F1 Dutch Grand Prix LIVE: Race updates as Max Verstappen chases win after red flag in Zandvoort

Max Verstappen delighted his home crowd by taking pole position for Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix.

In an incident-packed wet-dry session, the unstoppable double world champion delivered a crushing lap to finish half-a-second clear of Lando Norris, who qualified second for McLaren.

George Russell will start from third place for Mercedes with the impressive Alex Albon fourth.

Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in Q2 and will line up from only 13th spot in Zandvoort.

Follow live race updates with The Independent

F1 DUTCH GRAND PRIX - LIVE UPDATES

Max Verstappen starts on pole position; Norris 2nd; Russell 3rd
Click HERE for the full starting grid
Report: Verstappen wins Dutch GP

TOP-10 AT THE DUTCH GRAND PRIX

16:59 , Kieran Jackson

1. Max Verstappen

2. Fernando Alonso

3. Pierre Gasly

4. Sergio Perez

5. Carlos Sainz

6. Lewis Hamilton

7. Lando Norris

8. Alex Albon

9. Oscar Piastri

10. Esteban Ocon

Time for the podium!

16:51 , Kieran Jackson

A familiar tune on the podium, as the Dutch and Austrian national anthems are bellowed out at Zandvoort!

Max Verstappen survives dramatic rain chaos to win Dutch Grand Prix

16:36 , Karl Matchett

The weather gods did their best on the coast of the North Sea. Twice in fact: once at the start, once at the end. But as has been the case in Formula 1 in the last 18 months, Max Verstappen and his imperious Red Bull team had all the answers again. The inevitability of the Dutch national anthem being bellowed out on the podium – this time in front of 100,000 drenched home supporters – has become as customary as the podium ceremony itself.

However, unlike many of this year’s processions for the three-time champion-in-waiting this year, this race was enthralling from start-to-finish. Unusually, team Verstappen were a step behind Sergio Perez’s strategists in the pit stop stakes early on, as rain forced a rethink for the whole pack. Once Red Bull, seemingly aware of the post-mortem should the Dutchman not win in his homeland, undercut Perez for their championship leader, the rest seemed entirely predictable. Until another heavy downpour – and Zhou Guanyu’s hefty shunt – forced a red flag eight laps from the end.

Race report from Kieran Jackson at Circuit Zandvoort:

Max Verstappen survives dramatic rain chaos to triumph at Dutch Grand Prix

Verstappen wins Dutch GP

16:30 , Kieran Jackson

Top ten cross the line and this is the final order as Verstappen claims another record victory!

Alonso
Gasly
Perez
Gasly
Sainz
Hamilton
Norris
Albon
Piastri
Ocon

Final Lap 72/72

16:28 , Karl Matchett

Onto the final lap we go - contact from Hamilton and Sainz as the Brit tries to sneak past but he can’t quite make it through!

Norris, Albon, Piastri and Ocon making up the points spots behind those two, who are fighting for fifth.

Max Verstappen is closing in...and wins the Dutch Grand Prix!

Lap 70/72

16:24 , Karl Matchett

Puncture for Russell, we’re told. Frustration for him there as he was top eight when we restarted.

Another incident has been noted which is a collision between Russell and Norris, so presumably that’s where the puncture came.

Hamilton is pushing Sainz for fifth and he could also overtake Perez due to that penalty remember.

Verstappen with a 1.67s lead at the front.

Lap 68/72

16:21 , Karl Matchett

Verstappen holds a lead of just over a second now as the rainwater goes flying behind the cars. A 40-minute break leaves us facing this five-lap shootout.

A potential penalty for Perez - he’s under investigation for speeding in the pitlane - and yes that’s a five-second penalty handed to him!

Meanwhile George Russell has tumbled down and out of the points, all the way to 17th. Not sure what’s happened there yet but he says he’s out of the race!

Lap 66/72

16:18 , Karl Matchett

Still behind the safety car but we’re about ready to go, if we get the go ahead from race control...looks like a rolling start.

Reminder of the top ten: Verstappen, Alonso, Perez, Gasly, Sainz, Hamilton, Norris, Russell, Albon, Piastri.

Lap 65/72

16:13 , Karl Matchett

Back out on the track and just seven laps remaining.

Let’s face out if Verstappen can finish matters off.

Red flag!🛑(Lap 65/72)

16:05 , Mike Jones

Word has come through that the race will be resuming in 10 minutes time.

Max Verstappen is closing in on a record-equalling victory at Zandvoort, can he see this race through?

Red flag!🛑(Lap 65/72)

16:03 , Mike Jones

Charles Leclerc spoke to Sky Sports after his retirement to give an answer for the question, what went wrong with his car?

“I mean Carlos is doing well at the moment, I think we expected a strong race pace in general even though it’s been an extremely difficult race and weekend for us in terms of balance, but yeah for me I can’t comment much, after the damage in Lap One it was really difficult.”

Reshuffling in the pit lane!

15:59 , Kieran Jackson

Kieran Jackson at Zandvoort

Quite a complicated process here, reshuffling the pack in the pit lane for the right order to be set upon the resumption.

Crew members scampering around hurriedly! No word yet on a restart time. The rain has basically stopped, though.

Two marshals doing their best to keep the crowd entertained!

