A dominant, Max Verstappen-esque performance at Zandvoort was delivered by his main title rival, and came amid serious problem solving at Red Bull. Christian Horner’s team wasn’t the only one looking for answers, though, with Logan Sargeant’s future under the spotlight again, and Haas left with an extra night in the Netherlands.
Red Bull taking steps backwards
After being beaten by over 22 seconds, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said on Sunday evening that “sometimes you have got to take one step backwards to take two steps forwards” in reference to the different specifications of car that were running at Zandvoort.
But it might be fair to describe it as more than one step backwards, as I understand Verstappen reverted to the first floor that Red Bull used this season to learn more about recent issues. That didn’t resolve matters based on his comments post-race, with balance and tyre degradation a problem throughout the race.
Verstappen admits the form has been “alarming”, but Horner’s confidence that valuable data has been gathered by changing specifications is founded in a belief that Red Bull now knows more specifically what it needs to work on. Whether it can do that work quickly enough to prevent McLaren and Lando Norris putting serious pressure on is now the big question.
The Flavio Tornado
Flavio’s ringing the Enstone changes
Getty Images
On Saturday morning, new Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes and special advisor Flavio Briatore sat down together in front of a select group of media to discuss the latest situation within the team.
Oakes had only had a few days at Enstone before his first race weekend, and the pair addressed the press together, meaning all manner of topics could be covered.
It was interesting to hear of mismanagement and former regimes playing a major role in the team’s recent decline, but Oakes was keen to simplify the situation and focus on the basics of getting the team building a competitive car and racing it well.
What was more fascinating was the dynamic between the two. Briatore insists he had no knowledge of Oakes before interviewing three or four candidates for the role, and being convinced he had the right person with potential. Oakes, on the other hand, had to put up with Briatore interjecting to make a point on a number of occasions, but wasn’t shy in poking fun at his boss.
When Briatore said the system needed shaking up and that he’d given an electric shock to Enstone, Oakes quipped: “I call it the Flavio Tornado!”, while also later joking that Briatore is always the bad guy, even if he wasn’t when it comes to the situation surrounding the power unit project at Viry-Chatillon.
The pair will need to maintain such a positive relationship if they’re to make a success of Alpine again, though, and Oakes will need all of his humour as well as his steely edge to get the team headed in the right direction again. It’s an unusual pairing on paper, but the atmosphere between then early on suggests they might be able to collaborate well on turning such a big project around.
Sargeant’s in major trouble
Marching orders? Another costly Sargeant smash could mean trouble for the American
Grand Prix Photo
There’s part of me that really feels for Logan Sargeant. Fast-tracked after just one season in F2 – where he was quick but still needed to build up experience – his rookie season was hardly stellar but from round three of this year he already knew the writing was on the wall when Williams withdrew him from the Australian Grand Prix to give his car to Alex Albon, after his team-mate’s heavy crash in practice.
Lando Norris and McLaren reigned supreme at the Dutch GP on a track that suited them – but it remains to be seen if it can maintain the dominance else where, writes Mark Hughes
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Mark Hughes
He has plenty of raw speed, and it must be said he has often had to face differences in car specification. The flashes of improvement have been fleeting, though, and overshadowed by far too many errors. And costly ones at that.
The latest – an extremely heavy crash in FP3 that ruled him out of qualifying – came with plenty of new parts on the Williams; ones that were delayed because of the team’s earlier struggles with stock and the spare chassis.
It moved Sargeant closer to the brink. On his first race back after being officially replaced by Carlos Sainz for 2025, his Williams team was then sounding out potential interim measures, speaking to multiple other teams up and down the paddock about their reserve driver situations on Saturday.
Not all of the responses guaranteed the availability of any options, and a change would be tough to make before Monza given the back-to-back races. But now it is no longer continuing with Sargeant beyond this season, it appears Williams might cut its losses early, because those losses are significant when it comes to heavy crashes in a cost cap era.
Embarrassment for Haas
Haas had a hefty bill to pay
Haas
It’s been a little while since bailiffs have been in Formula 1 paddock, and the timing for Haas certainly could have been worse. Dutch authorities were in on Thursday night as Uralkali stepped up attempts to get Haas to return the sponsorship payments it is owed.
Jack Doohan will make his F1 race debut at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ahead of a full season with Alpine in 2025, racing alongside Pierre Gasly. Here’s everything you need to know about the young Australian
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Cambridge Kisby
A Swiss tribunal had ruled Uralkali was due more than £10million having paid in advance of the 2022 season, with Haas terminating the contract after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Haas did not dispute that and had the money available, but there appeared to be little urgency and Uralkali took action in Zandvoort due to Dutch law allowing it to stop Haas from leaving the country.
By doing so on Thursday, though, it allowed Haas time more to resolve the situation before it needed to start its journey towards Monza, and payment was made on Friday. Despite that, with Haas having to wait for receipt of payment on Monday, the team’s trucks were not permitted to leave on Sunday night.
It should never have reached that point and instead been resolved long before Uralkali took such measures, but the embarrassment at least appears to be limited to talking points during a race weekend, rather than the team being prevented from competing at any stage.
Jack’s Doohan the hard yards
All work, not much play for 2025 Alpine driver Doohan, but he was still all smiles at the Dutch GP
Alpine
The announcement that Jack Doohan will race for Alpine in 2025 wasn’t a huge surprise after Carlos Sainz’s snub, although it wasn’t clear heading into the weekend that he would be named on Friday morning.
And it also didn’t change the tough schedule Doohan – like many reserve drivers – has when F1 is racing Europe.
The Australian has been a valuable asset to Alpine in the simulator this season, and he was continuing his work back at Enstone on Friday, taking on board all of the feedback from the race drivers and the data that had been gathered during the two practice sessions. That meant a stint into the early hours of the morning, before a little bit of sleep and a flight to Zandvoort for FP3, just in case he would be needed to step in.
It’s a role he will continue to fulfil throughout the rest of the season, with no extra FP1 outings planned at this time. For longer-haul events he will be on the ground throughout, but Doohan certainly doesn’t get an easier ride now he’s got a race seat in the bag.
