Ryan's Lil' F1 Blog

I felt relaxed and content watching the Dutch Grand Prix. Objectively, not much happened. Zandvoort is a track that’s very difficult to overtake on without a major car or tyre advantage. Thus, the race was quite processional. I was in a good mood though and I finished the weekend with no poor feelings towards the race. Additionally, I enjoy watching cars drive around Zandvoort, as the banked corners give it a unique character not seen in any other F1 track.

McLaren was dominant around Zandvoort. Lando Norris took pole by over 3 tenths of a second over Max Verstappen. Much has been said about Norris’ performances over the season, with people particularly criticising his poor starts. Unfortunately for Norris, he did not beat these accusations at Zandvoort. Norris had a terrible start and Verstappen took the lead long before the braking zone. Verstappen proceeded to lead the race for 17 laps, but the McLaren’s being both naturally faster and better on its tyres than the Red Bull meant that the start didn’t impact the race result. Norris was able to take the lead back from Verstappen during the first stint and easily pulled a gap on him for the rest of the race. Norris should have won more races this year, but he did a fantastic job this weekend. Whilst the car was dominant, he was seldom guaranteed a win, as shown by his teammate’s inability to get on the podium. Lando in comparison put the pace of his car to excellent use and won b the biggest margin of the season so far, at nearly 23 seconds.

The other reason I still found enjoyment from this race was because my preferred driver smashed it. Charles Leclerc may have been driving the fourth fastest car this weekend, but he maximized its potential to finish on the podium. After a great start to clear Sergio Perez, Charles maintained fifth position behind Oscar Piastri and George Russell during the first stint. However, Ferrari’s strategy and pit stops were perfect, as they successfully undercut Russell to start the second stint in a net 3^rd place. McLaren stopped Piastri far later, which made sense with their inherent pace advantage over the Ferrari. However, whilst Piastri was easily able to catch Leclerc, he could not get anywhere close to passing him. Charles defended like a lion. Leclerc is one of the best drivers in F1, if anyone is going to get that disappointing Ferrari onto the podium, it would be him. And all on a weekend where Ferrari was nearly a second slower than McLaren in qualifying.

Other than Charles’ heroic performance and a brief point where five midfield cars were fighting on the main straight, little else happened during the Dutch Grand Prix. Norris won in a dominant fashion, Ferrari had a fantastic race and Mercedes failed on strategy and finished in 7^th and 8^th. It will not go down as a particularly memorable race, but the Dutch Grand Prix was bereft of major issues. Thus, my feelings on the race are entirely neutral. But sometimes you need a race to be middling for the great races to stand out. And hopefully Monza will deliver a classic. If McLaren can win there given the Red Bull’s aero efficiency, then they can win anywhere.

IndyCar seems reinvigorated upon its return, with St Louis offering the first thriller since the Indy 500. The track was easy to overtake on and a couple of early cautions promoted varying strategies across the field. The question of which strategy would win dominated the early portions of the race, though by the end, there were only five cars on the lead lap. Whilst many drivers were attempting something different, likely envisioning a repeat Scott Dixon’s fantastic win here last year, no one was able to out-strategize the front runners. A Penske win was overshadowed by crashes, chaos and controversies. The only element missing was that Marcus Ericsson, who was leading the alternative strategy, retired with a technical issue. Whilst that ended any possibility of a surprise winner, the race itself was still packed with action, overtakes and a constant stream of pit stops. After the disappointment of Iowa, it’s great to see a proper oval race again.

At the start of the race, Colton Herta was the biggest mover. Colton’s qualifying was disappointing, as he was starting near the rear of the field after a crash. This was his mistake, but Colton made up for it on race day. His start was unbelievable, as he slipped through the middle of many battling cars and gained six positions by the end of the first lap. He continued to make moves through the first stint to place himself much closer to where he should have qualified. Andretti made the right strategic decisions with Colton as well, keeping him on the primary strategy. Whilst a defensive move in the last stint resulted in a penalty, through remaining on the lead lap, Andretti were still able to record a fifth-place finish. Colton Herta reminded everyone of his pace and talent in St Louis and it was a thrill to watch him carve through the field. If only he didn’t make so many mistakes…

The star of the weekend was David Malukas. In a weekend dominated by the Penske’s, he was the only driver able to consistently mix it up with them. Whilst his Meyer Shank machine did not quite have the fuel mileage of the Team Penske cars, he was able to remain in play up to the closing stages of the race. After one of the race’s last cautions, Will Power and Malukas had made their final stop and both still had a chance to win. However, Lil’ Dave looked to have the pace over Power at this stage of the race and as he was attempting an overtake, Power squeezed him into the corner. And crashed into him. Whilst Power escaped unscathed, Malukas lost out on what was at the very least a podium. It was disappointing to see Power race Malukas far too aggressively, but I agreed with the stewards that it was a racing incident. However, it was still an incident where Power shared most of the blame. So, to see David Malukas crying in the pit lane, breaking down shortly after Will Power had shouted at him, made me feel so angry. Lil’ Dave did nothing wrong and for Power to let out his anger on him reminded me of awful situations I’ve experienced in my own life. I felt so sad for David Malukas, he was perfect all weekend and to be made to feel like a villain because of Will Power’s residue anger is unacceptable and I hope that some conversations were had behind the scenes. Because please, everyone, be kind, even when you are driving cars at 200mph.