Red flag!🛑(Lap 65/72)

15:55 , Mike Jones

The worst of the rain has passed but it's still very wet out there ☔️#DutchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/DLhzztnqtP
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 27, 2023

Red flag!🛑(Lap 65/72)

15:52 , Mike Jones

Here’s how the drivers will line-up when the race gets back underway:

1) Verstappen

2) Alonso

3) Perez

4) Gasly

5) Sainz

6) Hamilton

7) Norris

8) Russell

9) Albon

10) Piastri

11) Ocon

12) Tsunoda

13) Stroll

14) Bottas

15) Lawson

16) Magnussen

Zhou, Leclerc and Sargeant have all retired.

Red flag!🛑(Lap 65/72)

15:48 , Mike Jones

The safety car is about to be sent out onto the track to assess the conditions as we all await updates about the race restart. Max Verstappen seems perfectly happy in the Red Bull garage.

The fans are singing and enjoying themselves despite the rainy weather.

Red flag!🛑(Lap 65/72)

15:41 , Mike Jones

Good news for Sergio Perez. Race control has looked at the previous sector times - before the red flag - and when the race restarts Perez will come out in third place.

That pit stop from Red Bull may not hinder him too much.

Alex Albon is saying that the race cannot be restarted in these conditions. There’s going to be at least 10 minutes before the race gets started again.

Red flag!🛑(Lap 65/72)

15:38 , Mike Jones

RED FLAG! 🟥

The race is stopped due to the rain AND Checo is stuck in the pits! pic.twitter.com/DlloXcFUDV
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 27, 2023

Tsunoda, Bottas and Hamilton all coming off the track! 😯🌧️ pic.twitter.com/h8lxJ2Q1by
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 27, 2023

Red flag!🛑(Lap 65/72)

15:37 , Mike Jones

Lewis Hamilton also went off at the first turn but he hit the gravel and managed to recover the car.

Max Verstappen asks his team why the race has been red flagged but there were a lot of teams on intermediate tyres with the track needing extreme wet tyres to safely get round it.

As it stands, with seven laps to go, Pierre Gasly is third behind Verstappen and Fernando Alonso. What a result this would be for him if he can hold the spot.

Zhou Guanyu is out! (Lap 64/72)

15:33 , Mike Jones

Zhou Guanyu follows Sergio Perez off the track and smacks into the barriers. The safety car is called for as Red Bull decide to pit Perez again.

Red flag! Perez is stuck in the pits after Zhou’s crash and Perez has fallen down to sixth place. Oh wow.

Perez slips off! (Lap 63/72)

15:31 , Mike Jones

Sergio Perez makes a mistake and in the terrible conditions flies out onto the run off at turn one. He recovers to get back into third but Fernando Alonso goes past him.

Verstappen and Alonso wait to pit (Lap 62/72)

15:29 , Mike Jones

With 10 laps to go, the rain unleashes onto the circuit. Max Verstappen delays his stop by a further lap but remains in the lead.

Sergio Perez gets ahead of Fernando Alonso who is the last of the leading cars to head into the pits. The Spaniard recovers to cling onto third place.

Top 10: Verstappen, Perez, Alonso, Gasly, Sainz, Hamilton, Norris, Russell, Albon, Piastri

Russell almost loses control! (Lap 61/72)

15:27 , Mike Jones

Of the two Mercedes Lewis Hamilton is the one who is flying. He waits for George Russell to move out of the way but Russell clips the grass and almost skids off the track.

Somehow Russell manages to hold onto the car and keep it in position. That’s a fantastic save from the Briton.

Hamilton now passes as the rain starts to fall. Sergio Perez comes into the pits for a tyre change.

Alonso is flying (Lap 59/72)

15:24 , Mike Jones

Aston Martin have seemingly told Fernando Alonso to go all out on his soft tyres. They believe that the rain will force another change of tyre so they aren’t worried about Alonso preserving his tyres.

The Spaniard sets a new quick lap as he attempts to close the gap on Sergio Perez.

Lewis Hamilton is up to eighth as he passes Esteban Ocon. His next competitior is teammate George Russell.

The threat of rain is worrying (Lap 57/72)

15:21 , Mike Jones

Fernando Alonso is told about the expected rain with his team telling him it will be heavier than at the start of the race. This Grand Prix could be decided by how well the teams react to the next burst of weather.

Lewis Hamilton overtakes Lando Norris! Norris to his credit gave Hamilton plenty of space on the inside and the Mercedes is now up to ninth with Esteban Ocon in his sights.

Tsunoda in trouble (Lap 54/72)

15:19 , Mike Jones

“Front wing got damaged, check the wing,” asks Yuki Tsunoda who is plummeting down the leaderboard. Lewis Hamilton has caught up to Lando Norris and the two Brits are next in line to take on Tsunoda.

Max Verstappen is told heavy rain is due to come in with around 10 laps to go. That should be interesting.

Alonso passes Sainz! (Lap 52/72)

15:16 , Mike Jones

Well that didn’t take long. Fernando Alonso opens up DRS on Carlos Sainz as they fly down the straight. Sainz moves over and leaves Alonso space on the inside for turn one.

Alonso takes the gap and moves back up to third. He’s flying on these new tyres.

Mistake from Alonso’s pit crew! (Lap 51/72)

15:14 , Mike Jones

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso is called into the pit lane but there’s a problem at the front of the car. It takes around five seconds to get him clear but that’s enough time to allow Carlos Sainz and Yuki Tsunoda to move ahead of him.

Will that delay cost Alonso a podium place?

Lewis Hamilton is back on track but he’s down in 11th and has a three second gap to close on Lando Norris.

