Race Report by Aramco

The NetherlandsThe Netherlands

2022 season

The Dutch Grand Prix showcased improved pace for Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One™ Team, but Safety Car timing resulted in Lance coming away with a single point while Sebastian was able to make up ground after a tricky qualifying.

2022 season

Dutch Grand Prix circuit figures

Number of pitstops

Longest stint (laps)

322

Total laps in the Netherlands

1371

Total km in the Netherlands

Fastest lapM:S.MS

1.15.043

Lance

1.14.862

Sebastian

Max speedKM/H

320.5

Lance

319.1

Sebastian

It has been a positive weekend in terms of performance, but we were a little bit unlucky today.
Lance Stroll

Dutch GP

Lance Stroll

"Overall, it has been a positive weekend in terms of performance, but we were a little bit unlucky today with how things played out and how that affected our strategy.

"The timing of the Safety Car gave the Alpines and [Lando] Norris the advantage: without that we could have been fighting for seventh.

"Our pace was strong all weekend, I felt really confident in the car, and we were more competitive. That is really encouraging for the coming races.

"It has been a great push by the team back at the factory to make our car quicker, so hopefully this is the start of a strong run through to the end of the season.”

It was a tough day where making progress was always going to be difficult.
Sebastian Vettel

Dutch GP

Sebastian Vettel

"We did not have great race pace – but probably could have earned a better result if we had not started so far back. We stopped early to try and undercut the cars ahead.

"That strategy would have worked, but that first pitstop was really slow – I lost a lot of time to Zhou [Guanyu], Pierre [Gasly], Alex [Albon], Mick [Schumacher] and I was very close to Daniel [Ricciardo].

"I enjoyed my battle with Mick – but this race was not a highlight for either of us. Then I got a five-second penalty for ignoring blue flags when I was being passed by Lewis [Hamilton], but it did not really make much difference to my race.

"A tough day where making progress was always going to be difficult – but it is what it is."

Lance drove very well to score a hard-earned point this afternoon, managing a tricky three-stop race.
Mike Krack - Team Principal

Dutch GP

Mike Krack

"Lance drove very well to score a hard-earned point this afternoon, managing his tyres throughout a tricky Soft-Medium-Hard-Soft three-stop race. The timing of the Safety Car did not help Lance's race, but a point is a point.

"Sebastian moved up from his P19 grid slot to a P14 finish, and he was never likely to be able to make better progress than that on a circuit such as this one on which overtaking is difficult.

"From here we go on to Monza, one of the great circuits, but before we leave Zandvoort I would like to pay tribute to the organisers, who managed the race weekend very well, and the Dutch fans, whose enthusiasm made for a fantastic carnival atmosphere."

Your guide to the Netherlands

With Cognizant

Insight and Speed

Strategy

For the first time since July's British Grand Prix, the hardest compounds of tyres – the C1, C2 and C3 – will be used. Teams adopted a mix of one- and two-stop strategies last year, and the same could be the case for 2022 – especially with the increased degradation seen across the field this season.

Race disruptions

While last year's race featured no interruptions, the nature of the circuit and its few run-off areas mean there is certainly scope for a Safety Car or a Virtual Safety Car, which have both been used on a higher-than-usual basis in 2022. The support races had frequent interruptions last year.

Overtaking

This is not an easy circuit upon which to overtake, and the two short DRS zones are the preferred location for passing. Last year, 71% of moves were made into Turn One's hairpin, and just 21 passes were made in total after lap one. Even with fresher tyres, it will be tough to make a pass stick, but it will be well-earned.

With SentinelOne

Unlocking the Lap

The 19-degree banked Hugenholtzbocht – Turn Three – invites drivers to adopt multiple lines, meaning cars can be driven side-by-side through the turn. However, the narrowing exit causes a convergence of racing lines, meaning drivers need to battle for dominance. Expect fireworks in the early laps.

The following high-speed sweepers lead to Turn Seven – Scheivlak – a mightily fast right-hander. This corner is laced by a long, deep gravel trap and is key to a quick lap: a number of corners follow in quick succession, so getting one turn wrong can heavily compromise the whole sequence.

There is only a single long straight at Zandvoort – the pit straight – and cars feed onto it from the Kumhobocht (Turn 13), a deceptively tight, high-kerbed right-hander, and the final corner, which is a steep, 18-degree-banked turn, aptly named after Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk.