouraging fifth.

‘Pole position’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105390...lton-only-12th


Impressive Norris SMASHES Verstappen's lap time for pole in Zandvoort
24 Aug 2024
Editor-in-Chief: Matt Gretton
GPblog.com

Lando Norris has qualified on pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort and was over three-tenths faster than the Dutchman. The Red Bull driver will start from second-place, inside a McLaren sandwich with Oscar Piastri in third.

Verstappen has lost his 100% record of topping the meaningful sessions at Zandvoort. Since the Dutch Grand Prix returned in 2021, the Dutchman has qualified on pole position and took the race victory every single year until 2024. He made ground in his final lap in qualifying, but Norris smashed it. The Brit beat Verstappen by more than three-tenths. George Russell got the final place on the second row, with Perez starting from fifth.

‘Impressive Norris’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/29628...rand-prix.html


Lando Norris beats Max Verstappen to Dutch GP pole as Lewis Hamilton flops in qualifying
George Russell went quickest in the only dry practice session at Zandvoort with Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris also going quicker than home hero Max Verstappen
• 24 Aug 2024
Daniel Moxon Senior F1 Writer

Lando Norris beat home hero Max Verstappen to pole position at the Dutch Grand Prix - but Lewis Hamilton was the one left with the most wounds to lick.

The seven-time Formula 1 champion was considered a contender for pole after showing the pace of his Mercedes in Friday practice. But his best effort in Q2 was only the 12th quickest time on the board and so he never got the chance to fight for a spot on the front row.

And he faces an investigation, accused of impeding Sergio Perez in Q1, which could drop him three places further down if found guilty. But the day was Norris' after he put it all together in the final part of the session to secured the best grid slot for Sunday's Grand Prix.

‘Going quicker than home hero’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...-grid-33531813


Hamilton left dejected in Zandvoort ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix
24 Aug 2024
Editor-in-Chief: Matt Gretton
GPblog.com

Lewis Hamilton failed to reach Q3 for the second year running at the Dutch Grand Prix. While his teammate George Russell was quick enough to get a place in the second row, Hamilton had to watch the session from the garage. The Brit was downbeat about his chances in the Dutch Grand Prix.

"Not ideal. It was a difficult session," Hamilton told GPblog and others in Zandvoort. The Brit will start from 12th if the stewards don't penalise him for an incident with Sergio Perez. The Brit is under investigation following potential impeding in the opening part of qualifying. Hamilton stressed he did all he could to get out of the way of the Mexican.

Hamilton then went on to explain why he struggled in qualifying. The third free practice session was curtailed due to a horror crash for Logan Sargeant. "I think we made changes overnight and then couldn't see it in FP3, but that's the same for everybody. We changed the car quite a bit. I made more changes than Russell," Hamilton added.

‘Left dejected’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/29633...-reach-q3.html

[Fortitude]

Norris must reverse his run of poor starts from first place to see off Verstappen.
Norris has never kept his lead from pole position. He started at the sharp end five times in F1 and lost the lead every time.
25th August 2024
Will Wood
RaceFans

Lando Norris insists that he is not concerned by his conversion rate as he looks ahead to the grand prix. “I know my stats are not the best for that,” the pole winner said. “And more often than not, I’ve kind of gone backwards rather than holding positions.”

“But that’s just what I’ve done so far. And I’ve worked hard and working hard to try and change that. I’m not going to go out tomorrow to try and suddenly prove people wrong or something. I’m just going to crack on and do what I got to do.”

The England men’s soccer team is notorious for losing penalty shootouts at major tournaments. But the Three Lions actually have a success rate of 36.36%. That’s infinitely better than Lando Norris’ conversion rate when it comes to keeping the lead from pole position.

“Do what I got to do”;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/08/25/...ff-verstappen/


Brown inadvertently reminds Norris of mishaps ahead of Sunday's Grand Prix
24 August 2024
Editor: Kada Sarkozi
GPblog.com

For the first time since Formula One returned to the Netherlands in 2021, Max Verstappen has been outqualified at a Dutch Grand Prix. Lando Norris will start Sunday's Grand Prix from P1 on the grid, while Oscar Piastri also finished in third position on Saturday afternoon. CEO Zak Brown gave his verdict about his team's qualifying to Sky Sports.

The American CEO was satisfied with his drivers result at the Dutch circuit. "That was a monster lap by Lando. Not expecting a margin like that. I thought we had a chance at pole position but everything was kind of within the same tenth," he praised Lando Norris, who managed to finish ahead of Verstappen by more than three tenths.

"Our race pace was strong on both compounds. It's difficult to pass around here so we just need a good, clean start," Brown continued explaining what he expects from the Grand Prix on Sunday, inadvertently talking about Norris' recent issues on Lap 1. "Good strategy and make sure we execute well. We have the pace and the drivers to win the race," he declared confidently.

“Monster lap by Lando”;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/29646...rand-prix.html


Horner after Max's P2 in qualifying Zandvoort: 'Main focus is on the race'
24 August 2024
Niels Hendrix
Verstappen.nl

Christian Horner, team principal and CEO of Oracle Red Bull Racing: “Our main focus is on tomorrow and let’s see if that pays off. Max has put himself in a great position in tricky conditions. I think it is going to be an interesting race, strategy will play a pivotal role, and the weather could play a part too, as it has all weekend.”

“Lando is on the clean side of the grid, there’s a reason why it is the preferred position here but let’s see, we need to get a good start, it is not that long a run into turn one so hopefully we get away well.”

'Main focus is on the race';

https://news.verstappen.com/en/article/5567/


Adjusted starting grid for 2024 F1 Dutch Grand Prix after multiple penalties
24 August 2024
Jake Nichol
RacingNews365

Position Driver Team
1st Lando Norris McLaren
2nd Max Verstappen Red Bull
3rd Oscar Piastri McLaren
4th George Russell Mercedes
5th Sergio Perez Red Bull
6th Charles Leclerc Ferrari
7th Fernando Alonso Aston Martin
8th Lance Stroll Aston Martin
9th Pierre Gasly Alpine
10th Carlos Sainz Ferrari
11th Yuki Tsunoda RB
12th Nico Hulkenberg Haas
13th Kevin Magnussen Haas
14th Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
15th Daniel Ricciardo RB
16th Esteban Ocon Alpine
17th Valtteri Bottas Stake
18th Zhou Guanyu Stake
19th Logan Sargeant Williams
20th Alex Albon Williams

‘Adjusted starting grid’;

https://racingnews365.com/adjusted-s...iple-penalties


Piastri has green light to attack Norris in Dutch GP
Oscar Piastri has confirmed he is free to attack team-mate and pole-sitter Lando Norris during the Dutch Grand Prix.
25 August 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Piastri will line up third for Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix, directly behind team-mate Norris who set the fastest time in qualifying. Norris delivered a hammer blow time in the dying moments of the session to secure top spot, the McLaren pair split by Max Verstappen.

Piastri insists there are no team orders at play and he will be free to attack his team-mate throughout the race. “The rules [of engagement] are very, very clear and haven't changed,” Piastri explained. “We're free to race each other to try and win.”

