McLaren In Position To Snap Max Verstappen's Win-Streak At Zandvoort After Stellar Qualifying
Formula 1 is back this weekend after about a month off for the series' summer break, and then we jump back into it with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, reigning champ Max Verstappen's home race.
The Red Bull ace has never lost at Zandvoort having won the last three times it was held, but he finds himself in an unusual situation this time around.
He's in the midst of a four-race streak without a win for the first time since 2020, and it certainly looks like his RB20 isn't the fastest car whipping around the dunes at Zandvoort. That title belongs to the McLarens.
READ: MAX VERSTAPPEN SAYS HIS F1 CAREER IS ALREADY MORE THAN HALF OVER
Lando Norris will start on pole for McLaren, with Verstappen alongside him in P2 and teammate Oscar Piastri behind him in P3.
Lando blew some minds when he dropped a final qualifying time that was three-tenths faster than Verstappen. That doesn't sound like much, but on the second-shortest circuit in F1 behind Monaco, that's big.
However, single pace doesn't always mean long-run pace is a given, but that hasn't been a huge issue for McLaren this season. I think the bigger problem for Norris will be the opening couple of corners. More than once this season — most recently in Hungary — Norris has lost the lead from pole with the first couple of corners.
That's a problem when Zandvoort's flow nature isn't ideal for overtaking, so if he lets Verstappen or even Piastri ahead of him and into clean air early, he's going to have a tough time making it back to the top of the running order.
McLaren's Lando Norris looks like the man to beat in Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. (Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images)
Fortunately for the McLarens, Verstappen tends to get about as much performance out of his car as possible, and after qualifying he mentioned being happy with second, especially after a big moment in the chicane toward the end of the lap.
Meanwhile, Piastri seemed to think he left a little bit of performance out there during qualifying. So, if the Red Bull seems to be performing at its peak and it's sandwiched between the two Papaya cars, then I think McLaren will like its chances.
Plus, of the four top teams — Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes, and Ferrari — Mclaren has its cars positioned the best when it comes to strategies. Red Bull has its cars in P2 and P5, while both Mercedes and Ferrari each have one car out of position.
I think we're going to be in for a good one, so let's predict the podium:
- P1). Lando Norris - McLaren
- P2). Oscar Piastri - McLaren
- P3). George Russell - Mercedes
That's right, I'm not so sure the Dutch fans will be going home happy this year, but anything can happen.