Russell into the points! (Lap 47/72)

15:11 , Mike Jones

George Russell’s decision to switch onto the hard tyres and take them to the end of the race could prove vital for him. After all the cars pitting ahead of him Russell is up to seventh with Pierre Gasly in his sights. Gasly is on a new set of soft tyres though and there’s no way round for Russell.

Current top 10: Verstappen, Alonso, Perez, Sainz, Tsunoda, Gasly, Russell, Albon, Ocon, Norris.

Sainz goes quickest! (Lap 45/72)

15:08 , Mike Jones

Carlos Sainz has pitted for new soft tyres and sets a new quickest lap. McLaren have responded by calling Lando Norris into the pits as well leaving Lewis Hamilton to challenge Yuki Tsunoda.

Sergio Perez heads into the pits ahead of teammate Max Verstappen and could close the gap on the leader.

Leclerc is out! (Lap 43/72)

15:04 , Mike Jones

Charles Leclerc’s performance continues to drop and he’s called into the pit lane to retire the car for Ferrari!

Lawson battles with Leclerc! (42/72)

15:03 , Mike Jones

Liam Lawson, the substitute driver for AlphaTauri, nips on the inside of Charles Leclerc to move up to 15th ahead of the straight. Leclerc flies through the DRS activation point and takes the place back by the end of the straight.

Lawson is impressing on his F1 debut.

Carlos Sainz enquired about going to the end of the race on his current tyres but he’s been told to pit for a second, and should be final, set of softs.

Tsunoda defending against Norris (Lap 39/72)

14:58 , Mike Jones

Yuki Tsunoda is having a decent time of things out there. He’s at the head of a three car section trying to keep Lando Norris at bay.

Oscar Piastri is attempting to catch up to this pack and is edging ever closer. Further back George Russell has got past Charles Leclerc and is hunting down Nico Hulkenberg.

Darker clouds coming in (Lap 36/72)

14:55 , Mike Jones

“Darker clouds coming in” says Max Verstappen as he radios back to his team. There seems to be a bit of rain expected in around 10/15 minutes time.

Verstappen has just set a new fastest lap and is now over four seconds ahead of Sergio Perez. The race has settled down with Verstappen in complete control at the head of the field.

The best battle on track at the minute is coming through Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton. Both cars are within half a second of each other whilst trying to work their way through the rest of the field.

Hamilton hasn’t taken on an overtake yet but if he keeps gaining it’ll only be a matter of time.

Zhou in trouble on the medium tyres (Lap 33/72)

14:50 , Mike Jones

Of the top 13 drivers only Zhou Guanyu is running medium tyres but they’re not doing him well. Yuki Tsunoda gets around him before Lando Norris moves ahead and up into ninth.

Zhou is hanging on to the points but Lewis Hamilton is closing in on him already.

Verstappen extending his lead (Lap 30/72)

14:48 , Mike Jones

With the rain having stopped the track is trying out rapidly making the conditions ideal for racing. Max Verstappen is slowly opening up a gap between himself and Sergio Perez with it a touch over three seconds now.

Fernando Alonso is in third almost two seconds behind the second Red Bull.

Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton continue to move up the leaderboard. Both drivers go past Kevin Magnussen and are battling with each other.

George Russell on hard tyres is struggling to make an impact on this race. He’s way down in 17th.

Hamilton passes Leclerc! (Lap 27/72)

14:44 , Mike Jones

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc doesn’t seem to be running well at all. He’s down in 12th and currently holding up the much quicker Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.

Behind them an aggressive move from Oscar Piastri sees the McLaren get around Valterri Bottas just before Hamilton spies a gap on the inside of Leclerc and goes past!

Piastri continues his fine ride and sweeps around the Ferrari too to wedge Hamilton in between both McLaren’s in 12th place.

Magnussen falling away (Lap 25/72)

14:42 , Mike Jones

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner received some praise for his team’s pit strategy which saw Kevin Magnussen fly up to seventh after starting in 18th.

Magnussen doesn’t have the pace though and he is passed by Alex Albon, Zhou Guanyu and Esteban Ocon.

Sainz takes on Gasly (Lap 22/72)

14:39 , Mike Jones

There’s no change in the order as Max Verstappen flies away following the end of the safety car laps. Sergio Perez moves across to block off Fernando Alonso and keeps hold of second.

Just behind Carlos Sainz tries to nip underneath Pierre Gasly who is forced slightly wide. Gasly holds the line and sweeps round the bend just ahead of the Ferrari.

Albon yet to pit (Lap 21/72)

14:36 , Mike Jones

Williams’ Alex Albon is the only driver not to stop and pit yet. He’s spent 21 laps out on the soft tyres and has slipped down to eighth from his grid start at P4.

The safety car is moving off at the end of this lap. Here’s the current top 10:

Verstappen, Perez, Alonso, Gasly, Sainz, Zhou, Magnussen, Albon, Ocon, Tsunoda

Dutch Grand Prix (Lap 19/72)

14:33 , Mike Jones

The cars all bunch back together behind the safety car which will give some hopes to the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris.

Sergio Perez will have hopes of taking on Max Verstappen in a race for first place too.

Logan Sargeant is out! (Lap 17/72)

14:28 , Mike Jones

The Williams driver goes off at turn eight and clatters into the barriers after slipping on the damp run off area. His race is over as the yellow flag comes out along with the safety car.