During the latter third of the race, it became clear that Josef Newgarden has not lost his supreme pace on ovals. Whilst Power and McLaughlin had spent time in the lead, Newgarden had managed his fuel milage perfectly and looked to be making the ground up on the leading McLaughlin whilst they were navigating through traffic. However, dirty air from this traffic proved too much for Newgarden, who spun, but inadvertently set in motion the chain of events that led to him winning the race. This was due to Newgarden stopping during the subsequent caution period and then taking the lead after he and McLaughlin made their last stops for fuel. However, there was subsequently a caution for the aforementioned Power-Malukas collision. And Josef played his part in causing another controversy featuring Will Power.

When managing the penultimate restart, Newgarden was extremely slow. Whilst it appears, after reviewing the footage multiple times, that Newgarden maintained a consistent pace, his lack of speed still caught out some of the drivers behind. As every driver tried to react to Newgarden’s anticipated restart, a concertina effect was produced, which resulted in Alexander Rossi slamming into the back of Will Power, taking them both out of the race in the process. This infuriated Will Power, who believed that Newgarden was the originator of the concertina, however as I have observed, it appears to have started with McLaughlin. This didn’t affect Power’s reaction however, as he flipped the bird at his teammate in the pit lane, before going over to shout at David Malukas, as was previously discussed. Newgarden does bear some responsibility for the incident, however. There should be a minimum speed limit leading to a restart on an IndyCar oval, due to the likelihood of tactics leading to massive incidents such as the one between Rossi and Power. This didn’t affect Newgarden however, who unleashed his pace in the last few laps and reclaimed his place as the king of the ovals. The win may be soured by his slow restart, but Newgarden still sent a message to Team Penske that he’s still the driver to bet on on an oval, even if he’s not in championship contention this year.

So yeah, this was a fantastic race. Oval races are very hard to review, as so much happens in them. It’s only possible to write a highlight reel of these races, but to watch them is a real thrill. If you want to see varying strategies, ultimate speed and constant action, watch IndyCar on an oval, it’s the most thrilling racing you’ll ever see.

Pole Position: Max Verstappen

1. Max Verstappen
2. Oscar Piastri
3. Lewis Hamilton

Bold Prediction: Both Haas cars score points

1. Lewis Hamilton-

Lewis maximized his weekend in Belgium, overtaking Sergio Perez at the start after a great qualifying placed him third on the grid. After overtaking Charles Leclerc, Lewis controlled the race henceforth. His win may have came after a disqualification, but he put in a winner’s performance, reminding us that when Lewis has the car, he wins.

2. Oscar Piastri-

Oscar maximized his McLaren’s performance come race day. Whilst his teammate was mired behind slower cars after an appalling start, Oscar took the fastest car to a worthy podium. Whilst not quite having the ability to overtake the Mercedes, Oscar delivered a well-managed race. His struggles with tyre management from earlier in his career are appearing more distant each race he partakes in and it’s fantastic to see.

3. Charles Leclerc-

Charles took a fantastic pole in qualifying at the Belgium Grand Prix, despite possessing the fourth fastest car during the weekend. Whilst his Ferrari did not have the pace to win the race, Charles kept Verstappen behind towards the end of the race and following Russell’s disqualification, was able to take a well-deserved podium.

4. Esteban Ocon-

The Alpine was not one of the fastest cars during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend. Despite this, Esteban was able to put in another solid performance to take a couple of valuable points for the team. He’s having a good season, beating his teammate consistently even if he’s one point down in the standings.

5. George Russell-

George very much had a ‘streets won’t forget’ race at Belgium. Whilst officially, he was disqualified, his ability to manage much older tyres into a race victory was still a testament to his talents. His third win will definitely come soon, and he is showing that he can be a worthy team leader at Mercedes once Lewis departs.