“Of course, we're in a constructors' championship fight and we know that there's a lot at stake for the team, but we've shown time and time again that we can race each other well, race each other cleanly. We're free to try and both win the race and that's not changed.”

‘Green light’;

https://speedcafe.com/piastri-has-gr...s-in-dutch-gp/


Leclerc and Sainz struggling: 'We're quite a bit off the pace'
24 Aug 2024
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com

It's been a sobering weekend for Ferrari, which has disappeared into the midfield runners while their main rivals battle it out for pole position and the front rows for this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix. "We knew it would be a tough one today and we maximised our qualifying with P6," Charles Leclerc said “The lap was good but we are nine-tenths off. Unfortunately on such a short track it’s a lot, it’s too much.”

"We are quite a bit off the pace of our competitors," Charles Leclerc told the media in the paddock at Zandvoort. "The target for me tomorrow will be to keep our position and bring as many points home as possible. I think P6 is the best we can do on a weekend like this. We don’t have enough race pace to do anything better, but if there is the opportunity to do so I will try and take it.”

‘Sobering weekend for Ferrari’;

https://f1i.com/news/517040-leclerc-...-the-pace.html


F1 News: Lewis Hamilton Reflects on “Frustrating” Dutch GP Qualifying After Multiple Incidents
August 24, 2024
By Jake Faigus Athlon Sports

Lewis Hamilton faced a challenging qualifying session at the Dutch Grand Prix, finishing in twelfth place. The seven-time world champion expressed his frustration over several incidents that hindered his performance on the track. "It was a pretty shocking session. These things happen and it's done now but it doesn't feel good. It all went badly from the moment with Perez happened. I did my best to get out of the way, I was far to the left as possible, but timing was bad. "It was a domino effect, it went from bad to worse."

Despite making adjustments to his car overnight, Hamilton struggled with balance issues, switching from understeer to a car that felt overly responsive. Hamilton also said to the rest of the media, as quoted by Motorsport Week: "[It was] not ideal. We made changes overnight and we couldn't see [what impact that had] in P3, but it's the same for everybody. We changed the car quite a lot and it was a nightmare today. The car was massively snappy today. Yesterday was a lot of understeer and then we tried to dial that out and went more the other way."

“Frustrating”;

https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/...mainstage_card

[Fortitude]

Norris fights back against Verstappen to end home hero’s run of Dutch GP wins.
McLaren driver Lando Norris charged to a statement victory during the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, overhauling Max Verstappen after his Red Bull rival moved ahead at the start – and denying the Dutchman what would have been a fourth-straight home triumph.
26 Aug 2024
Formula One - Official Site

AS IT HAPPENED: After two days of mixed weather, drivers were greeted by dry and bright conditions in the build-up to Sunday’s race at the historic Zandvoort Circuit, with tyre supplier Pirelli forecasting that a one-stop strategy would be the best approach to the 72-lap encounter. Aiming to make it four wins on the bounce at his home track, Verstappen edged clear of Norris over the opening handful of laps, the reigning world champion crucially building a lead of more than a second to ensure he was out of danger when it came to the DRS window.

While that battling occurred, there was an unusual radio exchange between the McLaren pit wall and second-placed Norris, with the driver being asked: “Who do you think we are racing? Just Max?” He dryly replied: “I think we are racing everyone, especially the car ahead”. As the laps ticked by, Norris stepped up the pace and managed to get within DRS range of Verstappen, his engineer adding of the situation: “Probably Plan A. Plan B might be a way to beat Max.” In response, Norris shared his preference for “Plan A”.

“The car doesn’t want to turn,” was the message from Verstappen as his first stint developed, with Norris taking half a second out of the leader on Lap 16 to pile on the pressure. Just two tours later, the McLaren man was in the lead via a DRS-assisted pass down the start/finish straight. Then came more radio chatter between Norris and the pit wall. “We think Plan A,” the Briton was told by his engineer as he moved into clean air and then did his best to break the DRS window back to Verstappen. “He [Verstappen] might try the undercut, but that’s cool.”

“Plan A”;

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...nBEjWGAfrGeZQo


Dutch GP: Race Results
26 Aug 2024
Mat Coch
Speedcafe

Full results from the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

Pos Num Driver Team Laps/Diff

1 4 Lando Norris McLaren 72

2 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 22.896

3 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 25.439

4 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 27.337

5 55 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 32.137

6 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing 39.542

7 63 George Russell Mercedes 44.617

8 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 47.728

9 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1L

10 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1L

‘Full results’;

https://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Sport/F1...+Prix/Dutch+GP


Marko left stunned by Dutch Grand Prix outcome: 'A lot to think about'
26 Aug 2024
Nicole Mulder
GPblog.com

A year after the most dominant season in Formula 1 history, Red Bull Racing saw the tables turned completely, with Max Verstappen finishing 20 seconds behind rival Lando Norris. Helmut Marko is outraged by the result and sees McLaren getting closer to Red Bull in the World Championship.

Verstappen, who had to settle for second place, could not help but conclude that Red Bull was simply not fast enough to keep up with McLaren. This was despite a strong start from the Dutchman, who thus did all he could to still have a chance of victory at Zandvoort.

Marko endorsed Verstappen's words and was clear in his message after the Dutch Grand Prix. "We couldn't keep pace at all. We suffered a lot of tyre wear. A 1:13.8 on the last lap without DRS says a lot. There is a lot to work on and think about. The big problem was tyre wear," Marko summarised in a conversation with Sky Deutschland.

‘Stunned’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/29671...ull-speed.html


Our verdict on Norris trouncing Verstappen in the Dutch GP
Aug 25, 2024
The Race

The biggest winning margin of the 2024 Formula 1 season has to count as Lando Norris and McLaren trouncing Max Verstappen and Red Bull at the Dutch Grand Prix. Was McLaren's dominance an outlier or the start of a new trend? What does it mean for the title fights? And how worried should Red Bull be?

McLaren can't count on this being the norm: Scott Mitchell-Malm.
Red Bull looked in real trouble: Ben Anderson.
Just what McLaren needed - now it must string together wins: Edd Straw.

One key area for McLaren to work on: Gary Anderson.
One title is lost, another is slipping: Josh Suttill.

‘Norris trouncing Verstappen’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/n...g-our-verdict/


Dutch Grand Prix: F1 Race Results
Aug 25, 2024
James Fiorucci
FormulaNerds

Lights out: The top ten runners all opted to start the 72-lap event on the Medium compound of tyre. As the five lights went out, it was Verstappen who eased past Norris before the first turn. A poor start from Norris who lit up his rear tyres off the line, although he managed to keep Russell behind and retain second. Both McLarens suffered subpar getaways, as Piastri relinquished the final podium spot to the Mercedes of Russell.

