Feature
POWER RANKINGS: One driver rises above the rest as the judges scores come in from a dramatic Zandvoort weekend
Share
The Dutch Grand Prix was one to remember as the drivers battled each other as well as the elements on Sunday. Max Verstappen impressed our judges on his way to taking a record-equalling ninth win in a row, but who else joins him in the top-10? Check out the scores below...
How it works
• Our five-judge panel assess each driver after every Grand Prix and score them out of 10 according to their performance across the weekend – taking machinery out of the equation
• Our experts’ scores are then averaged out to produce a race score – with those scores then tallied up across the season on our overall Power Rankings Leaderboard (at the bottom of the page)
Verstappen's rivals would have hoped the summer break would serve as a way to halt his momentum towards a third title. But he quickly put to bed any of those hopes by executing a perfect weekend to take his record-equalling ninth consecutive win.
On paper, it is just another win, but it was far from easy for Verstappen. He was pushed by Lando Norris in qualifying but overcame that before having to manoeuvre through the adverse weather conditions and the restart to win the race. If he continues to drive like this, it is hard to see who can stop him this year.
Another driver who would have left the Zandvoort paddock with a smile on his face was Fernando Alonso. He made his return to the podium having started the race with an outstanding first two laps as he overtook George Russell, Alex Albon, and Lando Norris.
He qualified fifth in the updated AMR23, but he and his team mastered their way through the tricky wet/dry conditions, while also taking advantage of Sergio Perez’s off to get second. He said on the radio after the race that they will win one soon, and on that performance alone, it is hard to disagree with him.
We have seen several superb comeback drives this season, but not many were as impressive as what Gasly did on Sunday. After qualifying in 12th, the French driver used the conditions and most impressively, his pace, to get up to third.
He looked set to finish in a lonely fourth place, but once Perez had a five-second penalty he turned on the jets. He said post-race it was not easy keeping up with a Red Bull, but he made it look simple, as he sealed his first podium as an Alpine driver.
It shows how well Albon is performing and how strong Williams were on the weekend that the Thai racer was left disappointed by eighth place. And rightly so, after a superb qualifying effort saw him in fourth to start Sunday’s race.
But after the bold call to stay out on slicks on a damp track, it turned into a recovery job for Albon. But he did just that, as he quickly found himself right back in the top-10. Yes, it could have been more, but it was still a well-earned eighth.
Sainz may not have been happy with the pace of his SF23 over the course of the weekend, but from a personal perspective, the Spaniard should be very pleased with his performance, especially because at one stage he was on the cusp of a podium.
Unfortunately, he just did not have the pace, with both Alonso and Gasly coming past him. However, he showed off his masterful defensive skills under pressure from Hamilton in the damp final laps, as he earned himself a sixth top-five finish of the year.
Things were looking very promising for Norris after his first sector on his final lap on Saturday. But after what he described as the worst second half of a lap he had done, he was forced to settle for second at the start, with his eyes now set on Verstappen.
But despite his hopes of recreating his Silverstone magic, it just was not to be for Norris in Zandvoort. He lost out to Alonso and both Mercedes drivers at different points on his way to finishing seventh. The question will be, had he pitted for the inters when the rain first hit, where could he have ended up?
Hamilton was pacy all weekend until qualifying when after narrowly making it out of Q1, he was knocked out in Q2. He then found himself at the back of the field after Mercedes opted not to pit for the inters when the rain hit at the start of the race.
But Hamilton once again displayed his class, showing good pace in the W14 to power his way through the field, pulling off some impressive overtakes in the process. He could not quite get Sainz for fifth place at the end, but after a difficult start, sixth is a decent outing.
After starting towards the back of the grid, Tsunoda and AlphaTauri’s call to box for intermediates on the opening lap proved to be a masterful one, as the Japanese racer found himself in the top-10 fighting for points with some of the big hitters.
He later found himself ninth holding up both Norris and Hamilton impressively. But the decision not to box for a second set of tyres proved costly as he tumbled down the order. However, not for the first time this season, Tsunoda showed his might behind the wheel of the AT04.
READ MORE: 5 Winners and 5 Losers from the Dutch GP – Who kept their head when the heavens opened?
)
Driving a Formula 1 car is no easy task, no matter how long you have been doing. Just ask Alonso and Hamilton. That is what makes Lawson’s performance this weekend so impressive, as on short notice he turned up and did the job for AlphaTauri.
In very tricky conditions, Lawson managed to stay out of too much trouble, made all the right calls in the race, showed aggression to overtake Charles Leclerc, and even beat his team mate. A very impressive debut from the Kiwi, who will be looking to show more of what he can do in Monza.
BEHIND THE SCENES: 48 hours in the life of AlphaTauri super-sub Liam Lawson at Zandvoort
It was a Sunday of what might have been for Russell after an impressive showing from the Mercedes driver. He admitted that he had lost his way a little bit in qualifying, so starting from third on the grid would have been a massive confidence boost for him.
But it started going wrong when he and his team opted against pitting for the inters, and when he finally did he dropped to the back. He later fought his way back on a set of hards, only for a collision with Norris to knock him out of contention. Yet still, it was a drive to be proud of from Russell.
Another driver who will be wondering what could have been is Piastri, as his weekend started to unravel after a difficult final lap in Q3 meant he qualified eighth. That was a slightly disappointing outcome considering at one stage he was a pole position contender.
He also stayed out on the softs during the rain, meaning he had one almighty recovery drive to do, but he did it. Unfortunately, he just did not have the pace to make much more progress up the order, leaving him ninth, after Russell dropped out of the top-10.
Missing out
Missing out on a place in this week's leaderboard are Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon. Perez at one stage led the race but his race unravelled as a trip through the gravel and a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane saw him finish fourth.
As for Ocon, he battled his way from 16th all the way to 10th, but considering at one stage he was running as high as seventh did he miss out on more points? He certainly felt so.
Leaderboard
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Feature POWER RANKINGS: Who impressed our judges on a dramatic Shanghai Sprint weekend?
News Stella admits surprise at McLaren success after thinking China would be 'damage limitation event'
OpinionF1 Unlocked PALMER: I have no doubt Norris is world champion material – so has he made the right choice in committing to McLaren?
Podcast BEYOND THE GRID: Stoffel Vandoorne on his dramatic F1 debut, his tough exit and much more
