Zandvoort – Max Verstappen anticipates an emotional and “quite chaotic” festival when he competes in his first home race as world champion this weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix. Verstappen is aiming his 10th victory of the season.
The championship leader, buoyant after a string of sensational victories including Red Bull’s masterpiece at last Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix, cautioned that the din of a packed crowd might be distracting as he faces a much stronger competition.
“It will be more difficult for us to be as dominant, and I anticipate that Ferrari will be formidable,” the 24-year-old Dutchman added. “At Zandvoort, a lot more downforce is required.
“Obviously, I want a happy outcome, but it’s always more important to score points, so let’s hope we can perform well. My family will be present to show their support, and I will spend the weekend among the fans.
It is going to be somewhat chaotic.
With a new helmet design, Verstappen will honor his father Jos, a former F1 driver who guided his son during his early career.
“I felt it would be a wonderful moment to express my gratitude for the efforts my father made when I was a child to get me to where I am today,” he said.
“It’s a touch sentimental, but I think it’s also unique since it represents how I got my start in karting, and the old photos of me in go-karts feature this style. I hope many ‘Dutchies’ and my father’s admirers enjoy this.”
Verstappen will attempt to emulate his thrilling victory from last year, when the Dutch event returned after a 36-year hiatus, to strengthen his 93-point championship lead over teammate Sergio Perez and 98-point advantage over Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
The Monegasque was devastated by last Sunday’s outcome, but Ferrari believes Red Bull were greatly favoured by the nature of the track and may rebound this week before their home race at Monza a week later.
Carlos Sainz, who finished third in Belgium behind the two Red Bulls, stated, “Zandvoort should be much better for us.” Sainz was third in Belgium behind the two Red Bulls.
“Monza should favor Red Bull, but we will attempt to win this race nonetheless.”
Unsatisfied with the Spa. But motivated to continue working hard and improve. pic.twitter.com/dntN9EV8Xr
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team August 28, 2022 (@MercedesAMGF1)
Mercedes will also attempt to rebound from a poor weekend that saw seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton retire on the opening lap after colliding with Fernando Alonso’s Alpine for the first time since 2016.
Team leader Toto Wolff, who on Sunday deemed the team’s performance “unacceptable,” stated, “We’re attempting to comprehend our difficulties and then apply these lessons.”
“It was a hard weekend for us as a team, but it is precisely these challenging weekends that motivate you to dig deeper. There were so many extremes over the course of the weekend, from the disparities in pace between Saturday and Sunday to Lewis’s first lap and George’s late podium bid.”
Mercedes’ pedigree and wealth of skill imply that they should make a more formidable assault, with Ferrari, similarly wounded by last Sunday’s Spa outcome, also poised to give Red Bull a far stiffer competition.
As he seeks a fourth consecutive victory and the 30th of his career in route to a second championship, Verstappen may need patience and a level head. Before a party begins in the Zandvoort sand dunes, a pragmatic approach may be necessary.