Norris made his move on lap 17, as he briefly drew alongside Verstappen along the main straight. Verstappen managed to hold onto the lead, but complained of poor tyre grip. Only a lap later, Norris went down the inside at Tarzanbocht and reclaimed the top spot from the Dutchman.
LAP 18/72
Norris applies even more pressure and Verstappen has to yield
Lando dives down the inside around Turn 1 and now leads!! #F1 #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/nontaRfqWv
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 25, 2024

In the end it was a dominant race, a dominant weekend in fact for Norris, who completely outclassed Verstappen on home turf to win the Dutch Grand Prix. The McLaren star even managed to secure on extra point with the fastest lap on the final lap. Verstappen ultimately saw the chequered flag over twenty seconds down, while Leclerc held on for an impressive podium finish.
LANDO NORRIS WINS THE DUTCH GRAND PRIX!!! ��
An absolutely dominant drive from the @McLarenF1 driver ��#F1 #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/ssdC7BxnC9
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 25, 2024
Final race classification
RACE CLASSIFICATION (LAP 72/72)
Look at that winning margin! ��
Norris also scooped an extra point for the fastest lap! ⏱️#F1 #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/XR9790lhk8
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 25, 2024

‘Dominant weekend’;

https://www.formulanerds.com/news/du.../?nowprocket=1


Brown teases Red Bull after Dutch GP win: 'We have more fun stuff coming'
Aug 25, 2024
Editor-in-Chief: Matt Gretton
GPblog.com

McLaren have cut the gap in the Constructors World Championship to 30 points after Lando Norris won the Dutch Grand Prix. Oscar Piastri also finished ahead of Sergio Perez to score 12 points for the British team. According to Zak Brown, McLaren is keen to remain grounded, but Andrea Stella wants his team to believe they can topple Red Bull.

McLaren added more bits to the car and it seems to have worked. Norris was able to close down Verstappen, and then open up a 20 second advantage over the Dutchman. Despite the good news, Brown asks his team to remain grounded. "The update worked but we need to keep our feet on the ground with how competitive Formula 1 in. We can't assume that will be a repeat every weekend but I hope we do it a few more times. We're getting closer. We've got a long way to go. It's very exciting. We have a fast car," Brown told Sky Sports.

Team principal Stella knows the Woking-based team can fight for the title. "Let's see if it's enough to be the best car at every venue with the upgrades. We keep going. There is not much we can do other than maximising every single event and adding performance to the car. I think we are in a strong trend. We should believe in it. We are determined and give our best. But we are fighting Red Bull who have been dominant," he said.

'More fun stuff coming';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/29669...-dutch-gp.html


Lando Norris aims cheeky radio message at Max Verstappen after crushing Dutch GP win
25 Aug 2024
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

In celebrating victory on Verstappen’s home turf, Norris was told by race engineer Will Joseph: “Well done, well done – mega drive.” Norris then responded, using the famous phrase as used by the Dutch driver after his own race wins: “Simply lovely, huh? Thank you, well done, boys. Incredible job, the car was unbelievable, thank you so much. Let’s keep pushing.”

“Simply lovely, huh?”;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/lando-...ssage-dutch-gp


Haas settles payment with Uralkali, but cars blocked in Zandvoort
25 Aug 2024
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Haas, however, managed to stave off a seizure by making the outstanding payment on Friday evening, according to team owner Gene Haas. "Everything is now sorted," the F1 team owner declared on Sunday at Zandvoort.

However, a significant technicality remained on Sunday after the race. The funds, reportedly sent via the Middle East to navigate sanctions against Russia, hadn't cleared into the designated account by the weekend's close.

This means that although Haas can race in the upcoming Italian Grand Prix, their equipment is currently grounded in the Netherlands until the full payment reflects in Uralkali's account.

‘Cars blocked in Zandvoort’;

https://f1i.com/news/517237-haas-set...of-assets.html

[Fortitude]

Christian Horner: McLaren in a different league | ‘Nothing secure’ in title race.
Max Verstappen snatched the lead from Lando Norris at the start but the McLaren driver fought back to claim what was ultimately a dominant second career win at Zandvoort.
25 Aug 2024
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

“Congrats to McLaren and Lando. Their car was in a different league today,” he told Sky Sports. “We did everything we could. Max converted P2 into a lead, but you could see that their pace was just in a different league. Plenty of work to do.”

“I think we have learned a lot of lessons this weekend, which have been really valuable. And a solid drive from Checo. It’s time to digest what has happened here. Damage limitation with P2 and try to bounce back in Monza.”

“The pace they had today… nothing is secure,” Horner admitted. “We still have a comfortable lead in the drivers’. But in the constructors', again another chunk of points has come off today. We are going to have to respond and I am confident we have the strength in depth to do that.”

“Plenty of work to do”;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105397...ure-title-race


Horner after P2 in Dutch GP: 'Have to respond'
25 August 2024
Niels Hendrix
Verstappen.nl

Christian Horner, team principal and CEO of Oracle Red Bull Racing: “We need to understand where the deficit is to McLaren and how we can improve performance on our car, we have some idea and will work hard to do that. We are going to have to respond and I am confident we have the strength and depth to do that.”

“Max has a 70-point lead in the drivers’ championship but we have to keep scoring as a team and on the days we can’t win you have to finish second. So, we have plenty of work to do but we have learnt a lot of lessons this weekend that can be very valuable, we have tried some things on the car that we have good data from to assess. We need to make sure we use that; it is time to digest what happened here and try to bounce back in Monza.”

'Have to respond';

https://news.verstappen.com/en/article/5569/


Horner sees Zandvoort as a positive weekend: 'Gained a lot of information'
25 August 2024
Sandy van Wijngaarden
GPblog.com

While Helmut Marko and Jos Verstappen have been outspoken about how things are at Red Bull Racing at the moment, team boss Christian Horner continues to see the positive side of the situation. He said after the race that the team collected a lot of data at Zandvoort.

Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner saw mostly the positive aspects of the race in the Netherlands during a media moment with GPblog and others. '"We've run the cars in different specifications and I think that that has actually given us quite a lot of valuable info. I think that the driver's feedback has been very positive into that as well in terms of what they're feeling from the different setups. So I think that it hopefully now gives a real direction for the engineering group," the Briton said.

The team boss also revealed that the set-up Perez's Red Bull currently has is not working well for the Mexican. "I think it was clear that Checo's race performance or race package was not the better of the two. So we've got all obviously 72 laps of data and a lot of across two different compounds of tyres now to compare that info," Horner said.

'Gained a lot of information';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/29685...zandvoort.html


Set-up “gamble” cost Verstappen in Dutch GP – Horner
25th August 2024
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Christian Horner believes a difference in set-up between Red Bull’s two cars compromised Max Verstappen’s performance in the Dutch Grand Prix. Verstappen finished 16 seconds ahead of team mate Sergio Perez but 22 seconds behind race winner Lando Norris. Horner said the team were hopeful of contending for victory after Verstappen took the lead at the start, but said the higher downforce level on their lead car ultimately compromised him.

“Having got the lead, you suddenly start to think okay, and he managed to break the DRS, but then it was very clear that suddenly Lando, from lap five, six onwards, started to come back quite hard,” Horner told Viaplay. “And we just didn’t have the pace today.”

