Christian Horner: "The rain was on and off throughout the whole race, but Max did an amazing job in the tricky conditions. He had an incredible drive having to come back through the field after his first pit stop, with some drivers staying out on the slick tyre and others pitting for the inters. Once everything settled down, he was able to build a lead and had everything under control. We knew the heavy rain towards the end was coming and when you're in first place you have everything to lose, but Max had a great restart and secured first place with an excellent drive.
"Checo made great progress coming from seventh on the grid and made a superb call to switch to the inters towards the start, the Team reacted super-fast and he took lead of the race. During the next cycle of pit stops, as the track started to dry, we had to bring Max in to avoid getting undercut. Sometimes you have to make big calls for the Team and that was one of those moments. It's a shame we couldn't have Checo up on the podium following his penalty, as he deserved to be there but with a race with so much drama and jeopardy there's always things that we can reflect on.
"In all the Team had a very strong day and for Max to match Seb Vettel's record of nine consecutive victories it's incredible. The fact that we've achieved it twice now as a Team is something very special to us."
The Dutch Grand Prix proved to be a complicated race for Scuderia Ferrari, the team leaving Zandvoort with a fifth place courtesy of Carlos Sainz, who put in a solid and gritty performance in extremely difficult track conditions. Unfortunately, Charles Leclerc had to retire following a first lap collision with Oscar Piastri.
The weather made life difficult with the formation lap being dry before the rain came down really hard as the lights went out at Zandvoort. Charles pitted at the end of the opening lap to switch from Soft to Intermediate tyres, while Carlos came in next time round. After everyone, with the exception of Alex Albon, had pitted the Ferraris found themselves in fifth and seventh places. However, it was immediately clear that Leclerc's SF-23 had sustained damage in the collision with Piastri. The front wing was changed, but the floor was also damaged. Nevertheless, Charles continued at a much slower pace, a second a lap off his team-mate, but as the problem got progressively worse, the decision was taken to retire the car.
Sainz's race continued without much change and when the track dried, he twice pitted for Softs. He made no mistakes and put in solid stints, getting as high as third, partly thanks to a slow stop from Fernando Alonso, who later got ahead of Carlos again. Eventually, he dropped to fifth as he was also passed by Pierre Gasly. With nine laps remaining it started to rain very heavily and two laps later the race was red flagged as Guanyu Zhou crashed. The race resumed 35 minutes later with seven laps remaining. Conditions were very tricky on Intermediate tyres on a very slippery track, but none of the front runners made any mistakes so although Carlos was now running with very old tyres, he was able to take the chequered flag in fifth place.
The World Championship is back on track in a matter of days with what is the most special race for the Scuderia, the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where the team can expect a warm welcome from its "tifosi".
Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal: It was definitely a busy weekend, run in very difficult conditions. Carlos drove a great race, managing to match the pace of those ahead up until the rain returned. At that point he had to deal with the handicap of running Intermediates that had done more laps than those of the drivers around him and he did well to keep two strong competitors, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris, behind him, thus bringing home the best result possible in these circumstances.
Charles' race was compromised on the opening lap, when there was the collision with Oscar Piastri, which caused damage on his SF-23. We felt it would be enough to change the front wing but unfortunately, the floor was also damaged and that got worse with every passing lap, to the point that we decided to retire him.
Now we focus on Monza, our home race, where we want to execute the weekend perfectly from every point of view so that the drivers can get everything there is to be had out of our package.
The team's results were defined by the opening 15 laps, when poorly timed pit-stop calls dropped the drivers to the back of the field, and left the team in recovery mode.
Lewis climbed from P13 at the start, via P20 in the early laps, to P6 at the finish - in line with the finishing prediction for a normal, dry race. He ran Medium, Inter, Soft, Soft, Inter tyres during the race.
George stayed out until lap four in the early rain, dropping to P19 after stopping for intermediates. He then ran soft, hard to try to recover, then inter following the red flag.