George Russell has pitted and is on the hard tyres now. He’s trying to take the car all the way through to the end now.

Mercedes in dire straits (Lap 15/72)

14:26 , Mike Jones

Mercedes’ race strategy has been very poor. Lewis Hamilton was sent out on the medium tyres for the start and was too slow to switch to the intermediates. His damage was limited with a quick swap back onto the softs but he’s lipped to 16th.

George Russell meanwhile has fallen from third all the way to 18th.

“I was forecast a podium, how have we messed this up?” asks Russell.

Verstappen goes first! (Lap 13/72)

14:23 , Mike Jones

Max Verstappen is the first Red Bull into the pit lane to make the switch to soft tyres as Sergio Perez takes another lap on the intermediates.

That order allows Verstappen to undercut Perez and regain the lead.

“Did Max undercut us?” Perez asks over the radio, “Yes, Max undercut us” comes the reply.

Top 10: Verstappen, Perez, Alonso, Gasly, Zhou, Sainz, Magnussen, Tsunoda, Piastri, Ocon

Lewis Hamilton pits for dry tyres! (Lap 11/72)

14:20 , Mike Jones

Lewis Hamilton has plenty of work to do to move up the field. Alex Albon and Oscar Piastri have switched onto the soft dry tyres and are the quickest cars out on track.

More rain is due in a few minutes time but they’ve taken the risk to make the change now.

Charles Leclerc has moved above Fernando Alonso into fourth.

Verstappen vs Perez (Lap 10/72)

14:17 , Mike Jones

Sergio Perez’s tyre change allowed him to get the better of the rest of the field and he now has a 6.1 second lead over teammate Max Verstappen who is cutting the gap every lap.

Red Bull’s tactic is to control the race and try to get the intermediate tyres to last for a few more laps but Verstappen is only interested in regaining first place.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has ssome damage to his front wing and is holding up Carlos Sainz just behind him.

All change on leaderboard (Lap 7/72)

14:14 , Mike Jones

Max Verstappen has rapidly fallen down the leaderboard but is improving quickly. He sets the fastest lap with a 1:23 and weaves around Pierre Gasly to move up to third.

Zhou Guanyu is up in second place as Lewis Hamilton recovers to get back up to 13th overtaking the drivers who are sticking it out on the dry tyres.

Fernando Alonso does well to hold onto fifth and is closing the gap on Gasly.

Perez leads as Verstappen pits! (Lap 4/72)

14:10 , Mike Jones

Sergio Perez was the first driver into the pit lane and it’s a quick tyre change to put him onto the intermediate tyres. It’s a strategy that has worked fantastically as he sweeps through the field to move into first place.

George Russell has taken second with Red Bull calling Max Verstappen into the pits a lap later than Perez.

Lewis Hamilton is having a nightmare. “We should’ve come in” he radios to the Mercedes garage after taking a risk on the medium compound tyres.

He’s down in last place as it stands.

Fernando Alsono moves up (Lap 1/72)

14:06 , Mike Jones

What an opening lap! Fernando Alonso gets through turn three ahead of George Russell and Alex Albon to take third place as the rain starts to pour down.

Lights out! (Lap 1/72)

14:04 , Mike Jones

There’s 72 laps to complete in this Grand Prix, 14 corners on each lap of this old school circuit which makes overtaking quite tricky.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen sets off in pole position but he’s tracked closely by Lando Norris who positions his McLaren on the outside of the Dutchman as they approach the first turn.

Verstappen stays in the lead as George Russell locks up but manages to keep his place ahead of Alex Albon.

Formation lap

14:02 , Mike Jones

Max Verstappen leads the grid out for the formation lap just before the race start.

19 of the drivers are starting on soft tyres with only Lewis Hamilton electing to go with the medium compounds in the hopes that he can outlast those ahead of him and pick up some places.

What is the starting grid for the Dutch Grand Prix?

13:58 , Kieran Jackson

What is the starting grid?

1) Max Verstappen

2) Lando Norris

3) George Russell

4) Alex Albon

5) Fernando Alonso

6) Carlos Sainz

7) Sergio Perez

8) Oscar Piastri

9) Charles Leclerc

10) Logan Sargeant

11) Lance Stroll

12) Pierre Gasly

13) Lewis Hamilton

14) Nico Hulkenberg

15) Zhou Guanyu

16) Esteban Ocon

17) Yuki Tsunoda*

18) Valtteri Bottas

19) Liam Lawson

Pit lane) Kevin Magnussen**

*Yuki Tsunoda received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Lewis Hamilton in qualifying

**Kevin Magnussen drops from P18 to a pit-lane start after taking a new gearbox and power unit, exceeding his season limit.

Dutch Grand Prix LIVE

13:53 , Mike Jones

As the time ticks ever closer to lights out Andre Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra deliver a wonderful rendition of the Dutch national anthem.

Things seem to be setting themselves up nicely for a Max Verstappen victory. Can anyone stop him?

F1 returns with the now inevitable question: can anyone beat Max Verstappen?

13:51 , Mike Jones

When the Dutch Grand Prix returned to the Formula One calendar in 2021 – after a 36-year absence – organisers could frankly not have foreseen a future more favourable. A Dutch race reincarnated by-and-large due to a Dutch hero, timed exquisitely for his era of ultra-domination. To the extent that, now, anything other than a Max Verstappen triumph come Sunday would be as big a shock as the sport has seen all season.

