🇳🇱 Ready for the Dutch GP?

Hey there, Pole-chaser! 👋 

Missed the action? 🏎️ Good news: the summer break's done and we’re in Zandvoort this weekend.

🚨 FP1 & FP2: Get up to speed with what’s happened on track during FP1 & FP2. Expect some surprises.

📢 Haas News Alert! They've spilled the beans on their 2024 line-up. Dive in below to find out who's suiting up.

🚦 Qualifying 101: Think it’s just about speed? Think again! We're breaking down the ins and outs of qualifying – why it's more than just crossing the finish line first.

Race you to the next update!

📊 Free Practice 1 review

🟠 McLaren’s new rear wing is looking good: the car (very draggy in the previous races) got the 3rd best top speed

🔴 Ferrari was fastest: efficient car + less loaded wing

🔵 Red Bull still 2nd best despite the max-load wing

⚫️ Mercedes looking draggy

Minisector analysis 📊

🔵 VER dominated the main straight (315km/h top speed, vs Aston's 313 and Mercedes' 308) and was competitive elsewhere

⚫️ HAM was fastest through ~45% of the lap: the W14 was excellent on the exit of most slow corners🛞

🟢 ALO quickest in several corners

📊 Free Practice 2 review

❌ Piastri & Ricciardo out - crashed in the 3rd corner.

🏎️ Fastest sectors on the circuit: Lando 👉 Max 👉 Charles

🙌 Boys are back for 2024

Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen are sticking around next season. Everyone saw it coming, especially after Team Principal Guenther Steiner hinted at it earlier.

Why this matters:

• The confirmation helps the team skip the long driver drama they had last season when they took till the last race to finalize things.

• Hulkenberg, who returned after three years, has been killing it! He even secured a second-place spot in the Canadian Grand Prix's qualifying (though he later faced a grid penalty).

• Even though he's been a bit off his game compared to his previous season, Magnussen has still racked up points for the team.

In fact, together, they've pushed Haas to the eighth spot in the Constructors' standings. - Read more

🌟 Rookie highlights for the F1 season

Why this matters: Every F1 team needs to have a rookie in at least two FP1 sessions this year.

A rookie, by the way, is someone who's raced in less than two F1 GPs.

🔴 Ferrari: Robert Shwartzman drove the Ferrari at the Dutch GP. Shwartzman scored P19 in Zandvoort and will be back in Abu Dhabi.

🔵 Red Bull: They have a lot of junior drivers. Liam Lawson seems to be the top pick to drive. He's gunning for the Super Formula title in Japan and has previously driven in Belgium and Mexico. But also watch out for Ayumu Iwasa, another potential pick, especially for the Suzuka race to delight Japanese fans.

⚫ Mercedes: Frederik Vesti will be driving in Mexico. We'll probably see him again in Abu Dhabi. Vesti's been doing well; he was even leading the F2 standings after the latest round in Belgium.

🟢 Aston Martin: Felipe Drugovich, last year's F2 champ, joined the team's driver program. He already subbed for Lance Stroll during pre-season testing, and we'll see him twice this year, though probably not at his home round in Brazil.

🔵 Alpine: Jack Doohan, who drove in some FP1 sessions last year, is likely to be back. Even though he had a rocky start this F2 season, he's bounced back recently. Another Alpine contender? Victor Martins. He's just a spot behind Doohan in F2 standings and might get an FP1 nod.

🔴 Alfa Romeo: Théo Pourchaire is on the move towards F1. He's leading the F2 right now and will probably jump into two FP1 sessions later this year. He stayed in F2 for a third season, and it looks like it was the right move.

⚫ Haas: Pietro Fittipaldi, who's been with Haas for a bit, will likely fill in for the FP1 sessions again. Even though he's already driven two F1 races, he still counts as a rookie.

👀Ferrari is still eyeing 2023

Fred Vasseur has shared that they'll keep working on their SF-23 car this year. But don't expect any big changes for the next races in the Netherlands and Italy.

It's been a tough year for Ferrari, being fourth with 191 points. Their highlight? Charles Leclerc snagging second place in Austria.

While teams like Mercedes are already focusing on their 2024 cars, Ferrari is juggling between this year and the next.

Here are other teams’ upgrades ahead of the Dutch GP:

🔵 Red Bull has a new beam wing spec to enhance wing performance.

🟠 McLaren has made changes to focus on straight-line speed and improve aerodynamics at Zandvoort.

⚫ Haas is testing out a new front wing and nose to fix their tyre wear issues. They've also adjusted their rear brake ducts for better cooling.

🟢 Aston Martin got a revamped floor and diffuser. The changes aim to improve the car's airflow and increase downforce.