“I think with hindsight, the gamble that we made with more downforce perhaps wasn’t the best route. Looking at Checo’s pace, it looked like it was easier to him in the second half of the race. But congratulations to Lando and McLaren, they were very quick today. We’ve got work to do to get more pace.”

‘Set-up “gamble” cost Verstappen’;

https://www.racefans.net/2024/08/25/...tch-gp-horner/


Horner praises Perez in Zandvoort: 'Did a good job'
25 August 2024
Tygo Bekkema
GPblog.com

Sergio Perez qualified fifth for the Dutch Grand Prix, a performance that pleases Christian Horner. The Red Bull team boss is happy that the Mexican driver was showing some improvement again and he hopes Perez can secure a good result and earn much-needed points during the race.

Although the final result in qualifying was good for Perez, his session did not start completely flawlessly. During Q1, he got caught in traffic and thus had to use an extra set of tyres to advance to Q2. "It's a good job by Checo today. So I think matching his best performance around here previously and all the way through. He was a little bit unlucky in the first session. He got a bit of traffic. He was a bit unlucky with Hamilton. So he effectively had to use up another set of tyres to be safe. But I thought he did a good job today."

For some time now, Perez has been working with a new race engineer. While Horner does not think that will make a decisive difference, he is happy with the team performance, "Look, an engineer will never make that kind of difference. But I think Checo, obviously, the set-up, it's always a team effort. And I think that it's been a good team performance with Checo today. Max is on the front row. Points are obviously tomorrow," Horner concluded after qualifying.

'Did a good job';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/29660...ualifying.html


What Christian Horner said about Sergio Perez and Red Bull’s different specifications
25 Aug 2024
Thomas Maher
PlanetF1.com

With Perez having reverted back to a previous specification floor, and resulting setup, on his car, Horner revealed that, based on feedback, it appeared Perez had been the happier Red Bull driver with the feeling of his car. “We’ve run the cars in different specifications, and I think that that has actually given us quite a lot of valuable info,” he said.

“I think that the driver’s feedback has been very positive into that as well, in terms of what they’re feeling from the different setups. So I think it, hopefully, now gives a real direction for the engineering group. I think it was clear that Checo’s race package got the better of the two. But we’ve got all 72 laps of data, across two different compounds of tyres now, to compare that info.”

Reflecting on his own race afterward, Perez said he suspected that, without one or two corners of the Zandvoort circuit in which he was losing most time, he and Verstappen could have been much stronger. “Not happy, we didn’t have the pace today,” he said. “We are still really hard on tyres, and our medium-speed performance was very weak, I think, taking Turns 9/10 of the circuit. I think, without it, we would look a lot more competitive. I think we were suffering a lot with the conditions, with the tailwind, and probably McLaren and Ferrari were not suffering that much.”

‘Red Bull’s different specifications’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/christ...specifications


Horner highlights 'lucky' element in McLaren F1 title fight
Red Bull is facing increasing pressure in the fight for the F1 title this year with McLaren closing the gap at the head of the field.
26 August 2024
Fergal Walsh & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has stated his team is “lucky” McLaren wasn't a consistent front-runner in the early stage of the current F1 season. The opening rounds of the season saw Red Bull comfortably lead the field and build a margin to the teams behind. Horner highlighted the early season deficit has proved crucial for Red Bull to keep a hold of its championship-leading position.

“We're lucky that they underperformed in the early part of the year,” Horner told media including RacingNews365. “We've got a 70-point buffer [in the drivers' standings], but that can diminish pretty quickly. It's remarkable that that's only Lando's second win in that car. He's driving well, he's finding confidence. The pressure is on us to respond. We're used to being in championship fights over the years and we'll dig deep. We're going to fight with everything we've got over the remaining nine races.”

Horner asserted Red Bull is not resting on its laurels as it scrambles to keep a hold of the championship lead. “I think that McLaren made a step a little while ago, and their car here, particularly with Lando, was very impressive,” Horner added. “We need to address our deficit. The McLaren has been the benchmark car over the last few races and we're very acutely aware that we need to respond to that. Everybody in Milton Keynes is working incredibly hard to address that.”

‘Red Bull is not resting on its laurels’;

https://racingnews365.com/horner-hig...f1-title-fight

[Fortitude]

Fred Vasseur: Ferrari are fighting for the Championship.
Fred Vasseur believes Ferrari are in title contention
August 26, 2024
Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
Last Word On Sports

Charles Leclerc surprised the field (himself included) by taking 3rd place last Sunday. Ferrari anticipated a far more difficult race in Zandvoort, with the SF-24 outperforming initial projections. However, the team’s next upgrade package in Monza will determine if they can win races moving forward.

This result is a welcome boost for Ferrari after months of losing ground to their rivals. Yesterday’s podium finish also supports Fred Vasseur’s relentless optimism. The 56-year-old believes the team’s recent dip in form is only a blip and expects a return to their race-winning pace in the near future.

According to Vasseur, there is no reason why Ferrari cannot fight for the Championship: “Red Bull dominated at the beginning,” he told Corriere Della Sera. “Then we did well, then McLaren and finally Mercedes. It will be a rollercoaster until the end. I think we are already fighting [for the World Championship] this year. We won [races], so the potential is there despite some mistakes. And in any case, the development of the 2025 Ferrari is proceeding well,” he added.

‘Fighting [for the World Championship] this year’;

https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...-championship/


Zandvoort is the worst track for Ferrari, insists Vasseur
25 Aug 2024
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur: "We were expecting a tough weekend here in Zandvoort. Last year it was one of our worst races, mainly because of the configuration of the track and we have not brought any upgrades this weekend. In the end, we have secured a respectable position on the grid with Charles and we will have our chance to fight for good points tomorrow, although a podium finish will be difficult unless something happens in front.”

“But it’s important to score as many points as possible, because we have seen so far this season that teams can go up and down and when you have a difficult weekend like we are having here, we must still try to get the best result we can. There will be tracks that suit us better in the remaining races and we will also make progress with the car soon.”

"With Carlos, it’s been a bit more difficult, as he went into quali having been unable to do any laps on the Soft tyre yesterday and when the gaps are so small, this is the result and he missed out on Q3 by less than a tenth. I expect Carlos to get back on the pace quite early in the race tomorrow. Tonight we will have a good look at what we can do to help him in terms of strategy and tyres."

‘Expecting a tough weekend’;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/25335


Vasseur: Ferrari “on the right track” without Adrian Newey
August 25, 2024
Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
Last Word On Sports

Fred Vasseur downplays the need for Ferrari to pursue Adrian Newey. Qualifying for the Dutch GP was a reality check for Ferrari. The SF-24 was barely the fourth-fastest car, with even Aston Martin showing more pace over one lap. Concerns are beginning to grow as Ferrari lose ground to McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes. Despite this, Fred Vasseur insists the team is on the right track – dismissing the importance of going after Adrian Newey’s signature.

Vasseur: “The group comes first” Overall, familiar worries are beginning to follow Fred Vasseur’s team. With plans for 2025 already being formulated, there is a risk Ferrari’s current woes could impact next year’s project. In this context, Ferrari are navigating a relatively difficult spell. In the eyes of many, Adrian Newey’s availability is an opportunity to galvanise Maranello ahead of the 2026 regulations.