Tally:

1. Max Verstappen- 8
2. Yuki Tsunoda- 6
3. George Russell- 6
4. Charles Leclerc- 6
5. Lando Norris- 5
6. Oscar Piastri- 5
7. Nico Hulkenberg- 4.5
8. Carlos Sainz- 4
9. Lewis Hamilton- 4
10. Kevin Magnussen- 3.5
11. Esteban Ocon- 3.5
12. Alexander Albon- 3
13. Pierre Gasly- 2.5
14. Sergio Perez- 2
15. Lance Stroll- 2
16. Daniel Ricciardo- 2
17. Fernando Alonso- 1
18. Oliver Bearman- 1
19. Zhou Guanyu- 1

1. Oscar Piastri-

Oscar put in his best performance in F1 yet in Hungary, qualifying on the front row and taking the lead after the first corner to beat his teammate. Whilst his win was tainted by a controversy caused by McLaren’s team orders, his performance was fantastic, bar a small mistake in the middle of the race.

2. Lando Norris-

Lando took a fantastic pole on Saturday. Whilst he was not quite able to keep the lead on the race day and had his own race come under controversy due to the aforementioned team orders, this was still one of Lando’s best races of the year. The team took a healthy set of points from Hungary and should have left feeling much happier than they did.

3. Lewis Hamilton-

Lewis put in the strongest performance of the Hungarian Grand Prix and one his strongest this year. Whilst not being in the 2^nd fastest car, Lewis and the team maximised his strategy, even keeping Verstappen behind in a faster car. Whilst this resulted in Verstappen making an opportunistic lunge and crashing into Lewis, this did not ruin Hamilton’s race and he still finished on the podium.

4. Charles Leclerc-

Whilst outqualified by his teammate, Charles had a fantastic start in Hungary to jump past many of the leading contenders. Whilst his car was the fourth fastest during the weekend, Charles still finished in front of both Red Bulls, a Mercedes and his teammate. Not a bad result at all.

5. Yuki Tsunoda-

Whilst outqualified by Ricciardo, Yuki proved the stronger driver on race day, to finish in ninth and take a couple valuable points in RB’s battle to remain in sixth place.

Tally:

1. Max Verstappen- 8
2. Yuki Tsunoda- 6
3. George Russell- 5
4. Lando Norris- 5
5. Charles Leclerc- 5
6. Nico Hulkenberg- 4.5
7. Carlos Sainz- 4
8. Oscar Piastri- 4
9. Kevin Magnussen- 3.5
10. Alexander Albon- 3
11. Lewis Hamilton- 3
12. Esteban Ocon- 2.5
13. Pierre Gasly- 2.5
14. Sergio Perez- 2
15. Lance Stroll- 2
16. Daniel Ricciardo- 2
17. Fernando Alonso- 1
18. Oliver Bearman- 1
19. Zhou Guanyu- 1

1. Lewis Hamilton-

Hamilton drove perfectly this weekend and utilized a brilliant strategy to take a well-deserved win. Whilst not always having the fastest car, Hamilton utilized his years of experience to guarantee that he won.

2. Max Verstappen-

Max drove a great recovery drive. In a weekend where he should have finished fifth, he made the right call to pit for intermediate tyres and utilized his medium tyres to overtake Norris during the final stint of the race to finish in second. Weekends like this one are the reason that Verstappen is going to be world champion this year.

3. Nico Hulkenberg-

Hulkenberg drove another fantastic race at Silverstone, repeating his heroics at Austria to take yet another sixth place for the Haas team, putting them firmly in seventh in the championship with the opportunity to challenge for sixth.

4. Alexander Albon-

Albon was brilliant during the Silverstone race, recovering from contact at the beginning of the race to still finish in the points. Whilst this year’s Williams is proving itself to be a car that rarely finds itself in the top ten, when it can, you know that Albon will put it there.

5. George Russell-

Russell suffered an unfortunate retirement at the British Grand Prix from a water system failure. However, he had taken a fantastic pole position on Saturday and would have had the opportunity to fight for a place on the podium had he finished the race.

Tally:

1. Max Verstappen- 8
2. Yuki Tsunoda- 5
3. George Russell- 5
4. Nico Hulkenberg- 4.5
5. Lando Norris- 4
6. Charles Leclerc- 4
7. Carlos Sainz- 4
8. Kevin Magnussen- 3.5
9. Oscar Piastri- 3
10. Alexander Albon- 3
11. Esteban Ocon- 2.5
12. Pierre Gasly- 2.5
13. Sergio Perez- 2
14. Lance Stroll- 2
15. Daniel Ricciardo- 2
16. Lewis Hamilton- 2
17. Fernando Alonso- 1
18. Oliver Bearman- 1
19. Zhou Guanyu- 1

Pole Position- Lando Norris

1. Max Verstappen
2. Lando Norris
3. Oscar Piastri

Bold Prediction- Sainz doesn’t get into Q3

Pole Position: Charles Leclerc

1. Max Verstappen
2. Charles Leclerc
3. Lewis Hamilton

Bold Prediction: Bottas finishes in the points