The Dutch GP saw Lando Norris deliver a perfect Formula 1 weekend, denying rival Max Verstappen a clear run at Zandvoort since 2021 and crashing his homecoming party.
While many may not spot the difference between the Papaya and Orange, color-wise, the difference between them at Zandvoort was quite obvious - over three tenths of a second in qualifying and almost 23 seconds in the grand prix.
McLaren brought in their first major upgrade for the MCL38 since that of the Miami GP, the race which saw Norris take his maiden F1 win, and the new package delivered a menacing package which Norris duly used to clinch win number two.
It was clear from the start of the weekend that the Dutch fans won't be able to celebrate their home hero on the top step of the podium for a fourth consecutive time since the race's return to the F1 calendar back in 2021, as the RB20 just did not hook up around the banked Zandvoort track.
So let's delve into F1's first weekend following the summer break with our Takeaways from the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix.
Norris' perfect weekend in the Netherlands
From the moment the updates MCL38 hit the track at Zandvoort, and despite mixed dry and wet weather up until qualifying and the race, Norris seemed able to extract performance from his car easily, which wasn't the case with Verstappen.
In qualifying, the Briton was utterly dominant, taking pole by over three tenths from Verstappen while also being half a second clear from highly-rates teammate Oscar Piastri.
After qualifying, the talk was all about the start and will Norris once again mess it up which he did and Verstappen took the lead but could not build a gap as the #4 McLaren quietly and confidently chased him down to retake the lead and drive into the distance.
From there, Norris showed the true pace of his MCL38, something we saw a hint of during practice with Verstappen and Red Bull helpless, unable to respond, their deficit being too big.
Now, what is more important: Will McLaren have this sort of advantage for the remaining nine races this season? Or was it just related to the track at Zandvoort?
What we know is that Norris for the first time won from pole, and despite his messed start, the MCL38's performance helped him recover from that, but winning this one should give him more confidence and release some pressure off his shoulders.
McLaren and Norris should be able to maintain this level of performance, which brings us to Verstappen and Red Bull Racing.
Heartbreak at home
No one can fault Verstappen's performance throughout his home race weekend. The triple F1 Champion drove a perfect weekend, wringing the neck of his recalcitrant RB20 to ensure he limited the damage as much as possible.
But what added insult to the Dutchman's injuries was the gap to Norris.
Up until now, the competition between mates Max and Lando was close, very close, but at Zandvoort the latter pulled off a gap that - as Paul Velasco wrote in his race report - humbled the former.
No driving, or smart strategy from the Red Bull pitwall could've been effective in denying Norris his second career win, both Verstappen and his team were incapable of putting up a fight.
And while Verstappen may have been overly vocal over the radio in pervious races when things weren't going his way, this time he was calm and composed, as if he knew or was prepared for the final result - home win #4 was not happening.
But where do Red Bull and Verstappen go from here? Both Christian Horner and his star driver insisted there was no need for panic to take over, but despite Verstappen's 70-point-lead in the F1 Drivers' Championship, the pressure from McLaren and Norris will be massive in the final nine races, not to mention the effect Mercedes and Ferrari may have.
Red Bull need to make sure their #1 RB20 runs faultlessly till the end of the season, no break downs, no retirements of any reason, while adding more performance will no doubt help.
As for the Constructors' fight, well that's another story.
The contrasts of Mercedes and Ferrari
Ferrari were in trouble from the moment their SF-24 hit the track in Zandvoort, and the mixed weather during practice sessions certainly did not help their cause.
Mercedes on the other hand were the best car behind Red Bull and McLaren and went on to qualify well with George Russell, while Lewis Hamilton bizarrely dropped out from Q2.
Ferrari's qualifying on the other hand wasn't as good, Charles Leclerc making Q3 but slower than Russell, while Carlos Sainz was out of Q2 as well, the Spaniard even suffering more due to a gearbox issue that cut his practice track time even shorter.
But come race day, the two teams' performance turned around. Ferrari were fast in the race while Mercedes struggled.
As a result Leclerc scored a podium impressively fending off the attacks of McLaren's Piastri, while Sainz was fifth, compared to seventh and eighth for Russell and Hamilton respectively.
Mercedes had the fastest race car at Spa before the break but were at loss to explain their drop in performance at Zandvoort which suggests that they are yet to know how to consistently extract performance from their W15 despite the major step forward they have achieved.
As for Ferrari, they admitted their surprise with their Dutch GP podium and still have a lot of work to do to consistently fight with McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes.
Dutch GP quick hits
- Williams have finally become fed-up with Logan Sargeant after the American destroyed his car as a result of what GrandPrix247's Sean Stevens labeled as a schoolboy error.
The reports that emerged about Sargeant being replaced turned out to be true. Well not totally true, since Mick Schumacher or Liam Lawson were tipped to replace the underperforming driver as soon as Monza, but as it turned out, Williams took the bold decision of promoting from within their junior ranks, and replaced Sargeant by Franco Colapinto. - Piastri was not at his best at last weekend's Dutch GP. He was over half a second off Norris in qualifying and got beaten by a Ferrari in the grand prix.
Not what we expected from the talented Aussie in what is now the best car on the F1 grid. - Sergio Perez did not make any mistakes last weekend in the Netherlands, but was simply way off the pace of his teammate.
- A decent result by Aston Martin and Alpine having Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly in the points.
- Haas are still paying the price of having Guenther Steiner as their boss, with the Uralkali fiasco still ongoing, the Russian sponsor demanding their sponsorship money based on a Swiss arbitration, sending bailiffs into the Haas garage to do an inventory of the team's equipment and forbidding their transports to Monza before getting paid.
That meant Haas had to wait until Monday to get their trucks on the way to Monza, once Uralkali confirmed they received the payment.
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