However, this is not the priority for Fred Vasseur. He told Corriere Della Serra where his focus lies: “I’ve always said that the group comes first. This applies to engineers, drivers and anyone. It’s not the sum of talents that generates performance but a right combination of factors. PSG has always taken the best, yet has never won the Champions League. We, on the other hand, are on the right track.”

‘Dismissing the importance’;

https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...-adrian-newey/


Sainz: Pace a 'bit of a surprise' in strong P5 finish in Zandvoort
25 Aug 2024
Formula One - Official Site (Video)

Carlos Sainz was pleasantly surprised after finishing P5 in the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix, assessing his pace was a 'bit of a surprise' and hopes for more in Italy next week.

‘Pleasantly surprised’;

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/sa...75170743610325


Leclerc 'extremely happy' with unexpected podium in Zandvoort
25/08/2024
Andrew Lewin
F1i.com

Charles Leclerc hadn't gone into Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix with great expectations, after a distinctly lacklustre time in practice and qualifying at Zandvoort. The dryer, brighter conditions for the race itself seemed to give the SF-24 a new lease of life, and it looked distinctly lively from the moment that the lights went out and Leclerc picked up a spot from Red Bull's Sergio Perez.

"I knew that the first lap was an opportunity for us to gain one or two positions," Leclerc said. “I went for pass, it all worked well, but I didn’t know that later on we would also have the pace to keep him behind." Leclerc spent the first part of the race behind George Russell in the Mercedes before pitting at the end of lap 24. Russell responded immediately, but still managed to come out behind Leclerc.

Leclerc was not able to keep Russell in his rear view mirror, he also picked up another position when Oscar Piastri subsequently pitted from the lead and dropped back in behind him, but now on fresher, faster tyres. "It's not often that I would say I am happy with a P3, but today, I am extremely happy with the job the team has done on such a difficult weekend," Charles Leclerc beamed in post-race media interviews.

'Extremely happy';

https://f1i.com/news/517334-leclerc-...zandvoort.html


More cause for concern for Red Bull and McLaren? 'We have updates in Italy'
25 August 2024
Sandy van Wijngaarden
GPblog.com

Ferrari's speed at Zandvoort came as a surprise to the team. Beforehand they thought they were heading for sixth place, but in the end Charles Leclerc finished third on the podium. Ferrari want to continue this positive momentum, and will be hope to do next weekend when they introduce upgrades.

Ferrari coming up with upgrades. Leclerc indicated that it is super important for the team to produce solid results in this second half of the season. After his victory in Monaco, the Ferrari driver has scored very few points. "I think three or four races ago we were experimenting quite a lot to try and understand the fundamental issues of our car for the development, medium-term," Leclerc said.

The Monegasque also revealed that Ferrari will come up with upgrades next weekend. "We've got an upgrade coming very soon. Now I can say actually because Fred said it, so it will be in Monza. I hope it will help us close the gap. But until the upgrades, I always said that the priority for us was just to do a damage limitation."

'We have updates in Italy';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/29681...onza-2024.html


Ferrari surprise forces George Russell to admit his Mercedes concerns before Italian GP
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton both struggled in the Dutch Grand Prix as Ferrari moved ahead of Mercedes in the Constructors' Championship
• 26 Aug 2024
Chris Burns


After a less-than-impressive performance at the Dutch Grand Prix, George Russell says that Mercedes must "look into" the reasons why they fell behind Ferrari in the race. It was a day of head-scratching for Mercedes with Russell only managing to take seventh place and Lewis Hamilton following closely at eighth.


A baffled Russell shared his thoughts after the race, admitting he "doesn't understand" what went wrong for his usually formidable team. He called the race "odd" and was particularly taken aback by how Charles Leclerc managed to overtake him.

‘Ferrari surprise’;

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/formu...clerc-33538285

[Fortitude]

Was Mercedes' new floor to blame for F1 Dutch GP woes?
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has admitted the team’s poor performance in the F1 Dutch Grand Prix may be down to their new floor. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says the team need to analyse what went wrong at Zandvoort.
26 Aug 2024
Lewis Larkam
Crash.Net

"I think these cars are sometimes a surprise-box. We've had six podiums in a row and that doesn't look like the car three weeks ago that was first and second, at least first on merit,” Toto Wolff told media including Crash.net at Zandvoort.

"You can't really end up with a result like this without any major factor playing in it. It’s something we need to analyse in the next few days until Monza. Was it because we put something on the car that didn't help? Did we engineer something into the car that wasn't good?”

"Then how do you justify these swings of performance? Sometimes we looked really good this weekend and then obviously today, in terms of degradation, that was not very impressive.”

‘Surprise-box’;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/105398...-dutch-gp-woes


Wolff: Mercedes’ F1 Dutch GP woes could be down to latest floor
26 Aug 2024
Taylor Powling
Motorsport Week

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has pondered whether the team’s dismal race in Formula 1’s Dutch Grand Prix was down to its new floor on the car not working as desired. Wolff reckons the drastic downturn in Mercedes’ pace since its revival in Canada indicates there was a greater factor involved than track characteristics or conditions.

Mercedes elected to use the revised floor at Zandvoort that it abandoned running in Belgium, but rain disrupting practice meant that the team obtained minimal data. “I think it was two factors,” he explained. “We back-to-back the update kit on Friday, which was very, at the end, left us with not a lot of data.”

‘Mercedes’ F1 Dutch GP woes’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...-latest-floor/


Mercedes: New floor may have impacted Dutch GP performance
26/08/2024
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Mercedes endured a disappointing weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix, with team boss Toto Wolff questioning whether its car’s new floor element may have been behind the Brackely squad’s lackluster performance. Mercedes entered the weekend at Zandvoort with high hopes, following its run of three wins in the last four races before Formula 1’s summer break.

However, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton’s subdued performance in qualifying was followed by more struggles on race day, especially for the former who launched his race from fourth on the grid only to finish a lowly seventh, one spot ahead of Hamilton.

Toto Wolff: “Like I said before, was it the set-up, was it the track, what is it that we got wrong? Was it the floor that we put on the car? Was it all of this together? So hopefully we can sort it out until Monza and become competitive. But the swing in performance between P1, P2 and P7, P8, there’s a biggie in there. It’s not something that was a simple set-up decision in my opinion.”

“There’s a biggie in there”;

https://f1i.com/news/517372-mercedes...rformance.html


Toto Wolff raises concerns for Lewis Hamilton ahead of final nine Mercedes races
Lewis Hamilton headed into the summer break with plenty of momentum, but the tables have turned again.
Aug 26, 2024
Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express

Toto Wolff has warned that the issues experienced by Mercedes at the Dutch Grand Prix were not just caused by a ‘simple set-up issue’, hinting at a deeper problem that could affect Lewis Hamilton and George Russell during the final nine races of the campaign.

