2024: Norris’ triumph
As the Formula 1 (F1) season moves into its summer break, all of the drivers geared up for the Dutch Grand Prix race weekend, which began on August 30 and concluded on September 1, race day. F1 fans placed their bets on who would win on the Zandvoort Circuit, as the track for the Dutch Grand Prix is known. Recalling all the events from last year, Lando Norris claimed the pole position during qualifying, followed by Max Verstappen in P2, and Oscar Piastri on P3. Fans heavily leaned on Max to win his home Grand Prix and take home the trophy.
As the red lights went out, and all the drivers kicked off the race, Max Verstappen hastily snagged the Pole Position from Lando Norris on turn 1 during the first lap. Another notable highlight was Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly’s battle during the 11th lap, which lasted until turn 2, where Carlos Sainz forces his way through the inside line and stuck the overtake against Gasly. On lap 17, Verstappen showed signs of the car’s heat getting to him, followed by the grip on his tires letting loose, which in turn gave way for Lando Norris to overtake Verstappen on the DRS zone of the final turn. In lap 40, one of the most iconic moments in the race involved a 5-car brawl between Stroll, Gasly, Alonso, Albon, and Magnussen. The battle eventually ended with Alexander Albon leading the pack and winning the 5-way battle. Finally, Lando Norris secured the win in the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen following behind with a 22.141 second gap. Along with that, Norris also achieved the fastest lap of the entire race, which entitled him to bonus points for the championship.
Predictions?
Oak Forest junior Yug Thakkar speculates that McLaren’s recent domination in the 2025 season will bear the same results with Norris taking home the trophy again, while I personally argue that Max Verstappen will do much better this season and win his Home Grand Prix for the pride of Dutch F1 fans.
2025: Piastri and McLaren
First of all, Italian F1 fans have unanimously “taken away” Kimi Antonelli’s Italian citizenship after his crash with Charles Leclerc, which happened because he didn’t give way for Leclerc’s overtake. Lewis Hamilton also crashed after spinning out in Zandvoort’s turn 3, which, to nobody’s surprise, resulted in both of Ferrari’s drivers getting a DNF. Along with that, Isaac Hadjar also claimed a podium position on P3 after Lando Norris’ unfortunate DNF due to unforeseen circumstances regarding his car. That makes Hadjar the 8th driver who isn’t Norris or Piastri to get.a podium finisher this season. In terms of race results, Piastri took P1 (to absolutely nobody’s surprise–not even mine). Although Verstappen took P2 with a 1.271-second gap to spare, Dutch fans still took pride in their home race, at least having a podium finisher. And now, fans are gearing up for the Iconic Monza Grand Prix and leaning on Charles Leclerc to win the race.