Verstappen-mania in the Netherlands has long been at fever pitch, with the “Orange Army” previously travelling across Europe to support the man born in Belgium but with Holland in his heart. But now Zandvoort, on the coast of the North Sea, sees thousands make the journey from Amsterdam and beyond to revel and rave in this orange-clad razzmatazz amid the sand dunes.

Verstappen, coasting to a third-straight F1 championship title this season with a 125-point lead with 10 races remaining, is on track to break more ground. Win on Sunday and he will equal Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine consecutive victories from 10 years ago, also set while at Red Bull. On Friday, fresh from a four-week break, he set down an ominous marker by going fastest in first practice – and only marginally sniffed out of first spot in practice two by his friend Lando Norris.

F1 returns with the now inevitable question: can anyone beat Max Verstappen?

Alex Albon is ready for lights out

13:44 , Mike Jones

The Williams driver gave his pre-match thoughts to Sky Sports before today’s grand prix gets underway:

"Alex, how was the chat on the truck just now?"

"Trying to figure out everyone's strategies, no one really wants to give too much up!" 😅 pic.twitter.com/pNWW9Aa2Io
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 27, 2023

The weather could play a part

13:40 , Mike Jones

As the start of the race edges ever closer, the weather may play a part in deciding the outcome of this race. There’s been a touch of light rain coming down but more is expected as the afternoon goes on.

At the minute it is expected that the teams will make multiple pit stops during the race so the final outcome may come down to who times their pit stops the best.

Pre-match thoughts from Max Verstappen

13:32 , Mike Jones

Pole-sitter Max Verstappen spoke ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix and says that the rain could make today’s race ‘interesting’.

“When you have a crowd like this it’s an unbelievable feeling. Yesterday was very important, so we have a good starting position.” said Verstappen,

“We have to see what the weather will do. There is a bit of rain around, so it will make it interesting.

“If it’s wet, it’s easy to make mistakes. It’s an old-school circuit, so when you make a mistake it’s easy to go off. We don’t want that, so we will see what happens.”

On the prospect of equalling Sebastian Vettel’s nine consecutive wins he added: “I’m not here for the records. I just want to have a good. I want to win in front of my home crowd and we will do everything we can today.”

Lando Norris on battling with Max Verstappen

13:26 , Mike Jones

Lando Norris says that he has the mindset to beat Max Verstappen this afternoon but will need to get off to a good start and beat the world champion to the first corner.

“Like I have always said, we (me and Max) respect each other off the track and I think we do on track,” said Norris when asked how he’s going to challenge Verstappen today.

“But when we are on the track he wants to beat me and I want to beat him. That is how it is and that is my mindset going into today.

“If we have a chance, I’m going to go for it, I’m not just going to watch him drive away.”

Cars out on track

13:24 , Mike Jones

The pit lane has opened and the drivers are going through a couple of warm up laps to get to grips with the current conditions.

Liam Lawson, who has replaced Daniel Ricciardo for today’s GP, is driving the circuit for the first time when it’s been dry. He was knocked out of qualifying in Q1 yesterday during thr wet conditions.

The drivers have arrived at Zandvoort

13:16 , Mike Jones

They’ve actually been at the circuit for a while as they prepare for this Grand Prix but here’s a few photos of the drivers when they arrived at Zandvoort for today’s race:

Magnussen to start race from pit lane

13:10 , Mike Jones

Haas have elected to change Kevin Magnussen’s power unit completely, so he will start from the pit lane as it was done during parc ferme without approval from an FIA technical delegate.

Magnussen was due to start from 18th on the grid, ahead of Valtteri Bottas and debutant Liam Lawson who has replaced Daniel Ricciardo for AlphaTauri.

Lewis Hamilton fears ‘high chance’ Max Verstappen will win 10 remaining races

13:05 , Mike Jones

Lewis Hamilton fears there is a “high chance” that Max Verstappen will win all 10 remaining races this season – and believes the Dutchman’s crushing dominance could last until 2026.

Following a four-week summer shutdown, Formula One fires up this weekend at Verstappen’s home round in the Netherlands.

Verstappen has won the last eight races and he will match Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine on the spin for Red Bull in 2013 if he triumphs in front of his orange-clad Dutch fans here on Sunday.

Lewis Hamilton fears ‘high chance’ Max Verstappen will win 10 remaining races

Max Verstappen is one of the best drivers in F1 history – Lando Norris

12:57 , Mike Jones

Lando Norris said Max Verstappen’s dominance should not be taken for granted, hailing the Red Bull star as one of the greatest Formula One drivers that has ever lived.

Verstappen has won 10 of the 12 rounds so far and he will match Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine consecutive victories if, as widely expected, he triumphs again in front of 105,000 supporters at his home race in the Netherlands on Sunday.

The 25-year-old has starred since F1’s regulations were overhauled at the start of last season, with his comfortable victory at the concluding round before the break in Belgium his 19th from his last 23 outings.

Max Verstappen is one of the best drivers in F1 history – Lando Norris

Charles Leclerc gives gloomy prediction on how quick Ferrari will catch Red Bull

12:48 , Mike Jones

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc believes “it will be very difficult” for the chasing pack to catch Red Bull before 2026.

Red Bull have won all 12 races so far this season, with Max Verstappen claiming 10 victories and Sergio Perez two.

Leclerc, who has not won a race since last July in Austria, is an astonishing 215 points behind runaway F1 championship leader Verstappen in the standings – and was pessimistic when asked how long it would take for Ferrari and the rest to match Red Bull.