⚫ Mercedes made some tweaks to the W14's floor edge. The goal? To better the airflow to the car's rear and boost rear downforce. They've also made changes to the sidepod mirror and a beam wing. - Read more

🏆 7 Records Verstappen and Red Bull might smash

Red Bull's on fire this year! They've already crushed a few Formula 1 records. But there are still more on the horizon in 2023. Let's dive into seven big ones:

1. Most back-to-back F1 wins

Verstappen's gunning for the record of most consecutive wins. One wrong move can reset this, but he's on the verge.

He's at eight straight wins now, and with one more, he could beat Vettel's 2013 record. Imagine if he does it at his home track in Zandvoort!

2. Max wins in a single season

Last year, Verstappen set a record with 15 wins. Now, with 10 wins already, he's eyeing that record again. Red Bull, as a team, is also on track to beat Mercedes' 2016 record of 19 wins possibly.

3. Most points in one F1 season

Verstappen’s got 314 points halfway through this season! He's on track to blow past his 454-point record from last year. And with Perez also racking up points, Red Bull could also beat Mercedes' team record of 765 points.

4. Biggest win margin in the championship

Vettel's got the record with a 155-point lead in 2013. Verstappen’s chasing that with his current 125-point lead over Perez. And overall, Red Bull's 256 points ahead of Mercedes, inching closer to the record 297-point gap.

5. Wins from different grid slots

Verstappen's been mixing it up, winning from nine different start positions. He's just one win away from beating Alonso's record.

6. Most laps led in a season

He led 567 laps this year. If he keeps this up, he might lead 1000 laps in total! Red Bull has led 95% of the laps.

They could surpass Mercedes' record if they keep it up, but the all-time record from Senna and Prost in 1988 is a tough one!

7. Straight podium finishes

Schumacher's held onto this one since 2002 with 19 straight podiums. But Verstappen’s on a 13-podium streak since last year. If he continues, we might see a new record in Mexico.

Ever wondered why some F1 cars start at the front of the pack, and others look like they've been sent to the naughty corner?

Well, it's not because they forgot to send a birthday card to the race director. It's all down to qualifying.

Let's put on our racing helmets and dive into the high-speed world of F1 qualifying.

How does Qualifying work?

Qualifying determines the starting order of the cars for the race. This takes place on the Grand Prix weekend, usually a day before the race.

The whole idea is simple: the fastest car starts at the front and the slowest at the back. This is determined over a series of timed laps, where drivers aim to set the quickest time they can.

F1 Qualifying rules and exceptions

Standard Qualifying: It's split into three segments - Q1, Q2, and Q3. After Q1 and Q2, the slowest 5 drivers are eliminated.

Sprint Qualifying: Or sprint shootout is done on Saturday and sets the grid for the sprint race. The sprint race is a shorter race, around 100km, and this year, it’s a standalone event. Check the sprint rules here.

Exceptions: Engines are super important in F1 racing. So, the FIA sets some rules to make sure teams don't overuse them.

Each driver can only use three engines a season. If they use more, they get penalized:

⚠️ The first time they use an extra engine? Boom, they're moved 10 places back on the starting grid.

⚠️ Use another extra engine? That's another 5 places back.

⚠️ If penalties add up to over 15 places they start all the way at the back, no matter what.

So, while drivers can use more than three engines, it'll cost them in their starting position.

Tire rules in qualifying

Before every race, F1 teams are given specific instructions for their tires: set pressures, max temperatures, and starting pressures. This ensures all teams use their tires safely and consistently.

Remember, F1 tires wear out fast. So, during the race, teams have to strategize – making pit stops for tire changes and picking the best compound for the track.

For qualifying, drivers can pick any tire. But there are rules on using medium and hard tires during the three-stage session.

Here's a breakdown for the weekend:

👉 Teams get 13 sets of dry-weather tires.

👉 After each Free Practice, the teams have to hand in two sets of tires, leaving only seven for qualifying and the race. Of those two sets, one will be returned for Q3.

👉 F1 teams are free to choose which tires to use in each session of qualifying.

⚠️ Exceptions happened during two GPs this year:

⚪️ Hard tires in the first qualifying session (Q1)
🟡 Medium tires for the second session (Q2)
🔴 Soft tires for the third session (Q3)

Q1, Q2, Q3 explained

Q1: The first segment lasts 18 minutes. All drivers participate, and in the end, the five slowest drivers are eliminated. They'll fill positions 16-20 on the grid.

Q2: This is a 15-minute session. The 15 remaining cars aim for a top 10 spot to advance to Q3. At the end, positions 11-15 on the grid are set.

Q3: The grand finale! Lasting just 12 minutes, the 10 fastest drivers from Q2 battle it out for pole position. This is where you'll often see the most thrilling action, as securing a pole can be a game-changer.