Unfortunately for Hamilton, there may not be a quick fix before the end of his time at Mercedes. “I don’t want to jump to conclusions too quickly, because we’re going to look at it in the coming days, and hopefully try to find clues in the data,” Wolff said, assessing the team’s struggles. Wolff’s lack of certainty will be concerning for Hamilton, who is hoping to add to his tally of two wins for the season before he departs for Ferrari.

His Dutch GP weekend was a disaster, although the seven-time world champion took some comfort from his Sunday display. "I was much happier today," he told Sky Sports F1. "I was moving forwards, progressing, moving in the right direction, just too far back, unfortunately. If I qualified where George was then I think I would have finished at least there, if not further ahead.”

‘Dutch GP weekend was a disaster’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...ilton-Mercedes


Wolff left impressed by McLaren's performance: 'Annihilated the competiton'
26 August 2024
Cas van de Kleut
GPblog.com

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff spoke to GPblog and others about McLaren's impressive performance after the Dutch Grand Prix. Wolff therefore thinks the battle for the constructors' championship is not yet over: "McLaren has proven in the past that since Austria last year they brought upgrades to the car that landed spot on. And that was just very impressive to see today.”

“I mean, he's [McLaren and Dutch Grand Prix winner Lando Norris] basically annihilated all of the competition with that fast lap at the end with a 42-lap old hard. 20 seconds in the gap. So, I think this championship, the Constructor Championship is wide open in my opinion and that's good for Formula 1." Wolff explained

Wolff also hopes Mercedes can still play a role in the championship battle: "We were able in the last few races and I think if we would have had a car that was about normal where would we have ended up? I don't think we would have beaten Norris, but maybe we would have had a little bit more exciting position." He concluded.

'Annihilated the competiton';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/29691...-red-bull.html


F1 constructors’ title now wide open, says Mercedes boss Toto Wolff
26 Aug 2024
The Straits Times

ZANDVOORT – McLaren and Dutch Grand Prix winner Lando Norris have blown the Formula One constructors’ championship wide open with Red Bull in danger of being overhauled, according to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. Norris took the chequered flag 22.8 seconds clear of Red Bull’s home hero Max Verstappen at a windy Zandvoort on Aug 25, finishing with a fastest lap flourish to secure an additional point.

“He (Norris) has basically annihilated all of the competition with that fastest lap at the end, with a 42-lap-old hard tyre and a 20-second gap,” Wolff told reporters after the race. “So I think this constructors’ championship is wide open in my opinion and that’s good for Formula One.”

Crucially, McLaren have outscored once-dominant Red Bull in eight of the last nine races while Mercedes, fourth overall, have done so in four of the last five. While Mercedes are 158 points off the top, they have won three races this season – the same as McLaren and one more than third-placed Ferrari who are 34 points behind Norris’ team and have their home Italian Grand Prix next up this weekend.

‘Blown the Formula One constructors’ championship wide open’;

https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/f...pen-says-wolff


Wolff delivers Red Bull title warning after Norris 'annihilation'
Toto Wolff believes the F1 title fight is "wide open" this season.
26 August 2024
Nick Golding & Aaron Deckers
RacingNews365

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes the constructors' championship is now "wide open" after Lando Norris "annihilated" the entire field in the Dutch Grand Prix. Whilst Wolff is optimistic there will be a fight for the constructors' crown, he still thinks Verstappen as the advantage in the drivers' title.

Norris finds himself 70 points behind Verstappen with nine races remaining, a deficit which will require a staggering run of results to claw back. However, what intrigues Wolff is the role Mercedes can play in the title fight when it is performing strongly, unlike in Zandvoort where George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished seventh and eighth.

"In the drivers' championship, I think, Max to a certain degree has it under control still," said Wolff. "But it will be exciting to see whether there is a change of powers, and how much can we participate in that. Because we were able [to fight] in the last few races, and I think if we would have had a car that was about normal [in Zandvoort], where would we have ended up? "I don't think we would have beat Norris, but maybe we would have had a little bit more exciting position."

‘Wolff delivers Red Bull title warning’;

https://racingnews365.com/wolff-deli...s-annihilation

[Fortitude]

Haas to compete at Italian GP as F1 sponsorship feud ends.
Uralkali threatened to hold their F1 assets over unreturned sponsorship money in the millions.
26 August 2024
Brandon Sutton
Total Motorsport

Gene Haas complied with the order but ran into barriers trying to work around United States’ and United Kingdom’s sanctions against Russia which caused an unexpected delay and led to the seizure of the team’s equipment at the end of the 72-lap race in Zandvoort.

It left their appearance at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza from August 30-September 1 in doubt but Uralkali have now confirmed they have received the payment and released the assets, including their cars, from their possession.

‘Sponsorship feud ends’;

https://www.total-motorsport.com/haa...hip-feud-ends/


Haas cars and equipment on their way to Monza
26/08/2024
Phillip van Osten
F1i.com

Haas has received clearance to transport its cars and equipment to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix after reaching a settlement with former sponsor Uralkali.

“Uralkali confirms that we have received in full the payment owed by Haas (including interest and fees) following the ruling of the Swiss court of arbitration,” the company said in a statement issued on Monday.

“We have also collected the race car owed to us under the terms of the sponsorship agreement. As such, Uralkali has notified Dutch authorities that they may release Haas' assets from arrest as an interim measure, and Haas is free to take them out of the Netherlands.”

‘Clearance to transport its cars and equipment’;

https://f1i.com/news/517425-haas-car...-to-monza.html


Haas cleared for Monza travel after Uralkali dispute resolved
26 Aug 2024
Jack Oliver Smith
Motorsport Week

Haas’ payment dispute with former sponsor Uralkali has been resolved after the company confirmed receipt of funds, freeing the team to travel from Zandvoort to Monza. Dutch bailiffs and police arrived at Zandvoort on Thursday to inform Haas of Uralkali’s legal bid, and whilst the team were allowed to participate in the race, it was agreed that the its assets were not allowed to leave the Netherlands until the payment was received.

This came after Uralkali claimed the team had missed a deadline in July to make payment of a part-refund of a fee for sponsorship, an agreement the team cancelled on the eve of the 2022 Formula 1 season amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Whilst Swiss arbitration courts ruled that Haas were within its right to withdraw the sponsorship, it also ordered Haas to pay back what is believed to be around two-thirds of the $13 million fee.

‘Haas cleared for Monza’;

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2024/...pute-resolved/


Haas dodge Italian Grand Prix nightmare as team cleared to travel to Monza after scare
Haas have avoided a situation that could have seen them miss the Italian Grand Prix this weekend.
Aug 26, 2024
Harry Smith
Daily and Sunday Express

After a Swiss arbitration court hearing went against Haas, the North Carolina-based team were instructed to refund a large chunk of the up-front payment made by Uralkali for Haas' title sponsorship rights in 2022.

This payment had not been made ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, triggering Uralkali to send in bailiffs on Thursday to take stock. A payment was then sent, but due to banking delays over the bank holiday weekend, it was not received by the end of play on Sunday.

However, on Monday, Uralkali released a statement confirming that full payment had been received, freeing up Haas to depart the Zandvoort paddock and travel to Monza in time for the Italian GP.