Charles Leclerc gives gloomy prediction on how quick Ferrari will catch Red Bull

Russell expecting tough race against Norris and Perez

12:41 , Mike Jones

George Russell is excited to get the Dutch Grand Prix underway this afternoon and is looking forward to a battling contest against McLaren’s Lando Norris, Williams’ Alex Albon and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.

Russell finished second here in 2022 and will be hoping for a repeat performance this time around as well.

”I think it’s going to be a good race.” said the Mercedes driver, “A lot of tyre degradation, so it gives you a few opportunities with the strategy. I don’t think we will have the pace to fight with Max, he’s a bit of a league of his own at the moment.

“But I’m confident Lando and I can have a good fight. Great to see Alex [Albon] in there in P4. He will probably be in the mix of beginning of the race and then we will have to see progress the threat from Checo [Sergio Perez].”

‘Red Bull are the guys to beat’ says Russell

12:32 , Mike Jones

George Russell says that Red Bull are the team to beat for the moment but is backing his Mercedes outfit to keep pushing to close the gap on the constructors’ championship leaders.

“Max and Red Bull have done an amazing job at the moment, but I think we just need to turn it up a little bit more, apply a little bit more pressure.” said Russell after being asked about Mercedes plans to challenge Red Bull.

“I think they have got a really nice buffer at the moment and when you’re in that rhythm, in that groove, you can afford to make a small mistake and still be in a really great spot.

“There’s a lot less pressure than when you know you make a small mistake, it’s going to cost you a couple of positions, so we are going to keep on working and, for sure, they are the guys to beat at the moment.

“But we just need to focus on ourselves, keep looking in the mirror and just seeing where we can improve. We’ll get there.”

How will Alex Albon go this afternoon?

12:24 , Mike Jones

A surprise package this weekend has been the performance of Alex Albon’s Williams car. Albon excelled from the start of practice on Friday, when he was fifth and third in the two sessions before finishing sixth in final practice on a wet Saturday morning.

He was fastest of all in the wet first qualifying session and third behind Verstappen and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in the second, by the end of which there was almost a dry line.

When the race grid was finally settled after a fractured Q3 Albon and Williams found themselves fourth, just pipped to P3 by a resurgent George Russell.

“The car felt good from the first lap we drove,” said Albon when describing his weekend so far. “Normally when that happens, the others start to chip away at it, but I felt maybe we had hit our sweet spot early.

“We didn’t really play too much with the car since first practice and it made me feel confident. And when you add confidence with a track like this - which is narrow and so uncompromising - and mixed conditions, you really just need to feel at one with the car, and I have done this weekend.

“When you have these conditions, it’s not always about peak downforce, it’s about having a car that’s drivable on the limit, and our car has been all weekend.”

From fourth on the grid can Albon force his way onto the podium this afternoon?

F1 returns with the now inevitable question: can anyone beat Max Verstappen?

12:15 , Mike Jones

F1 returns with the now inevitable question: can anyone beat Max Verstappen?

Norris on his prospects for today’s race

12:02 , Mike Jones

“I can probably challenge for two laps and then he will drive away.” says Lando Norris when asked how he plans to compete against Max Verstappen at the Dutch Grand Prix.

“There’s quite a bit of tyre degradation here and that’s not our forte let’s say when it comes into play. We struggle in certain corners.

“But we have improved the car quite a bit since Friday, so I want to be a bit more hopeful. I’m not going to say I’m not going to try, it’s just Max is on another level when it comes to tyre degradation and race pace.”

‘Max doesn’t make mistakes’ says Norris

11:53 , Mike Jones

Lando Norris will start today’s race in P2 after seeing his chance at pole evaporate thanks to a rapid lap from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

While Norris was pleased with his own qualifying time he was rueful that the two-time world champion doesn’t seem to make mistakes.

“There’s been plenty of times it’s been super, super close, whether Max has made a mistake and therefore it’s close, or not,” said Norris.

“There’s two differences in qualifying and the race. In the race, I think we have no chance unless he gets unlucky or something happens.

“He’s just got a very good driver in a good car and and he’s doing the job he needs to do, so full respect to that. But there’s always a chance on a day like today when you can make a mistake and sadly he doesn’t.

“It can happen to everyone and it can still happen to him, so there’s a time and a place and we are still waiting. Everyone’s waiting for it to happen.”

Lawson excited about his ‘huge opportunity'

11:43 , Mike Jones

Liam Lawson was a late replacement for this afternoon’s Dutch Grand Prix having replaced the injured Daniel Ricciardo for AlphaTauri.

Lawson had one wet practice session to get up to speed around the challenging Zandvoort track so it was unsurprising to see the New Zealander go out in Q1 for a grid start at P20.

“It was very challenging!” he told the media after qualifying. “Obviously, it’s very exciting. Firstly, I feel for Daniel, you never want to see something like this.

“Obviously for me it’s a huge opportunity, so it’s very exciting, but it’s been a very challenging day. Especially with the conditions like this, trying to get used to the [intermediate tyre] as I hadn’t driven it before.

“To be honest, I was feeling pretty comfortable in the first part of quali, but when it rained again, we put that second set on and I didn’t quite extract all of it.”

Vettel encouraged Verstappen to break his record

11:34 , Mike Jones

Two-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen has revealed that Sebastien Vettel messaged him to spur on his charge to win eight grand prixs in a row.

