31/08/2022
NEWS STORY
Lance Stroll: "I am looking forward to returning to Zandvoort. The track is spectacular, and the whole event is really cool. We know it will be challenging this weekend, due to our car's tendency to race better than it qualifies and this circuit's twisty nature, which makes overtaking difficult. But there might be the chance to try something a little strategically different to our main rivals."
Sebastian Vettel: "The old-school nature of Zandvoort is so great, and it is such a fantastic driving challenge, particularly the first half of the track. I am curious to see how our car will perform here - on paper, it might be a difficult weekend for us, but we were able to race well in Hungary just before the summer break, and the circuits are quite similar. The 2022 cars can be raced better than last year's cars, so we will see if we can make some moves in the race."
Insight and Speed with Cognizant
Strategy: For the first time since July's British Grand Prix, the hardest compounds of tyres - the C1, C2 and C3 - will be used. Teams adopted a mix of one- and two-stop strategies last year, and the same could be the case for 2022 - especially with the increased degradation seen across the field this season.
Race disruptions: While last year's race featured no interruptions, the nature of the circuit and its few run-off areas mean there is certainly scope for a Safety Car or a Virtual Safety Car, which have both been used on a higher-than-usual basis in 2022. The support races had frequent interruptions last year.
Overtaking: This is not an easy circuit upon which to overtake, and the two short DRS zones are the preferred location for passing. Last year, 71% of moves were made into Turn One's hairpin, and just 21 passes were made in total after lap one. Even with fresher tyres, it will be tough to make a pass stick, but it will be well-earned.