‘Haas dodge Italian Grand Prix nightmare’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...-Prix-Uralkali


Italian Grand Prix: Race Preview
August 27, 2024
Haas F1 Team - Official Site

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal: “The biggest challenge for us in Monza will be the changes to the track; the resurfacing, changes to curbs and cambers of the track. How the car will be able to ride the curbs in terms of car set-up, I think will be a different requirement this year. Our biggest challenge will be as well as it being a low downforce circuit, so normally when you go to Monza you run low downforce, it’s a heavy braking circuit as well so drivers really struggle with braking stability.”

“Normally that’s what you have to get on top of straight away, but this year both team and driver will have the challenge of adapting our set-up for the new circuit requirements. Coming from Zandvoort which is a maximum high-downforce circuit, it’s a very different challenge. It’s a circuit where you can overtake, so the importance of qualifying versus the race is also very different to Zandvoort as well. It will be a huge challenge but the same for everyone, and one we’re looking forward to.”

‘Race Preview’;

https://www.haasf1team.com/news/ital...x-race-preview

[Fortitude]

Williams have sacked Logan Sargeant with immediate effect and replaced him with Franco Colapinto ahead of this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.
It comes after the American driver crashed heavily in practice at Zandvoort to plunge his future into serious doubt.
Aug 27, 2024
Archie Griggs
Daily and Sunday Express

Logan Sargeant sacked with immediate effect as Williams name replacement for F1 star. Logan Sargeant will no longer race for Williams after being sacked by the team. The news of Sargeant's dismissal was announced on Tuesday, with Williams confirming that Colapinto will step in for the final nine races of the campaign. He will become the first Argentine driver to race in F1 for 23 years when he takes to the track at Monza this weekend.

‘Logan Sargeant sacked’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...anco-Colapinto


FP3 Highlights | 2024 Dutch Grand Prix
Aug 24, 2024
FORMULA 1

A harrowing crash for Logan Sargeant combined with more wet and windy conditions meant limited running in the final practice session at Zandvoort, with Pierre Gasly setting the fastest lap.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bics55t1vyA


‘Completely lost it’: Scary F1 scenes as driver escapes fiery crash in double Williams blow
August 25th, 2024
Ben Waterworth and AFP from Fox Sports

American F1 driver Logan Sargeant has emerged unscathed, but his Williams FW46 was left in a sorry state due to a fiery crash that sparked red flags in Free Practice 3 for the Dutch Grand Prix. The fiery crash and driving rain marred the final practice, with many top contenders getting little track time before qualifying later in the day.

Sargeant, 15 minutes into the session, nearly totally destroyed his Williams in a high-speed crash after briefly driving over grass on Zandvoort’s Turn 3 in slippery conditions. Sargeant skidded on wet grass coming round a corner, spun violently, and careered side-on into the fence, the rear of his car quickly bursting into flames.

“He’s completely lost it … That is a big, big crash,” F1 commentator David Croft said. Fellow commentator Anthony Davidson added: “He’s just eager to get his foot down on the exit of Turn 3 … That’s what it takes, you put your wheel on the grass and you lose an awful lot of grip. That’s a hard hit into the Armco barriers.” Sargeant declared “I’m OK” over team radio, but had to promptly exit the cockpit as the rear of his car had caught fire. He later visited the medical centre, but was cleared of injury.

‘Completely lost it’;

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...583b55f76d3ebf


Williams axe F1's only American driver in mid-season
28 August 2024
Staff WritersReuters
The West Australian

Williams Racing has replaced driver Logan Sargeant with Franco Colapinto for the remainder of the Formula 1 season. Sargeant, 23, was the only American driver on the F1 circuit. He has failed to win a point this year with zero top-10 finishes and crashed in practice ahead of last weekend's Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

It had already been confirmed that Sargeant would have his place taken by outgoing Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz for next season, but his removal has been brought forward. "To replace a driver mid-season is not a decision we have taken lightly, but we believe this gives Williams the best chance to compete for points over the remainder of the season," team principal James Vowles said.

"This is undoubtedly incredibly tough on Logan, who has given his all throughout his time with Williams, and we want to thank him for all his hard work and positive attitude. Logan remains a talented driver and we will support him to continue his racing career for the future," Vowles said. "I know that Franco has great speed and huge potential, and we look forward to seeing what he can do in Formula 1."

‘Williams axe F1's only American driver’;

https://thewest.com.au/sport/motorsp...son-c-15853657


What you should know about Williams F1 rookie Colapinto
Aug 27, 2024
by Valentin Khorounzhiy

The Williams team's homegrown solution to its loss of confidence in Logan Sargeant, Franco Colapinto will become the first Argentinian driver to race in Formula 1 in over two decades when he lines up on the grid for the Italian Grand Prix.

The 21-year-old Buenos Aires native has worked his way to the top of the pecking order in Williams's junior ranks and will now get a prime opportunity to stake a longer-term case for an F1 seat - even if the seat he's getting for the rest of 2024 already has a 2025 occupant in grand prix winner Carlos Sainz.

Colapinto's career: A top karting driver in Argentina and moderately successful on the international scene, Colapinto first dipped his toes in the pool of the FIA's junior formulae ladder in 2018 - taking a win on his first weekend of car racing in Spanish F4 at Spain's Navarra circuit. He tackled the championship full-time the following year and won it handily…

‘What you should know…’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/w...f1-2024-debut/


Williams send message to Logan Sargeant after brutally axing F1 driver
Logan Sargeant has been sacked by Williams with immediate effect.
Aug 27, 2024
Archie Griggs
Daily and Sunday Express

Williams have vowed to keep supporting Logan Sargeant's racing career despite brutally sacking him ahead of this weekend's Italian Grand Prix. It was confirmed on Tuesday that Sargeant had been relieved of his duties after failing to pick up a single championship point in 2024. They said: "We’d like to thank Logan for everything he has done the past two seasons. He will remain a member of the Williams family and we will be supporting him to continue his racing career."

Williams team principal James Vowles: "We have just brought a large upgrade to the car and need to maximise every points-scoring opportunity in a remarkably tight midfield battle. We also believe in investing in our young drivers in the Williams Racing Driver Academy. Franco is getting a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate what he is capable of across the final nine rounds of the season.”

‘Brutally axing F1 driver’;

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-a...rgeant-F1-news


‘I could care less’: Logan Sargeant’s ominous final interview answer before losing his Williams seat to Franco Colapinto
28 August 2024
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer

After Williams confirmed the Colapinto/Sargeant swap on Tuesday, journalist Adam Cooper relayed the latter’s final interview answer. Speaking in his post-race media session on Sunday, he was asked about the rumours around his future. It emerged on Saturday that Vowles was talking to rival F1 team bosses about loaning their reserve drivers. But Sargeant didn’t seem particularly concerned about the kind of stories that followed him throughout the season. “I hear them every weekend, so it’s nothing new,” he said. “I could care less.”

