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Commentary

Live: F1 Dutch GP commentary and updates – Race

Follow along for all Formula 1 updates on Sunday for the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

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.

By: Jake Boxall-Legge, Haydn Cobb, Tom Howard

Summary


  • Polesitter Max Verstappen wins the Dutch Grand Prix from George Russell and Charles Leclerc
  • Hamilton finishes fourth after leading a large segment of the race before a late Safety Car prompted a pitstop that compromised his strategy 
  • Safety Car called lap 56/72 - Valtteri Bottas comes to a halt

Leaderboard

  1. Verstappen, Red Bull
  2. Russell, Mercedes
  3. Leclerc, Ferrari 
  4. Hamilton, Mercedes
  5. Perez, Red Bull
  6. Alonso, Alpine
  7. Norris, McLaren
  8. Sainz, Ferrari
  9. Ocon, Alpine
  10. Stroll, Aston Martin
Status: Stopped
And that's all from us! We'll be back next weekend for the final part of this triple header, with F1 heading to Monza. Catch you then, and thanks for following along as always!
In the battle for second in the F1 points standings, Leclerc and Perez are tied on 201 points, with Russell getting within touching distance on 188, Sainz on 175 and Hamilton on 158.
 
Russell was just 0.019s off taking the fastest lap bonus point off Verstappen with his final lap of the race, but just fell short.
Fun fact: this is George Russell's first 2022 race finish that didn't end in third, fourth or fifth position.
Nice to see so many happy Blackpool fans in the stands, delighted at going 1-0 up at Huddersfield...
Verstappen is 109 points clear in the F1 title race now. He can't win the title at Monza but, at this rate, could in Singapore...
 
Sainz's penalty moves Perez up to fifth, with Alonso sixth, Norris seventh, Sainz classified eighth, with Ocon and Stroll finishing the top 10.
George Russell finishes second, and his bid for fastest lap right at the end just falls short by 0.02s! Charles Leclerc completes the podium, with Hamilton fourth.
And Max Verstappen indeed wins the Dutch Grand Prix, to the delight of the home fans in attendance!
Verstappen kicks off the final lap, and a few kilometres off chalking up a second Dutch GP win.
With everyone else on the softs it is a bit of a stalemate behind the frontrunners. Norris continues to fight Alonso for seventh but can't find a way through.
Three to go - and Verstappen is 3.9s clear of Russell now. Leclerc is another 4.4s behind.
But it's a five-second penalty for Sainz, copping a penalty for an unsafe release under the safety car!
Verstappen is 3.3s clear of Russell now, with five to go - Hamilton's case for fourth is being helped by Sainz and Perez battling over fifth.
Norris is badgering Alonso for seventh, but the problem he's got is his best place to overtake at Turn 1 is exactly where the Alpine is strongest. He might need to get inventive to find a way through.
Leclerc now dives past Hamilton for third place at the start of lap 66, as the Mercedes driver is struggling on those mediums.
Russell, on the softs, now gets the draft on Hamilton and moves into second. Can he close Verstappen down? Hamilton's making his displeasure known on the radio, as he doesn't rate the call to pit Russell.
It's a 1m13.652s for Verstappen now, opening a 2.1s lead over those two laps after the restart. Game over for everyone else.
The midfield runners are well behaved further back at the race restart, with DRS is enabled at the start of lap 63.
Sainz takes advantage of the other medium-shod runner Perez, as he gets by the Red Bull at the restart to take fifth.
Hamilton pulls the pin, but Verstappen goes with him! Easy for Verstappen on those tyres, and takes the lead.
Sainz remains sixth ahead of Alonso, Norris and Ocon after his near-misses and clips with that trio. So far there is no stewards investigation coming his way, but it was all a bit messy so watch this space.
"It'll be hard to keep that car behind me now," Hamilton says of the decision to pit Russell.
Safety car in at the end of lap 60.
The lapped cars have been allowed to overtake the safety car, which will shuffle the pack back into order.
It is all kicking off now, the safety car leads the field through the pitlane, but then lots opt to make pitstops at the same time. Sainz has to weave his way out of his pitbox tucked up behind the McLaren as Norris pits but he's so slow away it means he comes into contact with Alonso.
Lapped cars may now overtake. Verstappen fresh tyres, Hamilton not. Flashbacks anyone?
Russell grabs a very cheap soft-tyre stop, conceding second to Verstappen, as the safety car comes through the pits.
Leclerc and Perez pitted after Verstappen, retaining fourth and fifth.
All that chaos has seen Ocon pit which means Sainz cannot give the place back to the French driver.
And Verstappen pits again! The Red Bull driver puts on the soft tyres - Mercedes do not respond, and Hamilton and Russell are first and second.
Bottas has parked his Alfa Romeo right on the inside of the entry to Turn 1 and because he's effectively stranded that has meant the need for the full safety car.
Safety Car deployed!
Bottas has come to a halt at the entry to Turn 1. The yellow flags are out just as Sainz is making a move on Ocon for sixth place!
Hamilton does a 1m13.961s, which Russell follows with a 1m13.947s. Verstappen's within 12s now of Hamilton.
Norris shows Alonso the outside of the track at Turn 1 to defend his place in eighth. The Alpine driver gives a quick wave of his right hand in protest.
Vettel has been given a five-second penalty for ignoring blue flags after getting in the way of Hamilton vs Perez earlier. He's down in 16th so doesn't really have much to play for.

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