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The 2023 F1 Dutch GP ended with Max Verstappen equaling Sebastian Vettel's record of nine consecutive wins. The Red Bull driver braved through the rain, the sun, and then the rain again to come out on top in treacherous conditions. In a surprising set of circumstances, we had Fernando Alonso in P2 and Pierre Gasly in P3 to round out the podium.
The entertaining race saw multiple stoppages and action throughout the duration. In the end, it was still the familiar face on top of the standings. After the three days at the 2023 F1 Dutch GP weekend, what were some of the key takeaways? Let's take a look.
#1 Max Verstappen had every opportunity to throw it away, he didn't
There were many moments during Verstappen's nine race win streak where the Red Bull driver could have thrown it all away. The 2023 F1 Dutch GP was another challenge for the driver with the wet weather conditions at the start and end of the race.
Max Verstappen showed that he can take whatever is thrown at him and continue to deliver. We are in the Verstappen era now and this one seems like it is going to last for a long time.
#2 Aston Martin is back!
If there is one predictable thing about the 2023 F1 season, it is the unpredictable pecking order behind Red Bull during every race. After struggling to find their way in the later stage of the first half of the season, the upgrade from Aston Martin has paid off and the team are back in podium contention. Not many would have predicted Fernando Alonso getting P2 before the start of the weekend.
#3 Pierre Gasly obliterated teammate Esteban Ocon during the 2023 F1 Dutch GP
Pierre Gasly hit the sweet spot with his Alpine this weekend and majorly outperformed his teammate en route to a beautiful podium. It's not often that we've seen Esteban Ocon get completely outclassed over a weekend. Even when Fernando Alonso was his teaamate at Alpine, something similar to this weekend's result has never happened.
At the 2023 F1 Dutch GP however, it was as if the two Alpine drivers were in completely different cars, with Gasly close to half a second quicker than his teammate. This bodes well for Pierre but Ocon might need to be careful, especially with his teammate jumping him in the standings.
#4 Mercedes should be disappointed
It was a crafty race in the end for Lewis while George once again got punted out. The German team should be disappointed by how the weekend went, because the car was capable of so much more. It was the team's inability to make the right decisions at the right time that cost them the most while an Aston Martin sneaked through to the podium.
#5 McLaren's strategic holes are quite big
Similar to the strange strategy that compromised the Mercedes driver, the gamble at McLaren also cost the team massively. From the front row of the grid, the team could not make the progress that was there on the table, and that's just one of the things that the team might need to work on before it can call itself a potential challenger to Red Bull.
#6 It is becoming impossible to expect excellence from Ferrari
It was an abject disaster for Ferrari as Carlos Sainz was walloped by an Alpine in the 2023 F1 Dutch GP. Losing out to an Aston Martin or a Mercedes is fine but in terms of pace, the car is a disaster.
The less we talk about Charles Leclerc's race the better as the team was sleeping when the driver rolled into the pits. It's almost painful to expect much from the Italian team these days as the team is more than a year away from performing to its supposed potential.
#7 F1 needs a conversation about driving in wet weather
The red flag as the rain got heavier was necessary but that happened because no team wants to use the full wet tire. For effective running in the wet, it is either an intermediate tire or we don't race. This situation just cannot go on because it is starting to become a mockery.
Just a few weeks back, we had a MotoGP race at Silverstone in arguably worse conditions than the ones we had here. Somewhere down the line, the FIA needs a rethink of their strategy and Pirelli might need to own up to its deficiencies.
#8 Sergio Perez could not have had a worse 2023 F1 Dutch GP
Sergio Perez had arguably the worst 2023 F1 Dutch GP. The driver made a stunning call at the start of the race to pit for interest. That call helped him take the lead at the start of the race. It was from that point onwards that things started to go south.
He was undercut by his own teammate and got a blunt "Yes" from his engineer when he questioned what had happened. This was followed by him getting completely outclassed during the race by Max, making a mistake on intermediates and losing the place to Fernando and finally speeding in the pitlane and losing a podium. The Mexican will be desperate to get his act together in the next weekend in Monza.
#9 Logan Sargeant might be close to losing his seat
The 2023 F1 Dutch GP could have been a showcase weekend for Logan Sargeant. The Williams was surprisingly quick and could hold its own in a race. In all of this though, if we look back at the weekend we realize how poorly it went for Logan.
He crashed out in the 2023 F1 Dutch GP qualifying and then did the same in the race. There's a very high likelihood that the American might not be keeping his seat next season.
#10 The Dutch fans deserve a salute
The 2023 F1 Dutch GP showed the value fans bring to a spectacle. There has been a discussion in the last few years of the sport exploring new horizons and going to new locations. Well, will those locations have the kind of atmosphere that the Netherlands has? The answer is probably not. The Dutch fans should be applauded for braving it out in the wet conditions and still keeping their spirits high.
