From Zandvoort to the emergency room: Take an inside look at the rain-soaked Dutch GP, F1 Helmets, and driver who has risked it all.
Hey there, F1 podium sitter👋
Be honest, did you ever hope that you’d return from summer break to a Dutch GP that set the new record for the most overtakes in an F1 race?
🔥 Verstappen’s On Fire: Rain and wet conditions turned the circuit into an unpredictable battleground, but that didn’t slow down Verstappen. He clinched his 9th win in a row, equalling Vettel’s legendary record. Can anyone put the brakes on his winning streak?
🎢 Alpha Tauri Rollercoaster: Quick stat – Alpha Tauri’s had more drivers than points this season. Yeah, you read that right.
🏆 Trophy Tales: And in case you’re wondering, the trophy’s all shiny and intact, even after Alonso got a little hands-on.
So buckle up, there’s plenty more rubber to burn.
In today’s email:
- Speedy Race Review – Get the full Dutch GP experience that’ll virtually put you in the driver’s seat.
- In-depth education- F1 Helmets: Safety Meets Style
- Fast Lane News – Craving the newest F1 updates? They’ll keep your motorsport-loving heart content all-day
- The Italian GP – Track details and cool facts
Lights out, and away we go!
Speedy Race Review
Speedy Race Review📈Global race pace after Dutch GP
⚫ Mercedes blew their chance at a top 5 finish by pitting too late.
🕞 Norris and Stroll also suffered from late pit stops.
🟢 Alonso killed it, ranking as the second fastest.
🔵 Gasly wasn’t that fast but made up for it with smart strategy.
📉 Albon, Piastri, Bottas, Hulkenberg, and Sargeant didn’t switch to intermediate tires early. This explains their slow laps 3-7, but they saved about 40 seconds by avoiding an extra pit stop.
🟠 McLaren had the speed but messed up the pit strategy for Lando. He wanted to pit, but the team said no.
🌦️Verstappen shines through rain
Max Verstappen won his ninth race of the season, putting on a show for his home crowd at the Zandvoort circuit. He dealt expertly with a mix of wet and dry conditions throughout the 72-lap race.
Rain showers rolled in and out, keeping teams on their toes. They switched between different tire types to adapt to the rapidly changing conditions.
1️⃣ Hamilton & Norris pitted too late (lap 3) and they lost a lot of track positions.
2️⃣ Russel & Stroll pitted lap 4 – they lost a lot of time running on slicks and over 40s by pitting twice in a few laps
3️⃣ Tsunoda did 50 laps on Softs 🤯
📜 Dutch GP Rewrites F1 History
Rainstorms led to a record-breaking 188 overtakes, shattering the previous record of 170 at the 2016 Chinese GP.
Usually, Zandvoort is tough for overtaking, but the rain made it much easier. Fernando Alonso stood out with 13 overtakes.
Over a third of all overtakes, 63 to be exact, happened in just one lap when it was pouring, and drivers pitted for tire changes – another record! – Read more
🍿 Pit stop drama: Perez vs. Verstappen
In a radio conversation with his team, Perez asked, “Did Max undercut us?” The answer from his engineer was a straightforward, “Yes, Max undercut us.”
Sergio Perez wasn’t too happy with his team’s strategy. He questioned Red Bull’s decision-making after losing his lead to teammate Max Verstappen.
Red Bull chose to bring Verstappen into the pits first on lap 12, despite him trailing Perez by just over two seconds. When Perez pitted a lap later, he found himself behind Verstappen, who had perfectly executed an “undercut” strategy to take the lead. – Read more
🚑 Hand injury shakes up Ricciardo’s season
Daniel Ricciardo’s hand injury is worse than we initially thought. Everyone was hoping it was a clean break after he got hurt during Friday’s practice.
But both AlphaTauri and Red Bull, say it’s more complicated than that. Ricciardo had surgery in Barcelona on Sunday morning.
It’s not a straight break. We’ll get a confirmation from the doctor tonight, but things are looking bad for the next two races.
Sadly, this means Ricciardo will miss next week’s Grand Prix in Monza for sure, and reports suggest he’s likely to miss the Singapore Grand Prix as well. His target for a comeback could be the Japan Grand Prix from September 22-24th.
As for Ricciardo, he’s staying upbeat.
Had surgery this morning, got my first bit of metal work, so that’s pretty cool. Thanks to everyone for keeping my spirits up. This is just a hiccup on my road back.