Vettel holds the record for most consecutive grand prix wins with nine but Verstappen can equal that this afternoon if he wins at Zandvoort.

“I think at five wins in a row or something, Seb texted me and said ‘well done, keep it up’ and something like ‘you’re going to do it’. Nine in a row is something very impressive and I never thought I would be on eight,” said Verstappen.

“It’s not something I have constantly like ‘I need to do this. I need to do this’. I’m not in this sport to try and break records. I’m just here to win in the moment.”

F1 grid: Starting positions for Dutch Grand Prix

11:22 , Mike Jones

Max Verstappen delighted his home crowd by taking pole position for Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix.

In an incident-packed wet-dry session, the unstoppable double world champion delivered a crushing lap to finish half-a-second clear of Lando Norris, who qualified second for McLaren.

George Russell will start from third place for Mercedes with the impressive Alex Albon fourth.

Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in Q2 and will line up from only 13th spot in Zandvoort.

F1 grid: Starting positions for Dutch Grand Prix

Will Verstappen win today?

11:12 , Kieran Jackson

More than 300,000 spectators will descend on the coastal town of Zandvoort, 30 miles outside of Amsterdam, as Formula 1 emerges from its summer slumber.

The majority of whom will do so in the expectation of watching Max Verstappen march to his ninth consecutive victory – equalling a record set by Sebastian Vettel for Red Bull in 2013 – as he closes in on a hat-trick of world championships.

But McLaren’s Lando Norris raised the suggestion he could spoil Verstappen’s homecoming party after he clinched P2 in qualifying with a time that could rival the Dutchman on track this afternoon.

Will Verstappen manage to keep the McLaren at bay?

Ricciardo could miss several races

10:54 , Mike Jones

A statement from Daniel Ricciardo’s AlphaTauri team read: “After [Friday’s] incident during Free Practice 2 in Zandvoort, in which Daniel Ricciardo hit the barrier at Turn 3, he was brought to the local hospital and further examinations were carried out.

“An X-ray confirmed he sustained a break to a metacarpal on his left hand, and this injury will not allow him to continue his duties, so he will be replaced by the team’s reserve driver Liam Lawson for the remainder of this weekend.

“The team wishes him all the best for the quickest possible recovery.”

Though there is no mention of Ricciardo being replaced for future races a broken wrist takes a while to heal and the best possible scenario could see the Australian sit out the Italian Grand Prix next week before returning for the race in Singapore.

Lawson to replace Ricciardo for Dutch Grand Prix

10:45 , Mike Jones

Liam Lawson has been handed his F1 debut as a substitute for the injured Daniel Ricciardo.

The 34-year-old Australian suffered a broken left wrist in a practice crash on Friday and has been ruled out of this weekend’s race with the prospect of missing further rounds, too.

In Ricciardo’s absence, New Zealander Lawson, 21, will start his maiden F1 race from 20th on the grid hoping to make an positive impact for AlphaTauri.

George Russell targeting podium at Dutch Grand Prix

10:32 , Mike Jones

Mercedes’ George Russell finished seven tenths of a second behind Max Verstappen in yesterday’s qualifying session and will take to the grid for Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix in P3 behind the Dutchman and McLaren’s Lando Norris.

“We are in a great place tomorrow to battle for a podium,” said the 25-year-old Brit.

“I’m sure Max will have his Sunday drive and be waving to the crowd but I hope to have a good fight with Lando, Alex and the rest of the boys.”

Russell finished second here last season and will be hoping for a similar result this afternoon.

Max Verstappen reveals Sebastian Vettel prediction as he closes on GP record run

10:23 , Mike Jones

Max Verstappen has revealed Sebastian Vettel told him he will break his record of nine consecutive victories after the home favourite put his Red Bull on pole position for Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix.

The unstoppable Verstappen will equal four-time world champion Vettel’s streak from 2013 if he takes the chequered flag in front of 105,000 expectant fans.

Verstappen starts his quest from the front after he topped a chaotic wet-dry qualifying session in Zandvoort. Verstappen finished nearly six tenths clear of second-placed Lando Norris with a mighty final lap.

Max Verstappen reveals Sebastian Vettel prediction as he closes on GP record run

Hamilton struggles in qualifying

10:12 , Mike Jones

Lewis Hamilton revealed in the build-up to Sunday’s race that his goal for the second half of the season was to take runner-up spot in the championship.

On Formula One’s return from its summer break, the seven-time world champion – who is currently fourth in the standings – will start way down the order following a disappointing qualifying session.

The 38-year-old British driver appeared to be impeded by AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda on his final run in Q2 and failed to deliver a time speedy enough to progress.

The stewards have noted the incident, but Hamilton, 41 points adrift of Sergio Perez, who is currently best of the rest behind team-mate Verstappen, now faces an uphill task to salvage a respectable result.

He starts the Dutch GP Prix in 13th on the grid.

Daniel Ricciardo ruled out of Dutch Grand Prix

10:00 , Mike Jones

Daniel Ricciardo has been ruled out of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix after breaking a metacarpal in his left hand in practice on Friday.

The Australian, who returned to Formula 1 with AlphaTauri last month, hit the barrier in second practice after compatriot Oscar Piastri collided with the wall at the same corner moments earlier. Ricciardo’s injurt was confirmed on Friday evening after an X-ray at a local hospital.

Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson, 21, will replace Ricciardo for qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday in what will be his full F1 debut.

