2024 Dutch GP: Post Race Analysis

Back after the summer break. A good race when you look at all the slight strategy decisions going on throughout the race from P1 to P20. Certainly no drama to make it one to remember.

McLaren had a dominant car this weekend, and by the margins we seen in this era of F1, you could say they have had a dominant car for some time. McLaren just doesn't maximize the car's capabilities, and they didn't again today. Lando continues his record of shame, failing to lead the first lap when starting pole. But no sweat to him, his car and his driving was off the charts when compared to the rest. Being 20 seconds ahead of Max is stunning alone, but he was managing the car while building the gap to the point he was still able to put in the fastest lap in the end. Scary speed. Piastri should have been P2 with that car. Unfortunately he suffered a similar poor start and it appears that dirty air can negate the McLaren's pace. Still a very good day for the team.

Red Bull will need a miracle to stay ahead of McLaren in the WCC. It's been weeks and there are no signs of stopping the bleeding. You could put a blanket over RBR, Ferrari, and Mercedes right now. Any one of them could be the second best car at any given week, though it's more likely RBR has the 4th best car than it is for them to have the 2nd best. Max did all he could do and is lucky Piastri didn't have clean air. Perez had one of his better races in retrospect. Firstly he finished the race, but he was less than 20 seconds behind Max. For him, that's a decent day.

Ferrari were the shock of the day. From the first practice until the end of Quali, everyone expected Ferrari to struggle to even hold their grid positions. Leclerc was brilliant in finishing P3 but Carlos proved their car came alive in the race. A very pleasant day for the Scuderia.

Mercedes left many scratching their heads. Prior to the break they were at times the best car. George looked quick in quali but didn't have much race pace. Super odd decision to pit Russell onto used Softs with so many laps to go. Given what he did in Spa on old tires, why not let him try to defend against Perez? Very strange. Lewis was one of the stars of the day. His tire management to pace ratio on soft tires, on a green track was unbelievable. Twice as good as anyone around him, perhaps even better than Lando. For sure he would have been in the fight for a podium, probably P2 if he started inside the top 4.

Alpine brought another significant upgrade. Their development has been mighty impressive this season. You have to wonder if they had any of the top 3 PU's, how good would they be? Gasly was dark horse today. The master of the outside line in Turn 1. A superb start and then defended magnificently against some super stars of the sport. Ocon didn't have the same enjoyable race. Since the huge rift between himself and team opened up, who knows if he gets the same support anymore.

Aston Martin still fighting for those last points. Alonso looked a bit timid today. He left the gap on the outside for Gasly to go by in Turn 1. Wasn't clever enough to retake the position in the next lap, even with DRS. Of course the Stroll spec AMR isn't very fast for Alonso, so he wasn't able to advance on speed. Getting a point is good, but still frustrating day for the team. Lance Stroll might have wasted a good opportunity. He looked very comfortable and quick with the car up to Q2 in quali. Botched Q3 which cost him track position in the race, plus he gave himself a 5 second penalty.

Haas didn't look too bad. They were aggressive with strategy which may have been a mistake. Truth is they are a few tenths down from being a true points contending car. Without any retirements, it's just extremely unlikely they score points. Hulkenberg put in a valiant effort but fell short. Kmag was at one point wheel to wheel with Hulk and then dropped like a stone.

RB had a rough day as well. Ricciardo beat Tsunoda which always becomes a story and someone will think he deserves to be in the second Red Bull seat because of it. He finished 12th, lets not get too excited.

Williams shot themselves in the foot. Albon's best qualifying getting scrapped for a fractional technical infringement. He and the car were quick they just didn't have the track position to show it. Logan of course binned his brand new upgraded car in FP3 and surely the team are fed up with having to support that lack of talent. Ironically he had one of his better races. He didnt finish dead last.

Sauber may have stopped funding their team all together. They have secured the rights to being the worst car.

Driver of the Day: Lando Norris. While he did botch his start once again, he took control of the race and made sure everyone knew he wasn't going to be stopped. He did have the dominant car, but he had a race that was on the same level as a Verstappen, Hamilton, Senna, or Schumacher when they dominated a race. Honorable mentions to Leclerc and Hamilton.