In the round-up: Sergio Perez says it will be challenging to move up the field in the Dutch Grand Prix
In brief
“Hard to make progress” from seventh – Perez
Red Bull driver Perez says it will be “hard” to gain positions in today’s Dutch Grand Prix after qualifying seventh on the grid.
Perez was 1.3 seconds slower than his team mate Max Verstappen who secured pole position for today’s race. He said the team got their tactics wrong at the end of Q3.
“I think we probably took the wrong strategy in regards to a double push lap, I think we took too much out of the tyre,” Perez told media including RaceFans after the session. “But as always, you know the better strategy after the session. Anyway, we are P7 and tomorrow the main target is to have a strong start and then go forwards from there.
“It’s going to be tricky, definitely. Certainly tomorrow with the amount of fast cars around us. It will be hard to make progress but I’m confident we can make it.”
Brown impressed by Ricciardo’s return before injury
McLaren CEO Zak Brown praised his former driver Daniel Ricciardo for his performances in his first two races at AlphaTauri before breaking his hand in a crash on Friday.
Ricciardo raced for McLaren the previous two seasons but was dropped by the team two years into a three year deal for consistently underwhelming performances. He was brought back to replace Nyck de Vries after the Hungarian Grand Prix but will miss today’s race and likely more after breaking his hand.
“He’s doing an excellent job,” Brown said. “I think Tsunoda is very quick and he’s proven to be every bit as quick, if not maybe even a little bit quicker. So hopefully he can come back quickly – I don’t know how bad the break is.”
Starting F2 race “absolutely unacceptable” – Boschung
Formula 2 driver Ralph Boschung has hit out at the decision to start yesterday’s sprint race in wet conditions at Zandvoort.
The wet race was red-flagged after an opening lap incident, where Boschung hit the side of team mate Kush Maini who had collided with Jak Crawford at turn five on the first lap after the start. The crash caused Boschung’s car to come to rest underneath his team mate’s at turn six. As rain fell heavier during the red flag, the race was eventually abandoned with no points awarded.
“I’m thankful for the halo that saved my life today,” Boschung wrote on social media. “I, however, find it absolutely unacceptable to start a race with no visibility at all. This is not racing.”
IndyCar quintet collect grid penalties
Five IndyCar drivers will each take nine-place grid penalties at this weekend’s race on the gateway Oval. They are Scott Dixon and Takuma Sato of Ganassi, Scott McLaughlin of Penske, Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti and Juncos Hollinger’s Agustin Canopino.
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Links
Motor racing links of interest:
Zandvoort imposes car ban on travelling F1 fans (BBC)
‘This weekend, Zandvoort, with its modest 17,000 inhabitants, is welcoming approximately 300,000 visitors. The only driving within the boundaries of the small seaside community this weekend will be done by residents and authorised event-related traffic. Even the police, paramedics and security are patrolling on bicycles. The Dutch event aspires to be the most sustainable on the F1 calendar. Almost a third of supporters are expected to arrive by public transport, a third by bicycle or scooter, and the rest will travel by foot, coach or cab.’
‘Vrouwen zijn niet veilig bij de Formule 1 op Zandvoort door zuipende mannen’ (NRC – Dutch)
An interview with the chairwoman of the Dutch F1 fan group Formule 1 Vrouwen (Formula 1 Women) who has liaised with Dutch GP organisers to help support female racegoers after complained of sexist behaviour at last year’s event.
Mike on… the Dutch Grand Prix (Aston Martin)
‘Both Lance and Fernando got used to having a very competitive car at the start of the season and they’re very keen to get back to that state of affairs. If we can give them better tools, they will deliver. I didn’t want to disturb their holidays, but I have been stalking Lance’s and Fernando’s Instagram. Seeing Lance posting pictures of eating ice cream and wakeboarding made me smile – and hungry – while Fernando looked like he was having a lot of fun e-surfing and karting.’
Conquering Paralysis Continues To Fuel Schmidt’s Passion (IndyCar)
‘In racing we talk a lot about passion, and I’ve been passionate about racing since I was five years old. But rarely in life does it become so clear what your purpose is, and (conquering paralysis) is my purpose. It’s why I’m on Earth to help these people grow and bring (the services) to the masses.’
‘You never know with Zandvoort’ says Maloney (F2)
”I think it’s a very difficult circuit to overtake on. Maybe Monaco’s the only one that’s more difficult, so it’s going to be tough to make moves on track after the first lap. But there’s still strategy to play for and we just need to be on top of it with the start, with the strategy and then of course, have good pace. Once all those things come together, then whoever does that the best will win the race. So, just excited for today to get a race under my belt and then, for tomorrow to really go at it.”
Tommy Smith: My Ultimate Driver (F3)
”Haven’t mentioned Michael Schumacher so has to be him, you don’t win seven F1 world titles being slow in the corners. The great drivers you can just tell have that bit of magic around them and feel that like Michael or any good driver, they can tick all these questions. I don’t think he ever finished behind a teammate until he came back from retirement and Nico Rosberg beat him, but Michael had nothing else to prove by then, it was just his hobby.”
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