Daniel Ricciardo ruled out of Dutch Grand Prix

Norris happy with P2

09:48 , Mike Jones

There were just four minutes and five seconds left on the clock in qualifying when Max Verstappen decided to turn up the heat on Lando Norris, who was sitting in pole position at the time.

Verstappen came through to record the fastest time and take the top spot away from the Brtion and McLaren.

Norris said: “Every now and then you hope Max makes a mistake, but he doesn’t, so frustrating in a little way. But I’m very happy. The team did a good job and I will take P2.”

Verstappen reacts to qualifying on pole

09:40 , Mike Jones

Saturday’s qualifying session was turbulent to say the least. Spells of wet and dry weather kept the drivers on their toes and had the teams scanning the weather forecasts.

Logan Sargaent crashed out causing a 20-minute delay after which Lando Norris attacked the newly formed dry line and looked on course to win pole position.

However, it was two-time world champion Max Verstappen who flew through a rapid lap to clinch top spot by half a second.

“It was a very tricky qualifying session,” said the Dutchman afterwards. “It was all about putting your laps in and staying out of trouble and we managed that quite well.

“The pressure is always there to perform but when you pull it off it’s incredible.”

Max Verstappen claims pole position at home Dutch GP as Lewis Hamilton falters

09:31 , Mike Jones

Max Verstappen delighted his home crowd by taking pole position for Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix.

In an incident-packed wet-dry session, the unstoppable double world champion delivered a crushing lap to finish half-a-second clear of Lando Norris, who qualified second for McLaren.

George Russell will start from third place for Mercedes with the impressive Alex Albon fourth. Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in Q2 and will line up from only 13th spot in Zandvoort.

Max Verstappen claims pole position at home Dutch GP as Lewis Hamilton falters

How can I watch it online and on TV?

09:21 , Mike Jones

The entire race schedule from Zandvoort will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 in the UK and Ireland. Sky’s coverage of the race on Sunday starts at 12:30pm (BST).

The weekend’s action will be broadcasted on ESPN in the United States.

Free-to-air highlights in the UK will be aired on Channel 4; for the grand prix on Sunday evening at 6:30pm.

Sky Sports subscribers can watch all the action in the Netherlands on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.

What is the race schedule?

09:12 , Mike Jones

Sunday 27 August

Dutch Grand Prix Race: 2pm (BST)

Max Verstappen on course to make it three wins from three at the Dutch Grand Prix

09:06 , Mike Jones

Formula 1 returns after a four-week summer break with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort at the end of August.

Max Verstappen claimed his eighth grand prix victory in a row last time out in Belgium and now returns to his home track, where he won last year and on its return to the calendar in 2021.

The Dutchman is cruising to a third F1 world championship this season and currently holds a 125-point lead to Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.

He starts on pole this afternoon hoping to win a third consecutive grand prix in the Netherlands whilst also equalling Sebastien Vettel’s record of nine grand prix victories in a row.

Will he triumph today?

Driver Standings ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix:

08:58 , Kieran Jackson

1) Max Verstappen - 314 points

2) Sergio Perez - 189 points

3) Fernando Alonso - 149 points

4) Lewis Hamilton - 148 points

5) Charles Leclerc - 99 points

6) George Russell - 99 points

7) Carlos Sainz - 92 points

8) Lando Norris - 69 points

9) Lance Stroll - 47 points

10) Esteban Ocon - 35 points

11) Oscar Piastri - 34 points

12) Pierre Gasly - 22 points

13) Alex Albon - 11 points

14) Nico Hulkenberg - 9 points

15) Valtteri Bottas - 5 points

16) Zhou Guanyu - 4 points

17) Yuki Tsunoda - 3 points

18) Kevin Magnussen - 2 points

19) Logan Sargeant - 0 points

20) Nyck de Vries - 0 points

21) Daniel Ricciardo - 0 points

F1 returns with the now inevitable question: can anyone beat Max Verstappen?

08:44 , Kieran Jackson

Weekend preview by Kieran Jackson

When the Dutch Grand Prix returned to the Formula 1 calendar in 2021 – after a 36-year absence – organisers could frankly not have foreseen a future more favourable. A Dutch race reincarnated by-and-large due to a Dutch hero, timed exquisitely for his era of ultra-domination. To the extent that, now, anything other than a Max Verstappen triumph come Sunday would be as big a shock as Formula 1 has seen all season.

Verstappen-mania in the Netherlands has long been at fever pitch, with the ‘Orange Army’ previously travelling across Europe to support the man born in Belgium but with Holland in his heart. But now Zandvoort, on the coast of the North Sea, sees thousands make the journey from Amsterdam and beyond to revel and rave in this electro-music, orange-clad razzmatazz amid the sand dunes.

F1 returns with the now inevitable question: can anyone beat Max Verstappen?

What is the starting grid for the Dutch Grand Prix?

08:36 , Kieran Jackson

1) Max Verstappen

2) Lando Norris

3) George Russell

4) Alex Albon

5) Fernando Alonso

6) Carlos Sainz

7) Sergio Perez

8) Oscar Piastri

9) Charles Leclerc

10) Logan Sargeant

11) Lance Stroll

12) Pierre Gasly

13) Lewis Hamilton

14) Yuki Tsunoda

15) Nico Hulkenberg

16) Zhou Guanyu

17) Esteban Ocon

18) Kevin Magnussen

19) Valtteri Bottas

20) Liam Lawson