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F1 Dutch GP Live Commentary and Updates - Race day
Updates from Sunday at Zandvoort for the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix
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Max Verstappen starts from pole position for his home race after beating Charles Leclerc to top spot in qualifying by just 0.021s. Leclerc’s Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz starts from third, ahead of the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, as Sergio Perez qualified fifth after spinning late on.
F1's trip to Zandvoort will be its second in a row after the seaside circuit was reinstated to the calendar last year, having been dropped at the end of 1985. Verstappen won last year's race.
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Verstappen does, however, go 0.2s quicker than Hamilton by the end of lap 51, but the Mercedes driver returns the favour on the following lap.
Tsunoda's stop-start, in, out, shake it all about moment will be investigated after the race. Good idea.
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"That VSC has stuffed us," Hamilton says - and he's not wrong as the Merc strategy gets lobbed out the window, but he'll have to get after Verstappen the old fashioned way.
Ocon was one of a few drivers not to pit under the Virtual Safety Car which has pushed him up to sixth place ahead of Sainz, Norris and Alonso. But he'll have old hards to defend with against that trio.
It'll be interesting to see if this tyre difference between Verstappen and the Mercs will make the difference over the final 22 laps. Hamilton is 12.6s behind Verstappen at the end of lap 50.
Green flag
The Virtual Safety Car period ends and the race is back to green!
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"Let's go guys, those were some good pitstops," Hamilton says, with a flawless double-stack at Mercedes. Take notes, Ferrari.
Mechanical problem
Something really odd went on with Tsunoda's quick pair of pitstops and car there. Regardless of what it was, he's out of the car and out of the race.
Pit stop
Norris takes the chance to stop, bolting on the softs. Verstappen will also come in - as do the Mercedes duo! Hards for Verstappen, mediums for both Mercedes-es!
Yellow flag
Once again Tsunoda stops at the side of the track, with the Virtual Safety Car deployed.
This gets stranger and stranger, as Tsunoda pits, takes on softs, and then his AlphaTauri team appear to refasten his seatbelts. He gets going again but is still going slowly.
Verstappen is, at the start of lap 47, 14.4s ahead of Hamilton.
Replays of Tsunoda's pitstop don't show anything too unusual or signs of concern from the AlphaTauri mechanics, but whatever it was the Japanese driver has pitted again.
Leclerc now pits, collecting the hard compound and rejoins in fourth - behind Russell.
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"Tyres are OK, start again," Tsunoda is told by his team and he gets going again, albeit in last place. How odd.
Pit stop
Sainz comes in for a stop, and Perez simultaneously clears Norris for what becomes fifth.
But it is bad news for Tsunoda as he's stopped on the track. "Tyres not fitted!" yells Tsunoda. Oh dear.
Pit stop
At the end of lap 43, Tsunoda and Albon pit together and come out in 12th and 13th respectively.
Stopwatch
There's the evidence for Verstappen - Perez drops a 1m14.930s as he tries to clear Norris in sixth.
Vettel has been put under investigation for ignoring blue flags. That'll be for his role as a moving chicane during the Hamilton vs Perez battle.
Pit stop
Perez, having taken the best out of his tyres, comes in for stop number two and grabs the hard compound - perhaps as a bellwether for Verstappen. He rejoins in seventh.
Stopwatch
Hamilton meanwhile gets back on the horse and does a 1m15.116s at the end of lap 38. Verstappen, meanwhile, says his mediums don't feel "spectacular" when asked about tyre choice.
Pit stop
Zhou makes his second pitstop and serves his five-second penalty for speeding in the pitlane during his first trip to the service area. That puts him down to 15th behind Bottas.
Russell used the Hamilton-Perez tangle to get right on the Red Bull's tail, tracks him through the banked Turn 14 and has a far easier ride past into fourth place.
Hamilton sweeps around the outside of Perez into Turn 1, but Vettel comes out of the pits and boxes Hamilton in into Turn 3 - with Perez getting half a chance to trickle back through. But Hamilton's free and can now get at Leclerc.
Pit stop
Bottas, Magnussen and Vettel take their second pitstops so it is a shake around in the midfield runners.
"We don't believe we can manage to do Plan C," Leclerc is told. Meanwhile, Perez locks up into Turn 1 as Hamilton attempted to launch an overtake - pushing the Mercedes driver wide on the exit. Russell's catching the pair of them.
Pit stop
Schumacher is the next to pit and it is another slow stop, 4.9s, and he comes out in 18th place behind Gasly.
Stopwatch
Hamilton hits back with a 1m15.472s, 0.005s quicker than Russell's statement. Not bad.
Stopwatch
Russell states his intent with a 1m15.477s, the fastest lap of the race, as he attempts to close up to Hamilton and give the cars ahead a headache later.
Gasly dips out of the fight with Zhou for now as he makes his second pitstop, taking on fresh hards, and comes out in 18th.
Russell gets his skates on to leave the pits ahead of the lapped Latifi. The Mercs are fourth and fifth and don't need to stop again. Hamilton's got good speed on those hards, so Mercedes could be in this...
Pit stop
As we say that, Russell indeed pits at the end of lap 31 for the hards. Verstappen asks his team to monitor the hard runners, but doesn't necessarily fancy them himself.
Zhou is stalking Gasly for 12th place and looks for a way up the inside at Turn 1 but backs out of it due to a late defensive move by the French driver.
Hamilton comes back out in fifth place, and Russell will surely make his own stop to ditch mediums for hards soonish.
Pit stop
Hamilton pits from the lead at the end of lap 29, and collects the hard tyre. Can he get to the end with them?
Pit stop
A lap later Ricciardo does the same as Latifi and pits for fresh hards and comes out ahead of the Canadian.
Pit stop
While neither Mercedes driver has pitted yet, Latifi makes his second stop of the race to go on to the hards. He's now last and some 13s off Magnussen ahead of him.
Verstappen's doing a bit more than eking up now, as of lap 27, and he's scythed nearly a second out of the Mercedes driver. DRS on, round the outside at Turn 1, Verstappen P2. Easy.
The biggest winner in the first round of pitstops was definitely Alonso, as he's popped up to ninth place ahead of Alpine team-mate Ocon. Both are on the hards aiming to get the finish on those tyres.
By: autosport.com
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