Running P7 after the restart, he had contact with Norris that punctured his left-rear and dropped him to P17 at the finish.
The eight points scored today is the team's lowest return of the season - and means the gap to P3 in the constructors' championship in now 40 points.
Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO: That was a difficult day for us. In the opening 15 laps, we got pretty much everything wrong that we could have done - and that cost us any chance of fighting for the podium. For the next 50 laps until the red flag, it was pretty much business as usual: the car was quick on every tyre compound, we made the right calls and the drivers did a great recovery to P6 and P8. In the final laps, George was unlucky to fall to the back after contact, while Lewis tried everything he could on Sainz but there was no way past. In the end, I'd rather we have a quick car and a bad result, than the other way round. It was an entertaining race for Formula One - and the kind of day when we should have been part of the action at the front. But if, but and maybe don't count for anything in this sport. Now, we need to regroup, understand why we as a team got things wrong today, and go again in Monza next weekend.
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director: Not a good day for us. We didn't anticipate how heavy the early shower was going to be which meant we'd dropped both cars to the back from the very early stages. The decisions we took after that, however, were good, and we managed to get both cars back into a reasonable position when the race got red flagged. Unfortunately, Lewis couldn't find a way past Sainz in the short intermediate stint at the end and George picked up a puncture fighting Norris, so we leave here with just eight points, making it our worst points score of the season. However, we can take encouragement from the fact the car has been good this weekend. Although we've struggled in certain conditions, the pace in the race was strong and we're going in the right direction. We're very happy that we'll get to hit the track again in five days' time as we will be wanting to put this result behind us.
BWT Alpine F1 Team clinched its second podium of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season, as Pierre Gasly put in an impressive performance from twelfth on the grid in mixed conditions to finish third in Zandvoort in the Dutch Grand Prix. Esteban Ocon fought through the field to tenth place to secure a double points finish for the team.
In a rain-affected race with multiple pit-stops and a red flag delay six laps to the end, Pierre kept his cool throughout to claim his first podium for the team and the fourth of his Formula 1 career.
Running in fourth at the restart, Pierre held on to the back of Red Bull Racing's Sergio Perez until the chequered flag, promoting him to third place with Perez handed a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. Esteban put in a solid drive in difficult conditions progressing up the order from sixteenth on the grid to clinch the final point in tenth place, capping off a positive day for the team.
Bruno Famin, Interim Team Principal: "With the weather conditions today, it was important for the team to remain calm and make the right calls. Doing so allowed the drivers to advance up the order from their qualifying positions and bring home valuable points for the team. It was about being on the right tyre at the right time, as well as keeping the car on track and the drivers drove a very mature race. Operationally we executed the race extremely well and Pierre's podium is a reward for the team's efforts. Together with tenth for Esteban, it's good to have both cars finishing in the points. We still have lots of work ahead of us and we will look capitalise on this result heading to the next race in Monza."
Andrea Stella, Team Principal: "After a busy race, with changing weather conditions, we finish P7 and P9, scoring some important points. But the reality is we could have got more today as we missed a couple of opportunities.
"With Lando, we hesitated too much at the start of the race before pitting for Intermediate tyres. On Oscar's side we opted to stay out through the rain on dry tyres, where he did an excellent job. From there his race was unfolding well, but unfortunately he locked the front tyres, needed to pit and we lost the advantage gained.
"We don't give up. The good news is that the car was, again, quite competitive. So we will review where we could have improved and go again in Italy."
Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake left Zandvoort with no reward after a challenging weekend in the Netherlands. In a race heavily affected by the weather, with sudden downpours making the track nigh on undriveable, Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas both drove within the points at times: eventually, though, the team could not capitalise on this position, with Valtteri finishing 14th and Zhou emerging unscathed from a rain-induced crash at turn one.
The team will regroup and focus on the next event, the final European race of the season and a key moment of our year - the Italian Grand Prix.
