Dutch Grand Prix: Pre-stage commentary

Pirelli

Mario Isola: “The second half of the season starts with a unique race. The Dutch Grand Prix takes place at Zandvoort on one of the championship’s toughest circuits, which returned to Formula 1 three years ago on the wave of local support from Max Verstappen, who thanked his fans with two victories.

The track is very twisty with two profiled turns: the third and the fourteenth, which are steeper compared to the Indianapolis turns. When cornering, the pressure of the tires is higher than in normal cornering due to higher speeds and vertical loads.

We are bringing the same tires as in 2022 – at least under the same names – C1, C2 and C3. However, new this year is the composition C1, which is between C2 and last year’s C1 in terms of hardness, now called C0.

The safety car ran twice last year and at least 14 drivers, including the top three, used all three lineups, highlighting the wide range of strategy options teams have on the pit wall.”

Red Bull races

Max Verstappen: “The summer holidays were really good – I had a great time with friends. I am looking forward to the start of the second half of the season and I think there is no better place to start than in the Netherlands.

Zandvoort has a great track and the fans are incredible so I’m happy to be back. According to the forecast, the weather can be erratic, but I have nothing against both wet and dry circuits. We will do our best to get the maximum number of points.”

Sergio Perez: “I had a great summer vacation: I went back to Mexico with my family and trained a lot. I feel rested and ready to work.

This week I came to base to work with the engineers – it’s always great to meet up after the break and start preparing for the weekend. I feel we are well prepared. I want to pick up where I left off at Spa and consistently climb the podium in the remaining races of the season.

It will be a tough race in Zandvoort, because the peloton is getting tighter. Our team has to attack and give the best of themselves to show a good result, whatever the weather in Zandvoort.”

Mercedes AMG Petronas

Toto Wolff: “It is nice to be back at work. The summer break was necessary and provided a good rest, but we are riders and miss the thrill of the fight.

We got a boost of energy and are perfectly prepared for the remainder of the season. We are not giving up, we have something to fight for. Our target is second place in the Constructors’ Championship and solid progress with the 2024 car. We will start doing these tasks this weekend.

Zandvoort is a great place to continue the season. It’s an old-school hard track in the dunes. Passionate Dutch fans create an incredible atmosphere, the Grand Prix of the Netherlands is always a fantastic celebration of our sport. I’m sure this year will be no exception. I look forward to the next step.”

Aston Martin

InterviewStory by: Dan Fallows

Ferrari

Frederick Vasseur, team leader: “We have regained our strength and are ready to start again. This was preceded by a solid performance in Belgium, where Charles Leclerc took the podium, made possible thanks to excellent preparation for the race weekend and well-coordinated teamwork. She chose the right tactics, executed them successfully, made clear pit stops and our car was able to handle a high pace and saved us tyres.

As always in Zandvoort we will be fully focused on our work, but at the same time we have to take into account that this circuit has a short lap, so the results will be even tighter. Qualifying is especially important, and the riders who reach the final will have to fight literally thousandths of a second.

We have a very eventful weekend ahead of us and look forward to working effectively to give Charles and Carlos Sainz the opportunity to get the most out of the SF-23.”

McLaren

Lando Norris: “We have returned! I had a great time while on vacation, talking with friends, family and of course playing golf. I feel like I am rested and now ready to go racing again as there are two stages ahead, which will be ridden one after the other with a weekly break.

First we go to Zandvoort. This is a very interesting circuit with profiled bends, where you can choose different routes. In addition, there is always a great atmosphere, which makes the weekend even more colorful.

During the first part of the season the team did a great job upgrading the car, and this week I’m back working with everyone at the base in Woking as we try to keep the momentum going.

Although we have a difficult race ahead of us, we intend to give our best and continue to earn points.”

Oscar Pistri: “I am looking forward to returning to the circuits after the summer break. I had a great time over the holidays, enjoyed the sun and feel like I have the energy I need in the second half of the season.

Prior to the Dutch Grand Prix. The circuit in Zandvoort is new to me, so I’m on the simulator and working with engineers to prepare myself as best as possible for next weekend. I will be happy to get back behind the wheel of the car to see many McLaren fans in the stands and please them with good results.”

Andrew Stella, Team boss: “The summer break is behind us, it’s time to go racing again. It is good that the team has rested and recovered for the remaining ten Grands Prix. We showed good results in the previous four phases, but it became clear that there are a number of areas where improvements are needed.