🟨 Lawson penalized in F1 debut
Liam Lawson got hit with a 10-second penalty in his first-ever Formula 1 race. He’s filling in for Daniel Ricciardo, who got injured on Friday.
Right off the bat, the race was crazy because of heavy rain, causing everyone to rush into the pits.
In that mess, Liam ended up blocking Kevin Magnussen in the pit lane. Because of the penalty, he dropped from a decent 12th place to 18th. Not the best start, huh?
Even though things went sideways, congratulations are in order for a very respectable P13 finish in his first F1 race.- Read more
RELATED: AlphaTauri has announced that Liam Lawson will keep filling in for Daniel Ricciardo until he is ready to come back. – Read more
🔴 Ferrari Under Pressure for Monza
Heading to Monza, Ferrari is under a lot of pressure. Their fans are expecting more, and right now, the team can’t deliver.
Carlos Sainz admitted they were more like the sixth-fastest car at Zandvoort, even though they finished fifth. He said it felt like they could go for a podium, but in reality, their pace just wasn’t there.
On the other side, Charles Leclerc had a rough weekend. He crashed multiple times and even had to retire from the race due to floor damage. This happened after he collided with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri on the first lap, losing a lot of downforce because of it.
Leclerc made the right call to switch to intermediate tires early on, but Ferrari wasn’t prepared. He had to wait around 10 seconds in the pit, while Sergio Perez from Red Bull made the same tire change seamlessly.
This showed that Ferrari is still struggling with making quick, effective decisions. – Read more
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F1 Helmets: Safety Meets Style
F1 Helmets: Safety Meets Style⚖️ A Formula 1 helmet usually weighs about 1.25 kg.
📅 Designing and building one can take up to 3 months.
💥 They can survive impacts up to 225 km/h.
🤕 The chin strap alone has to withstand 1,000 kg of force for 30 seconds.
💰 These helmets can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $40,000.
Fast Lane News
Fast Lane News🥉 Pierre Gasly believes his recent podium finish at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix shows that the Alpine Formula 1 team is back on track, especially after all the management shake-ups. – Read more
🎾 Looks like Lance Stroll isn’t quitting Formula 1 to play tennis after all. – Read more
👚 Ferrari teased a special Monza livery during their recent kit launch. – Read more
💥 Williams is looking into the unusual cause of Sargeant’s crash. – Read more
📝 Lewis Hamilton has reportedly settled on his salary and contract duration with Mercedes, but there’s still one issue to resolve. – Read more
🕚 Mick Schumacher says he’s running out of time to secure a Formula 1 seat for 2024. – Read more
💸 The most fined drivers and teams on the F1 2023 grid – Read more
🏎️ Zandvoort F1 pits to be extended by six garages for 2024. – Read more
📑 Alex Palou breaks his silence over ‘sad’ McLaren contract saga. – Read more
THE ITALIAN GP
THE ITALIAN GP🇮🇹 Scheduled 1-3 September
Autodromo Nazionale Monza
TLDR;
1️⃣ Circuit length: 5.793km
2️⃣ Number of laps: 53
3️⃣ Lap record: 1:21.046 Rubens Barrichello (2004)
4️⃣ Corners & DRS: 11 corners with 2 DRS zones
😎 Cool Facts About the Italian Grand Prix
👉 It’s one of the oldest races around
The Italian Grand Prix kicked off in 1921 in Montichiari. That makes it the fifth-oldest Grand Prix in the world, trailing behind races in France, the U.S., Spain, and Russia.
👉 It holds the record for most races
Even though it’s not the oldest, the Italian Grand Prix has been held more times than any other Grand Prix. We’re talking 92 editions since 1921!
👉 It’s moved around a bit
This race has taken place at several Italian locations, including Montichiari, Livorno, Milan, Turin, and Imola. But since 1949, Monza has been its main home, and that’s not changing anytime soon—Monza will host the event at least until 2025.
👉 It’s a quick one
Monza holds the title for the shortest race on the F1 calendar. The record for the quickest race ever was set in 2003 by Michael Schumacher, who finished in a speedy 1 hour and 14 minutes.
👉 Expect nail-biting finishes
In 1972, the winner, Peter Gethin, finished only 0.01 seconds ahead of the second-place driver Ronnie Peterson. The top five finishers were separated by an unbelievable 0.61 seconds! Monza’s also seen other tight finishes, like in 1969 when Jackie Stewart beat Jochen Rindt by a mere 0.08 seconds.
MEME OF THE DAY
MEME OF THE DAY
