Five Winners and Five Losers in Zandvoort

Lando Norris Winner

Norris believed he hadn't performed at the level of a world champion, thus far in the season, there was no denying his talent throughout the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, as he won the race for the first time in six attempts after starting from pole position.

McLaren Winner

After bringing their first significant upgrade package to a circuit for the first time since Miami, McLaren was able to dominate the opposition and secure pole position before winning handily through Norris, their third of 2024. Oscar Piastri was unhappy not to land on the podium, but his fourth-place result helped McLaren close the point differential with Red Bull, the leaders of the championship, to only thirty. He also became the highest scorer in the past five Grand Prix with 92 points.

With additional improvements to come, McLaren is poised to overtake Red Bull and win the manufacturer's title for the first time in more than 20 years.

Charles Leclerc Winner

After a challenging qualifying session in which he and teammate Carlos Sainz lacked the pace to contend for pole, Charles Leclerc was astounded as everyone by the speed of his beloved Ferrari.
For reasons the team is still figuring out, the Ferraris sprang to life during the race and finished, at most, second quickest and, at worst, third fastest in terms of sheer speed.

Following a strong start, he made the astute decision to attempt an undercut, which put him in the driver's championship lead and allowed him to comfortably hold off Piastri for his second consecutive podium.

Ferrari Winner

Since Leclerc won his home race in Monaco back in May, Ferrari hasn't had the greatest of times, and it appeared like their rough patch of luck would continue as both Leclerc and Carlos Sainz bemoaned their lack of performance in qualifying. During practice, they were the slowest of all in the slow bends, but on Sunday, Leclerc and Sainz both appeared powerful.

 
Leclerc secured his eighth podium of the year, and Sainz recovered from 10th place to grab fifth place, marking his sixth consecutive top-six result on a weekend where he had virtually no running due to adverse weather on Friday and a gearbox problem.

Pierre Gasly Winner

While Ocon struggled, teammate Pierre Gasly performed admirably to offer his team a crucial two points in the battle for P8 and the constructors' title. His third Q3 participation of the season and the first time he has out-qualified Ocon in five races, his incredible qualifying effort that placed him 10th on the grid set the stage for that outcome.

Max Verstappen Loser

At his home race, reigning world champion Verstappen's winless streak grew to five Grands Prix as he was unable to match Norris and McLaren's lightning-fast speed across one lap and long runs.
The Dutchman bemoaned Red Bull's lack of acceleration in Zandvoort, claiming that the RB20 had lost its decisive edge. As a result, he was unable to maintain his streak of consecutive home Grand Prix victories (2021, 2022, and 2023).

Alex Albon Loser

With his incredible performance in qualifying, Alex Albon secured P8, giving Williams their highest Saturday finish of the year.

His vehicle was penalized for running an illegal floor, one of several new parts in the team's first major upgrade of the season, therefore he was unable to take advantage of the opportunity to profit.

Mercedes Loser

Mercedes entered Zandvoort in excellent form, having won three of the previous four Grand Prix and demonstrating its ability to compete at the front of the pack since implementing an upgrade six races prior. The Silver Arrows seemed to be very much in the race with McLaren and Red Bull for the pole and the victory on Friday, with an encouraging performance.

Esteban Ocon Loser

Esteban Ocon couldn't figure out why the car felt so wonderful during the most recent race in Spa, where he picked up a few points, but was so challenging to drive during the next race at Zandvoort. The Frenchman finished the race in fifteenth place after being eliminated from the first qualifying round at the Dutch circuit for the second year in a row. He just lacked the speed to advance in the race.

Red Bull Loser

Red Bull's miserable campaign continued in the Netherlands when Verstappen could only finish second and they lost control of Zandvoort, which they had won every time it had been back on the schedule.

Sergio Perez achieved his first top-six result since Miami, nine races ago, although the Mexican still finished behind both McLarens and both Ferraris. This was only their second podium in five races.