2025 F1 Dutch GP: Preview and Predictions

The 2025 F1 Dutch GP marks the beginning of the second half of the season. The sport takes a break for the month of August as the summer break begins, and teams and drivers go on holiday.

Well, that holiday is over now, and what we have is the beginning of what is going to be the second half of the year. The F1 Dutch GP would be the 15th race of the season, and as Max Verstappen's home race, expect a full house. While that is the case, the second half brings with it a lot of anticipation.

So what can we expect from the F1 Dutch GP? Let's take a look at our preview and predictions for the weekend.

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2025 F1 Dutch GP: Preview

Key Storylines

#1 The title battle

The 2025 F1 Dutch GP will see Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri get back to racing against each other for the sport's biggest title. There's not much to choose between the two anyway, as the gap is less than 10 points.

The F1 Dutch GP was the race where Lando Norris put on a clinical performance as he won in a dominant fashion. He'd want to repeat it this year as well, but we're looking at a 2025 F1 season where Oscar Piastri continues to gain the upper hand on his teammate's favorite tracks. It's going to be interesting how the two battle it out as the stakes continue to rise.

#2 George Russell's contract extension

George Russell was quite blunt pre-summer break when talking about his future. The British driver felt that he was in no hurry to sign the extension.

The summer break saw leaked pictures of Max Verstappen hanging out with Toto Wolff on his yacht. While this continues, questions about Russell's future are going to continue for sure, unless Mercedes makes the announcement at the Dutch GP.

#3 Lewis Hamilton and his form

The lasting memory of the summer break was Lewis Hamilton asking Ferrari to fire him. The driver went into the break almost exhausted by the beating Charles Leclerc had put on him.

The driver would approach the F1 Dutch GP as a fresh beginning, but where he is compared to his teammate is going to intrigue a lot of people.

Form Guide

In Form

Heading into the F1 Dutch GP, Lando Norris has won three of the last 4 races, and he's done so by cutting down on mistakes and being very measured in how he approaches racing. He's at the track where he dominated the opposition into submission last time around and would be hoping for a repeat this time around as well.

Out of Form

We're looking at the midfield when it comes to this because we're keeping an eye on Nico Hulkenberg, who seems to be finding it hard to find the right window of operation with the Sauber over a single lap.

The German has been famed for his one-lap brilliance throughout his comeback, but for some reason or other, the performance has not been there yet in qualifying.

Driver with the biggest spotlight

There's only one driver who's going to be in the spotlight in the F1 Dutch GP, and that is Max Verstappen. He is the Netherlands' favorite son for sure, and he would be hoping to give his fans something to cheer for this weekend.

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2025 F1 Dutch GP: Predictions

Who wins the race?

If it stays dry, one would expect McLaren to have the edge, and if it is wet, as we have already seen this season, the car is just more dominant in those conditions. Lando Norris did have a strong run around the track last year, but it would be foolish to count out Oscar Piastri.

The lack of overtaking opportunities around Zandvoort means the pole position and the start are going to be the key, and that's where we back the Australian to pull away and win the first race after the summer break.

Biggest surprise of the weekend? (Team)

Aston Martin is one team that has shown signs of progress already this season, and the upgrade in Imola was one such example of that. The car tends to do well on high downforce tracks, and Zandvoort is certainly one of them. Expect a strong run from the team as it continues the surge to the front of the midfield.

Biggest surprise of the weekend? (Driver)

Yuki Tsunoda is arguably one driver who has maybe had the most positive transformation with Laurent Mekies joining Red Bull. The Japanese driver is getting more attention than Christian Horner ever gave him, and hence, the gap has seemingly reduced between him and Max Verstappen.

It's hard to expect big results from the RB21 anyway, but the F1 Dutch GP is going to be the one where Tsunoda makes his way back to the points-scoring position.

Biggest disappointment of the weekend? (Team)

If the race weekend stays dry, Ferrari could potentially be a contender in the F1 Dutch GP. With rain on the horizon, what we have seen in the past is that the car is not the best in those conditions. For the 2025 F1 Dutch GP, we might see the Italian team once again having a disappointing run as the weather plays spoilsport.

Biggest disappointment of the weekend? (Driver)

Lance Stroll impressed a lot of people in the last couple of races in Silverstone and Hungary, where he has picked up a decent haul of points. After the first half of the season, Stroll has the same number of points as Alonso, and that's certainly an impressive feat for him.

The race in Zandvoort is arguably not the one that goes Stroll's way. The Canadian hasn't had a good run around the track, nonetheless, and with Aston Martin expected to be competitive around the track, the gap would be a bit glaring between the two.