Max seeking rare 4th at Zandvoort
Posted on August 21, 2024
All to play for
On his home turf
FORMULA ONE IS BACK IN ACTION this weekend with the Dutch Grand Prix at a track that presents one of the most complex challenges of the season – the classic Zandvoort circuit.
Nestled in the dunes on the North Sea coast, it has retained its original characteristics including its twisty layout featuring 14 corners, four to the left and ten to the right, over the course of its 4.259 kilometres.
But what makes the Zandvoort a true one-off on the championship trail are the banked turns 3 and 14, with a gradient of 19 and 18 degrees respectively.
Which, incidentally, is steeper than that found at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Split second timing avoids disaster
Remember that fateful day at Zandvoort last year when Daniel Ricciardo approached that tricky turn 3 at high speed in Practice 2, ending up slamming into the barrier trying to avoid Oscar Piastri’s stationary McLaren?
The serious wrist injury sustained by the young man from Perth put him out of action for five races – at a crucial point in his career.
Given his chance reserve driver Liam Lawson performed well in his time in the Alpha Tauri seat. The young Kiwi certainly boosted his prospects.
Daniel’s recovery from that horrific crash is a testament to the extraordinary fitness of F1 drivers – and indeed all elite athletes, the world over.
Had Daniel not taken mind-boggling, split-second evasive action and ploughed instead into his fellow Aussie’s vehicle, the outcome is too terrifying to imagine!
Unusual challenge for car and driver
According to Pirelli, such steeped corners present “an unusual challenge” for both car and driver at Zandvoort.
With banked turns not that common in F1 it’s no coincidence Zandvoort is followed later this month by Monza – one of the few, and a prime example – with the Italian Grand Prix at one of the fastest circuits on the calendar.
No real surprise that the gradient also effects the tyres as the higher speeds of the banked turns, compared to the normal ones, subjecting them to even greater forces.
And that’s why Pirelli has chosen the dry weather compounds for Zandvoort – the three hardest in this year’s range, used since the introduction in ’22 of the 18” tyres.
They are the C1 as P Zero White hard, the C2 Yellow medium and the C3 Red soft.
The tyre gurus believe, on paper, thermal degradation is a very significant factor.
Zandvoort, North Holland, Netherlands
As usual, everything depends on the weather, which is looking far from summery.
The Netherlands borders Belgium, home to the stunning Spa-Francorchamps circuit where, just before the summer break, we saw just how variable climatic conditions are at these latitudes.
Summer in this part of Europe doesn’t necessarily mean warm temperatures and sunshine.
In fact, the average temperature in Zandvoort in late August varies between 14 °C and 20 °C, comparable to mid-winter in Perth.
And that temperature range, according to Pirelli, should help drivers manage even the softest compounds.
Apart from Daniel’s fateful mishap, Zandvoort 2023 saw all five types of available tyres used, with plenty of rain, a lot of overtaking moves and a record 82 pit stops!
Will Max get his 4th Straight?
Max Verstappen is still favoured to equal Scot Jim Clark’s record of four Dutch Grand Prix, having won all three since F1 returned to the Netherlands. But the bookies now have included Brit Lando Norris and our Oscar Piastri.
He could also top the table for pole positions here, as he’s currently equal with René Arnoux on three.
When it comes to the most podium finishes, this record is also held jointly by Jim Clark and Niki Lauda with six apiece.
Among the teams, Ferrari leads the way for wins (8) and podium finishes (25) while, on eight, Lotus has the most pole positions.
Jack aces Pirelli testing at Spa-Francorchamps
The unpredictable weather of an Ardennes summer struck again at the tough Spa-Francorchamps at the break, Interrupting Pirelli’s test of their new slick tyre compound for 2025.
Before the rain fell, Aussie Jack Doohan (pictured left) – an Alpine reserve driver – completed 15 laps, the quickest in a time of 1’45”569.
The next test session is scheduled September 3-4, following the Italian Grand Prix, with Red Bull Racing, Racing Bulls and Mercedes, at the Monza circuit.
Who’s chasing F1?
Both Thailand and South Korea are both under serious consideration for a future date on the crowded the Formula One calendar.
With the premier series keen to get back to Africa (after Kyalami attempts foundered a couple of years back), FI president Stefano Domenicali (pictured left) says he is evaluating a “serious” bid from Rwanda.
But any addition to the current number of 24 events is likely to receive a serious driver/team backlash.
It seems the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Italy’s second event, is the likely candidate for omission. Canada also is at risk, with Montreal under the hammer to come up with major improvements for 2025.
Meanwhile Silverstone, the pride and joy of Great Britain’s motor racing, is under serious threat after diabolical traffic holdup. with the record crowd trying to leave the venue.
You would have thought the powers-that-be could have sorted themselves out with a fleet of Sikorski choppers on standby for the duration.
Dealing with the final day crowd of 164,000 at the popular British venue, where former world champion Lewis Hamilton won brilliantly this year, is a totally different problem!
(Now, 58,000 at the Wallabies/South Africa match is hardly an F1 race-day crowd, but contrast that with Perth’s magnificent Optus Stadium last weekend when my mates Diana, Simon, Phil and I were home by train – 20km north to Ocean Reef – in just over an hour!
And there’s long been talk of rotating some of the European races – for example, Belgium and the Netherlands taking it in turns to host year to year.
That would be compounded should Max Verstappen NOT win the 2024 Drivers Championship!
Dutch Grand Prix
PERTH TIME
Circuit Zandvoort | 23 – 25 Aug
Practice 1 Friday 23rd August 18:30
Practice 2 Friday 23rd August 22:00
Practice 3 Saturday 24th August 17:30
Qualifying Saturday 24th August 21:00
Race: Sunday 25th August 21:00
EDITED by AC
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