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative: "This race marks the end of a difficult weekend for the team. We were not competitive in qualifying or the race, and this was the key element on which we will need to focus. The team tried everything: we made some good strategic calls in the changing conditions and put ourselves in a good position with Zhou. We tried the opposite strategy with Valtteri, leaving him out on dry tyres, in order to cover all scenarios. Our mechanics did a good job, managing all the pit-stops in difficult conditions. Unfortunately, in the end there was just not enough pace in the car, and when conditions returned to normal, we were not able to remain in the points. Zhou's crash was a big impact, but thankfully he was able to walk away with no injury. We're not letting our head drop: we'll just keep working hard to improve our performance and move forward, starting next weekend in Monza."
Mike Krack, Team Principal: "What a race! A fantastic second place for Fernando and the team. Fernando delivered a well-judged race, survived the tricky conditions, and showed strong pace in the wet and the dry. This result will mean a huge amount to the entire team at track and back at the Campus, and shows our hard work is paying off. It means we have broken the 200-point barrier for the first time and gives us real momentum going into the final races of the year. It is a shame we did not optimise the race for Lance and the decision to remain on dry tyres in the early stages cost him a chance of scoring points."
MoneyGram Haas F1 Team drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen finished 12th and 14th respectively at the Dutch Grand Prix, Round 14 of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.
Both drivers took the start on Pirelli P Zero Red soft tires, Hulkenberg from 14th and Magnussen from the pit-lane after undertaking pre-race power unit and gearbox changes that resulted in a grid penalty. Rain began falling halfway around the opening lap and the team split strategies, with Magnussen pitting for Cinturato Green intermediates, and Hulkenberg staying out on his slick tires. Magnussen worked his way up to seventh place, before coming in on lap nine for soft tires once the track dried, while Hulkenberg stayed out through the evolving weather.
The safety car was deployed on lap 15, when Logan Sargeant crashed out, with Magnussen taking the restart from seventh and Hulkenberg 16th after pitting for Yellow medium tires. Magnussen put on a rearguard action but was unable to prevent quicker rivals from passing before coming in on lap 36 for mediums, while Hulkenberg stopped for softs on lap 48. Forecast rain drenched Zandvoort on lap 61 and both drivers pitted to take on another set of intermediates before the race was red-flagged due to the worsening conditions.
After a 43-minute delay the race restarted, with both drivers on intermediates, and they made gains through the final five laps of action, enabling Hulkenberg to take 12th, and Magnussen 14th at the checkered flag.
Up front Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen recorded his ninth successive victory, and 11th of the 2023 season, with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso second, and Alpine's Pierre Gasly third.
Guenther Steiner, Team Principal: "Quite an exciting race in general with all the weather changes and I think we got right what we could, we steered clear of unforced errors in some tricky conditions. Our dry pace is not good enough at the moment however, but I think we got out as much as we could from the race - that is where we are right now."
Guillaume Dezoteux (Head of Vehicle Performance): "The weather played a huge part today, and it's been a big challenge for all of us to cope with the constant changes. Both drivers started on the soft compound but were immediately called in to change to the intermediate tyres when the first shower hit the track. It was the right call and allowed us to jump some cars. When the track started to improve, we went back to the soft tyres, and Yuki was able to maintain position compared to the fast-coming cars who stayed on dry tyres during this first wet period. After the Safety Car, he was in a good position, so we took the gamble to leave him out. It was not the right decision because he started to lose time and positions, due to the old tyres. Yuki eventually managed to hold on until the next rain came, which caused a red flag as the track was far too wet to carry on. The last laps on the intermediate tyre were difficult, resulting from poor warm-up and low grip conditions. Yuki finished P16, after serving a 5-second penalty due to a collision with Russell.
"As for Liam, he did a very good job today, learning about the car and adapting to the conditions, which were constantly evolving. He made no mistakes and was able to build up the pace on dry tyres, which he was driving on for the first time in our car. Overall, it was a difficult weekend. We will review the various decisions made and analyse the data to improve the cars and the decision-making process in such circumstances. Now it's time to prepare for next week's race in Monza, which will hopefully be dry!"
Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance: Overall, it was a really strong result for the team today; to finish 8th in Zandvoort with our main rivals out of the points is a great result, however, having worked our way back to 6th place with Alex, the timing of the final rain interruption was frustrating.
The car worked well this weekend and whilst there are a few things that we could've done better today, we can be pleased with the result. We'll review the race and understand how we could've done better in the changeable conditions and we'll be stronger next time.
The team did an excellent job to repair Logan's car overnight and it was a shame that he was unable to finish the race. We are still investigating the cause of his DNF, but he suffered with a loss of hydraulics.
We now look forward to Monza, which is the second ATA event of the season and quite a different challenge to this weekend in Zandvoort.
Max Verstappen took his third consecutive Dutch Grand Prix victory, at the same time equalling the record for nine straight wins in a season, previously set by Sebastian Vettel in 2013, also at the wheel of a Red Bull. This was Verstappen's 46th career win, bringing his total number of podium finishes to 90.
The rain was the main factor that affected the outcome of the race. Everyone started on dry tyres, Hamilton on the Medium, with everyone else on the Soft. But right from the opening lap the rain appeared, forcing almost the entire field to pit for Intermediates. However, some brave drivers - the Williams duo, Hulkenberg, Bottas and Piastri - opted to stay out, banking on the rain not lasting long. Indeed, after about ten laps, the track was again suitable for slicks so that in the space of 12 laps everyone was back on dry tyres. In these very cool conditions, the Soft was clearly the best compound and was used for as long as possible, as can be seen from the fact that Tsunoda did 50 laps with one set and Albon 44.
Only one driver, Russell, opted for the Hard tyre, finding himself down the back end of the pack after the Safety Car came out following Sargeant going off track. The Mercedes driver would probably have finished the race on that set of C1s if the rain had not decided to once again shake things up, falling even more heavily than at the start of the race. Once again, all the drivers began to pit and with the rain really coming down, some even opted to fit the extreme wet, Ocon being the first to do this followed by the two Red Bull drivers. The race was red flagged after Zhou went off, so the question as to how these tyres would have performed in these conditions went unanswered. In the closing stages after the restart, the intermediate proved it was a valid choice even with a lot of water on a track with a temperature of only 20 degrees C.
Next weekend, Monza hosts the Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio d'Italia 2023. Tyres for the Italian round, from 1 to 3 September will be the C3, C4 and C5 compound and for a second time after it was first tried in Hungary, the Alternative Tyre Allocation will be applied. Pirelli is the Italian Grand Prix title sponsor, its home race, as its headquarters are just a few kilometres from the circuit in the Bicocca district of Milan.
Mario Isola: "It was a very spectacular race, with several changes in the weather which made life difficult for the teams when it came to deciding on which tyre to use and when to pit. From a purely technical point of view, apart from the literally colourful sight of having all five our tyre colours being used, two aspects are worth highlighting.
"As expected over the course of the weekend, the cooler temperatures favoured the use of the Softs, clearly the best tyre in the dry, even coping well in wet conditions, as demonstrated by the drivers who chose not to pit in the opening laps when it started to rain. The compound most affected was the Hard, but the long stint from Russell, who would probably have run to the chequered flag if the rain had not returned, demonstrated that this tyre was not totally unsuited to the conditions. The second point to underline concerns the Intermediate, which once again proved to be competitive with either a little or a lot of water on the track.
"Finally, there are various people I wish to congratulate: Max Verstappen for his ninth consecutive win, the Zandvoort spectators who once again put on an amazing show in the grandstands, their enthusiasm so contagious despite the bad weather, Fernando Alonso back on the podium, as he had been doing regularly at the start of the season, at one point even looking to challenge for the win and to Pierre Gasly who produced a really great result."