Zandvoort is one of those circuits with a fairly short lap, but with many interesting corners. The uniqueness of this circuit is that it is located between the sand dunes, so the circuit is characterized by alternating ascents and descents, and generally has a complex configuration.

Thanks to the team’s tireless work, we have been able to improve significantly since the start of the season and we intend to make further improvements in the second part of the championship.”

Alps

Interview: Bruno Famin | Pierre Gasly | Esteban Ocon

Willems

Alex Albon: “It was nice to rest, but now I look forward to wrestling again. Zandvoort is a difficult and technical circuit, with no room for error, but very interesting.

This weekend qualifying is more important than the race, because overtaking is quite difficult here. In Zandvoort the fans are charged with energy, which creates a good atmosphere.”

Logan Sargent: “I am happy to be behind the wheel again this weekend. Zandvoort is a great circuit with a great atmosphere thanks to the fans. I hope we can show good results after the summer break.”

Haas F1

Interview: Gunther Steiner | Nico Hulkenberg | Kevin Magnussen

Alfa Romeo

Alessandro Alunni Bravi, team representative: “In Zandvoort we will return to the fight after a two-week break and try to start from scratch. The last races before the break didn’t quite live up to our expectations, but we left them behind, used this experience – and look forward to the start of the second half of the season.

The stages in the Netherlands and Monza will be very busy, on both weekends we have a lot of interesting events on the track and beyond. The race at Monza will be our home base for us and Alfa Romeo, but there are many special events ahead of us at Zandvoort.

At the same time, we are fully focused on the fight, on the implementation of the set goal – to finish ahead of the group with which we are now fighting and take 7th place in the constructors’ championship at the end of the season.

With ten races to go, we have a chance to succeed, turn the tide and take first place in our group of teams.”

Valttery Bottas: “It is good that I was able to find some rest after a busy first half of the season – I spent the summer holidays between Finland and Colorado, I was able to recover and train, but I really missed the races and look forward to returning to the track.

I like racing at Zandvoort, where I finished on the podium in 2021. The organizers did a fantastic job and the fans put on a great show – it was like playing at a big festival.

The team analyzed our results in the last races. We didn’t score any points, but we showed signs of an increase in speed. I am sure we will be able to give the opponents a good fight and get back to the top ten. As always it is important to have a good first training already – in such a tight fight we have no room for error.

Guanyu Zhou: “The summer holidays have been positive. I returned to China, saw my family and friends and was able to recharge my batteries. A break is always good, especially in such a busy season, but now I really want to get back to work.

In the last stages we added speed, now we have to take the next step. This weekend and all races in the second half of the season we will do everything we can to earn points and regain our position in the Constructors’ Championship. It won’t be easy, but I’m sure we’ll make it.

I am looking forward to racing on the unique track in Zandvoort. I hope we put on a good show for the fans.”

AlphaTauri

Daniel Rickardo: “I am really looking forward to the next stage in Zandvoort, where the second half of the season starts. Before the break I only had two races, so the last few weeks I have been training for the most part to improve my physical condition to attack in the second half of the season.

I’m happy to be back in racing, two stages with the team have been great. I am motivated and charged to fight and looking forward to the start in Zandvoort, where it is a very fast circuit with a great atmosphere.”

Yuki Tsunoda: “I was happy to score points on the last stage in Belgium – we haven’t finished in the top ten for a long time. I entered the summer holidays with a positive attitude and I use that motivation to start the second half of the season.

When the holidays started, I went to Tenerife to relax and then I trained in Austria for six days. I have clearly separated rest and training, which is much better than trying to combine them.

The training went well, I feel rested and ready for new challenges. It was important to take a few days off after a busy first half of the year and focus before returning to full training.

At the beginning of the week I was working on the simulator to prepare for the next two races. I’ve competed twice in Zandvoort and last year I even made it to the final of qualifying, but I never finished – and this time I really want to get to the finish.

I like this technical track with uniquely profiled sections, with an interesting mix of fast and slow corners. She is physically demanding.

So far I have no idea how we will perform here. Although everything went well in Spa, it was due to the characteristics of the circuit and the weather, but in Zandvoort everything is different. Here you need settings for medium downforce, but I hope we will perform well here as well.

As the track here is very narrow and difficult to overtake, we will concentrate on qualifying, which we had some problems with this season. Let’s see what eventually happens.”