Dutch Quali : Max narrowly pips Ferrari
Max narrowly pips Charles and Carlos to take the Pole at the Dutch GP. Lewis is P4, Checo P5 and Russell P6.
Close Call for Max at the Dutch GP
After a dominant performance at SPA the Red Bulls looked quite shaky at the Dutch GP. Ferrari looked more in the groove at Max’s home race in all the practice sessions. In a way it was expected. Red Bull has the straight line speed and that worked at SPA. The Dutch track is more old school with less straights, thus suiting Ferrari more. However Max is in the form of his life. The Bulls worked hard overnight to narrow the gap to Ferrari. This lead to Max pipping Charles by just 0.021 seconds and snatching the Pole in front of his ecstatic home crowd.
Max’s team-mate Checo struggled in all the practice session and was quite off the pace. He spun in the last run in Q3 but still finished P5.
Ferrari on the hunt
Ferrari seemed to have gained their ground after being quite behind Red Bulls at SPA. Both Charles and Carlos look in good form. They would have expected to get the Pole here. However a stunning lap by Max ensured that Ferraris will start P2 and P3 in the race. They would still be satisfied with the result and be looking to put pressure on Max from the front. Strategy will play role in all this although that has not been a strong point for Ferrari
Mercedes showing good pace
Mercedes were shocked when Lewis was a staggering 1.8 seconds behind Max at the SPA Quali. They did better in the race though. Here, like Ferrari, they seemed to have gained ground against Red Bull. Lewis was looking mighty quick and even Russell was in good touch. Unfortunately due to Checo spinning in the last run, the Merc boys had to abort their final shot. Lewis will be starting P4 and George P6. They will be looking to catch up with Ferrari and Checo at least.
Lando, as he had predicted, was the best of the rest at P7. Mick Schumacher put in a great lap, getting into Q3 and finishing P8. Yuki San for Alpha Tauri did great too with P9 finish. Aston Martin finally got their car setup correct with Lance getting into Q3. Unfortunately Vettel spun in Q1 as he tried to push his car around and ending his session then and there. Alpines would be hoping to make some ground as they were the regulars in Q3 but this time couldn’t make it through.
The top three teams are very close to each other in terms of pace. It will be a very interesting race.
Dutch GP Starting Grind : Max on Pole at home ground