👀 Fun fact: In the 2022 F1 season, Max Verstappen made it into Q3 in every single race for Red Bull.

What's the 107% rule in F1?

It means a driver needs to complete a lap within 107% of the quickest time during qualifying.

If they don't, they can't race. Nobody wants a slow car on the track, right?

To get this 107%, you just take the fastest lap time and multiply it by 1.07. Every driver's lap time has to be faster than this calculated time to race.

Fun fact: This rule started in 1996 and was used until 2002. Then, they took a break from it until 2011. Since then, it's been in every Formula One race.

Historical moments in F1 qualifying

Over the decades, F1 qualifying has produced many memorable moments. Especially in getting that pole position.

Why it’s important to get Pole: It gives you clean air, less traffic, the ability to control the race's pace, a psychological boost, and most of the time the best racing line.

While it doesn't guarantee a win, it's definitely a great advantage to have in the race. Here are the top 10 drivers with the most pole positions.

Here are the top 3 battles for pole:

Senna's Monaco Magic (1988): Ayrton Senna out-qualified his teammate Alain Prost by a whopping 1.4 seconds on the streets of Monaco, a feat considered one of the greatest laps in F1 history.

Hakkinen vs. Schumacher (2000): At the 2000 Japanese Grand Prix qualifiers, Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher and McLaren’s Mika Häkkinen went head-to-head.

Throughout the session, they kept outdoing each other. The competition was intense, with lead switches between the two until the very end.

Häkkinen set a stellar time of 1min 35.834sec near the close. Schumacher, with just one chance left, finished his lap 0.009sec faster to snatch the pole.

The race on Sunday was just as thrilling, with Schumacher and Häkkinen pushing their limits. Schumacher clinched the win, securing his third F1 world title.

Hamilton The Underdog (2018): With a record 104 pole positions, deciding Lewis Hamilton's best one-lap performance isn't easy.

Some standouts:

👉🏼 His record-breaking lap at Monza with a 164.26mph average.

👉🏼 In Austria, where he beat everyone else by over 1.2 seconds.

But his 2018 Singapore Grand Prix lap is a top contender. He topped all sectors, snatching pole by three-tenths of a second.

✋ Leclerc says F1 should cap races at 24 to look out for staff wellbeing. - Read more

⚖️ Hamilton addresses the 2008 legal issue with Massa. Hamilton won his first world title that year, beating Massa by just one point. - Read more

🏎️ Lando Norris thinks the current car design isn't as good as the last one. - Read more

🦡 Daniel Ricciardo says he's sticking with F1 for a few more years, feeling like his "Honey Badger" self from a decade ago, despite a recent change of heart. - Read more

🚕The Dutch Grand Prix is back on track after a potential disruption. About 150 taxi drivers from Zandvoort planned to block the circuit because they felt taxis from outside the town were given an unfair advantage.- Read more

🚅 Trains going to and from Zandvoort are called the Max Express this weekend. The Orange Army must be hyped. - via Reddit

💬 Toto Wolff talks about Lewis 2.0. - Read more

💥Piastri comments on his mom blowing up on social media thanks to his F1 achievements. - Read more

🤔 Carlos Sainz doesn't think F1 should change things just because Red Bull is dominating fair and square. - Read more

🎙️ Alfa Romeo got a slap on the wrist because Valtteri Bottas was late for his media chat at the Dutch Grand Prix. - Read more

🥇Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton think Red Bull might just dominate F1 until 2026. - Read more

🇳🇱 Scheduled 25-27 August

Circuit Zandvoort

TLDR;

1️⃣ Circuit length: 4.259 km
2️⃣ Number of laps: 72
3️⃣ Lap record: 1:11.097 Lewis Hamilton (2021)
4️⃣ Corners & DRS: 14 corners with 2 DRS zones

The Tyres at the Dutch Grand Prix:

• The Dutch Grand Prix will have: C1 - Hard ⚪️, C2 - Medium 🟡, and C3 - Soft 🔴. Fun fact: this year's C1 is softer than the ones used before.

• They've used this combo for the last two years, ever since Zandvoort made a comeback to the race calendar.

• Traction and lateral grip are crucial ➡️ High-downforce, essential to preserve the rear-left tyre.

Last Year's Strategy

• Most drivers pulled in for three pit stops. Though on paper, stopping twice seems the fastest.

• Last year, a late safety car allowed some drivers to pit and switch to the soft tires.

A Little About the Track

• Zandvoort can be a tough one to overtake because it’s narrow with a lot of turns. So, doing well in the qualifying rounds is key.

• The track is nestled between sand dunes right by the North Sea. Sometimes, the wind blows sand onto the track, which can mess with tire grip. This can also happen in Bahrain's Sakhir track.