GP Netherlands: Times, standings, track info, weather

Timetable GP Netherlands

The Grand Prix of the Netherlands takes place at the time you are used to from most European GPs. That means the race starts at 3 p.m. on Sunday. It’s a traditional race weekend again, so just three free practice sessions and a qualifying session before the race.

Championship standings

Think Max Verstappen away for a moment and you have quite an exciting battle for the driver’s championship this year. Behind the dominant Netherlands, Sergio Pérez, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton still have a view of second place in the championship. For the last two, it will only be a lot of work if they want to knock Pérez out of second place. The Mexican seems to have regained some of his previous good form and is 40 points ahead.

There is some distance between the teams (behind Red Bull) between the numbers two and three. Aston Martin is falling back a bit, while Mercedes has found a little more pace. McLaren is quite behind in the points, but the British team is not yet completely out for fourth or even third place. After all, McLaren looks very competitive after an update early this summer. Is it too late to attack Ferrari or Aston Martin in the championship? Time will tell.

Circuit

Circuit Zandvoort is well known to most Dutch people. The circuit, designed by Hans Hugenholtz, was opened in 1948 and was partly created thanks to the eponymous grandfather of the current owner: Prince Bernhard. The fact that the circuit came to Zandvoort was partly due to the fact that racing was already taking place on a street circuit in the seaside resort before the Second World War. In 1950, two years after the circuit was opened, Formula 1 came here for the first time, although it was not officially part of the championship until 1952. Zandvoort was on the calendar until 1985 (with four interruptions).

Zandvoort is a characteristic circuit, with special corner combinations and height differences thanks to the dunes in which it is located. Prior to the planned return of Formula 1 in 2020, the circuit was tackled on numerous points. For example, the Hugenholtzbocht (Turn 3) has now been turned into a kind of banked corner and a considerable ‘banking’ has been installed, especially in the Arie Luyendijkbocht (formerly known as Bos Uit). There is a DRS zone in that corner and since last year the rear wing even opens before entering the corner. There is also a DRS zone between turns 10 and 11. Coming Sunday, the drivers will drive 72 laps around the circuit, to cover a total distance of 306.587 km.

Weather

The past two editions of the Grand Prix of the Netherlands were dry and sunny, but it seems that the weather will be less summery next weekend. For the whole weekend there is still a splash of rain on the weather maps, although the sun can show itself every now and then. Friday it is still about 24 degrees, Saturday and Sunday it will be a few degrees cooler.