It is often said, in popular wisdom, that our home is where our heart is. In 21 of the 22 rounds that make up the 2022 Formula 1 calendar, Max Verstappen is racing to win, but in his home country, the taste of victory is different. The Dutchman, after taking pole position, with the invaluable help of the engineers, won for the fourth time in a row and further opened the lead at the top of the Drivers’ World Championship and orange smoke filled the track.
The coastal circuit planted in the coastal town of Zandvoort has once again received a great prize. The benches, full of orange, denounced local favoritism. From the start, when the five traffic lights went out, the fans had what they wanted most: the number one car to keep the lead. Charles Leclerc fell behind the Dutchman’s rear in some corners.
Throughout the weekend, the conditions of the asphalt were informed by the runners of all the categories that competed there, in support of the competition. In a place that, due to the narrow shape of the circuit, is difficult to overtake, the strategies on the pit walls decided many of the positions in the Dutch race.
Of the leading trio, Carlos Sainz was the first to be called to change tires. The stop was, to say the least, disastrous: the Ferrari mechanics forgot about the left rear wheel and the Spaniard was forced to stop for more than 12 seconds. In order not to improve, Sérgio Pérez, from Red Bull, who stopped a box behind, stepped on an air gun that was without an owner in the middle of the field.
Returning to the track, after the frontrunners returned on new tyres, it was noted that Mercedes put both drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell on hard tires in a different approach than the others. The strategy seemed to work and in the opening laps the Silver Arrows team racked up fastest laps around the Zandvoort circuit.
Just as the race seemed to be going smoothly for Mercedes, the script for the rest of the Grand Prix took a turn. Japanese Alpha Tauri’s Yuki Tsunoda complained of tire problems on his car and headed to the pits. After some maneuvers by the mechanics, he slowly returned to the track and ended up stopping, forcing the virtual safety car to be activated.
The pilgrimage returned to change the compound, to take advantage of the fact that the opponents walked a little slower on the track. Verstappen put on hard tires and Mercedes, in a double stop, put medium on both drivers. As Hamilton was closing in on the lead again, another incident occurred.
Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas lost engine power and stopped on the final stretch. For the first time in history, they raced at Zandvoort behind the safety car. This time, from the front, Charles Leclerc and Verstappen stopped.
In the lead, Lewis Hamilton saw in his mirrors that that status could change quickly. When the race officially started again, the Red Bull Dutchman had no trouble getting back in place of him. With less suitable tires for the test and with a tone of indignation on the radio, the Briton was passed by Russell and, shortly after, by Charles Leclerc.
The last laps were devoted to Max Verstappen. For the second time in Zandvoort, the Dutchman made his fans belch orange smoke. In the championship, he registered the tenth victory and the fourth in a row. The drivers’ world championship is getting closer to its current owner.
Source: TSF
