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The 2023 F1 Dutch GP ended under dark clouds and loud music as the country celebrated Max Verstappen's ninth consecutive win. Come rain and sunshine as it did during the race, there was one thing that seemed certain (other than chaos) -Verstappen's victory.
The Red Bull driver was accompanied by Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly on the podium with some brilliant drives.
However, with the race now done and dusted, who would be still buzzing from the result at the 2023 F1 Dutch GP and who would be a bit disappointed? Let's take a look.
2023 F1 Dutch GP
Winner
Max Verstappen
The best driver on the grid in the best car is what makes Max Verstappen's pursuits so dominant. The driver could have easily been forgiven for tripping up in the difficult weather conditions. He could have made a mistake that would have led to him not equalling Sebastian Vettel's record.
But that's not the cloth he's cut from. The driver was flawless and he's rewriting the record books with his name at the top of it.
Loser
Ferrari
It's become a bit too hard to be hopeful of a Ferrari revival or even consistency. On a weekend where Mclaren and Mercedes had a bad race, we had Charles Lelcerc's race turn into a mockery.
Then we had Carlos Sainz getting overtaken by an Alpine. Another one in the long list of weekends to forget for Ferrari.
Winner
Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly
To achieve a podium in the 2023 F1 Dutch GP, you needed to be as perfect as possible. Looking back at the race, it's safe to say that both Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly were. The two drivers made the right decisions. They extracted lap time from the tires when it was needed and most importantly, pulled off some brilliant overtakes.
This was a race of brilliance and finding that sweet spot, both Alonso and Gasly did just that.
Loser
Mercedes and McLaren
George Russell's team radio where he said 'We were expecting to fight for the podium' was a reflection of how poor the weekend was for the team. The best that either a Mercedes or a McLaren could manage at the 2023 F1 Dutch GP was P6.
This was just poor race execution throughout by the teams and something that they have to look back on.
Winner
Alex Albon
Alex Albon's stock was already high heading into the 2023 F1 Dutch GP. He had been rumored to have been contacted by multiple teams during the summer break. A race weekend where he qualifies P4 in a Williams and then scores points in a chaotic race is only going to be a boost for him.
Loser
Esteban Ocon
Esteban Ocon endured the worst weekend of the season as he decided not to show up when his teammate was in prime form. Ocon was not comfortable with the car under him throughout the 2023 F1 Dutch GP weekend and it showed in the lap times.
Whether it was the pace in the dry or in the wet, he was nowhere close to Gasly. A gap of almost half a second between the two drivers is emphatically poor and Ocon will be hoping to address that in Monza.