Adam Cooper
@adamcooperF1
'@LoganSargeant's answer to the last question in his final F1 media session on Sunday night, regarding any concerns about the ongoing rumours about his future: "No, I hear them every weekend, so it's nothing new. I could care less..."
It turned out that Sargeant had little reason to be nonchalant, and his comments aged poorly. He becomes the latest driver to lose an F1 seat midway through a season, following on from AlphaTauri’s Nyck de Vries in 2023.

Speaking over the team radio just after the race, Vowles had praised Sargeant for helping Albon out. He kept Yuki Tsunoda and Kevin Magnussen behind so they couldn’t threaten his teammate. “Good defending Logan against those two cars behind,” he said. “Thank you for playing the team game there.”

‘Little reason to be nonchalant’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/log...nco-colapinto/

[Fortitude]

Logan Sargeant breaks silence on Williams sack with personal statement.
“After today’s news, I wanted to say that I am super thankful to Williams Racing for giving me my first opportunity in Formula 1.” Logan Sargeant.
28 Aug 2024
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

“Hi everyone,
“After today’s news, I wanted to say that I am super thankful to Williams Racing for giving me my first opportunity in Formula 1. I am so grateful for the support I received from everyone at the team from the moment I first joined the Academy back in 2021.”

“Going on to drive an F1 car for the first time in Abu Dhabi was the experience of a lifetime, while becoming the first American points scorer for 30 years in Austin last season was a really special moment.”

“I am proud to have represented such a historic team over the last two seasons. For now, I will be taking time to assess my options, before making an announcement on my future in due course. Thank you. Logan.”

‘Logan Sargeant breaks silence’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/logan-...onal-statement


Alex Albon sends heartfelt message to Logan Sargeant after ‘brutal’ sacking
American driver Sargeant has been replaced by Williams for the last nine races of the 2024 F1 season
28 Aug 2024
Callum Rice-Coates
The Independent

Alex Albon has offered his sympathies to former Williams team-mate Logan Sargeant after it was confirmed he would be replaced for the remainder of the F1 season by Franco Colapinto.

“I know firsthand how brutal this sport can be & it’s tough to see Logan leave the team mid-season,” Albon wrote on Twitter/X. You gave it your all brother and it’s been a pleasure being teammates with you. I know whatever you do next, you’ll be awesome.”

‘Heartfelt message’;

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...-b2603075.html


One camera shot showed Williams were ‘fed up’ with Logan Sargeant before they hired Franco Colapinto
Wed 28 August 2024 11:00
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer

Williams’ mechanics looked ‘done’ with Logan Sargeant after Dutch Grand Prix crash. Speaking on ESPN’s Unlapped podcast, journalist Nate Saunders recalled one particular camera shot that spelt trouble for Sargeant. The 23-year-old ran wide on the exit of turn three on Saturday morning and spun into the barriers, with his car subsequently catching fire.

One replay of the accident showed multiple Williams mechanics with their heads in their hands. Saunders suspected that they were ‘done’ with Sargeant, and conversations with team members afterwards confined that.

He said: “That crash of Sargeant’s, with so many upgrades on the car… the first shot of that after he crashed was all of the mechanics who had just been working so hard to improve that team’s fortunes. You knew that they were just fed up and they were done with it. I spoke to people at the team who said similar.”

‘One camera shot’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/one...nco-colapinto/


The main catalyst in Logan Sargeant sack decision…and it wasn’t his Dutch GP crash
28 Aug 2024
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok believes the writing was on the wall for Logan Sargeant the moment Williams announced Carlos Sainz for F1 2025. “I can’t say I’m massively surprised to be honest,” the Sky F1 pundit said of Sargeant’s axing. “Unfortunately for Logan, this story has been building as the season went on.”

“As soon as Williams announced Carlos Sainz for next year there wasn’t really a future for Logan at the team. They’ve given him 18 months to deliver the results, and unfortunately, he hasn’t.”

“I think really there’s a lot of focus on the accident he had in Holland over the weekend, but I think this is building up for some time, and maybe that was just the straw that broke the camel’s back for the team.”

‘Main catalyst’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/logan-...dutch-gp-crash


The most damning part of Williams's ruthless F1 sacking
Aug 28, 2024
by Scott Mitchell-Malm
The Race

Logan Sargeant being dropped by Williams is not a surprise in the grand scheme of things. The timing of it, and the identity of his replacement, was unexpected – and reflects a damning final judgement by the team.

Williams boss James Vowles was clearly appalled by the size of the crash, how careless it was to drift onto the grass like that, and the consequences in terms of a seven-figure repair bill and a huge rebuild job in-weekend and production of new parts at the factory.

That indicates things were changed substantially by what happened at Zandvoort, beyond simply ‘Sargeant had a crash’. It was another crash, one that must have layered onto a rising issue of team morale, among other things. Rebuilding cars trackside and pumping out parts at base is an occupational hazard in F1 but Sargeant’s given Williams more work than most drivers and the immediate destruction of a major upgrade package at Zandvoort was particularly galling. The financial and human cost of that is significant.

‘Williams's ruthless F1 sacking’;

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/m...ogan-sargeant/


Revealed: Williams began Colapinto talks before Sargeant crash
August 28, 2024
Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
Last Word On Sports

Williams were already evaluating alternatives. As mentioned previously on LWOS, the first whispers of a mid-season swap at Williams emerged well before last weekend. It was actually several months ago that rumours spread about Sargeant being replaced before the end of 2024.

Of course, this scenario was never considered as likely. However, it is worth noting that James Vowles hinted at a possible mid-season driver change some time ago. Speaking to Fox Sports Argentina, one of Franco Colapinto’s representatives (Maria Catarineu) revealed that Williams first entered discussions with the Argentine on Friday night.

This means that Sargeant’s future was already at risk before his crash on Saturday morning: “Well, we knew it could be possible on Friday night,” Catarineu explained. When asked if Sargeant’s FP3 incident triggered discussions, she emphasised that “Williams contacted us on Friday night,” the day before the incident.

‘Already evaluating alternatives’;

https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...argeant-crash/


Does Williams' call to drop Sargeant for Colapinto make sense?
How Logan Sargeant's position at the Williams Formula 1 team slowly but surely became untenable, and what to make of his inexperienced replacement
Aug 28, 2024
Filip Cleeren
Motorsport.com

Following months of giving Logan Sargeant the benefit of the doubt, a costly crash in Zandvoort has finally prompted Williams to replace him with youngster Franco Colapinto. How justified is Williams' call and is the young Argentine the right replacement?

Logan Sargeant had run Oscar Piastri close when they were team-mates in F3, so there was a more than capable driver in there somewhere. But that hasn't happened often enough, and while Sargeant was dealt a tough hand at the start of the season by being a specification behind compared to Albon for a number of races, Zandvoort's crash shows why that may have been prudent for a team that was running low on spare parts.

Is rookie Colapinto the right replacement instead of Schumacher or Lawson? That need to have a fast, steady part of hands alongside Albon that can fight for points immediately makes Franco Colapinto a puzzling replacement at first glance. It has ditched a 23-year-old for a 21-year-old rookie with a grand total of one free practice session under his belt at the British Grand Prix, which followed a rookie test run in Abu Dhabi.

‘Puzzling replacement’;

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/d...ense/10648563/