PIASTRI DOMINATES IN ZANDVOORT, FERRARI DISASTER. HEROIC HADJAR ON THE PODIUM

Piastri triumphs in the Dutch GP and, thanks to Norris’s reliability issue and consequent zero points, extends his lead in the championship. Hadjar delivers an extraordinary performance all weekend, clinching his first career podium. A disastrous race for Ferrari, with Hamilton crashing on his own and Leclerc also out after contact with Antonelli.

GIOVANNI’S COMMENTARY
McLaren’s dominance continues, with Piastri outstanding. The Australian, after a difficult start, manages to secure pole and win the race, leading from start to finish. Norris’s reliability issues ruin yet another “papaya” one-two, handing second place to Verstappen and a maiden podium to Hadjar.

Red Bull keeps going thanks to Verstappen, who pushes to the limit at his home race. Tsunoda scores points but still struggles. Racing Bulls deliver an impressive weekend. In qualifying, both cars made the top ten, with Hadjar flawless in the race. A well-deserved first F1 podium. Lawson, meanwhile, needs to bring results and could have done better—his teammate’s podium will surely be hard to swallow.

A tough weekend for Mercedes from qualifying onwards. Despite issues caused by several contacts, Russell manages to secure a solid fourth place and valuable points for the Constructors’ standings. Antonelli started well but ruined his race with a collision with Leclerc and then a penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Kimi badly needed a strong result, especially for morale.

Williams struggled again, with Sainz once more finishing behind his teammate. The Spaniard, as heard on team radio, sounded nervous—especially after receiving a penalty. It’s clear that car #55 is not in a serene state of mind and is feeling the pressure of consistently trailing Albon. The Anglo-Thai leaves nothing to chance and always extracts the maximum from the car.

Bearman scores valuable points for Haas at their home race, a welcome result as both team and driver are clearly improving. Aston Martin bounced back with stronger pace. Stroll performed well until a crash compromised his qualifying. In the race, the team’s progress was evident, allowing them to put together a solid performance.

Alpine remains a step behind—never competitive, with Gasly even finishing behind Colapinto. I believe the track should do the talking more than interviews. In the French team, it seems easier to chatter and put on a show in the media—like Briatore is doing—than to fix the car’s serious issues and deliver results. Alpine still sits at the bottom of the standings, a worrying situation for a team of this stature.

Sauber struggled more than expected in Zandvoort. Bortoleto was the standout of the Stake duo. Unfortunately, the summer break doesn’t seem to have helped the team.

Finally, Ferrari. Another weekend to forget for the Maranello squad. Hamilton crashed alone into the barriers. Until his retirement, Leclerc had been competitive, even pulling off a brilliant overtake on Russell. Sadly, contact with Antonelli prevented him from achieving a better result. Let’s hope Ferrari will be stronger in the next race, especially with Monza up next, where thousands of Tifosi will be ready to support the Hamilton-Leclerc duo.

Author: Gabriele Bovio