Can Verstappen match Vettel’s record at home? The Dutch GP talking points

After three weekends without Formula 1 during which the ten teams shut their factory doors, set their phones to ‘do not disturb’ and enjoyed some well-earned rest, the second leg of the 2023 season kicks into action with this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix.

While it’s unlikely that anyone will suddenly catch up to Red Bull, there could be some notable changes as F1 makes its return. Here are the talking points for the Dutch GP.

Will Verstappen match Vettel?

Max Verstappen is currently in the middle of not only the longest winning streak of his F1 career but also one of the longest in F1 history. With his win at the Belgian Grand Prix just before the break, the reigning world champion claimed has now gone unbeaten for eight grands prix.

That means that the Red Bull driver has achieved something only one other F1 driver has ever done before and beaten the best runs of Michael Schumacher, Alberto Ascari and even Nico Rosberg.

If Verstappen can pull off a a home victory at Zandvoort this weekend for the third consecutive season, he will officially match Sebastian Vettel’s all-time record of nine wins in a row, achieved during his romp to the world championship title in 2013.

If he does – and who would bet against him given the form he’s shown this season so far – then Verstappen will have an opportunity to set a new F1 record the next weekend at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. It may well be just another step as the two-times world champion continues his unabated march towards title number three.

Can Ferrari extend their run of form?

As Red Bull have dominated the opening half of the 2023 season so far, winning every single grand prix and sprint race to boot, the fight directly behind them has been unpredictable.

At the very start of the year, it was Aston Martin who held the honour of being ‘best of the rest’, with Fernando Alonso finishing behind the Red Bulls in third place at both of the opening two rounds and then taking four more podium appearances over the first eight rounds. But as the season has progressed, the competition has become increasingly intense.

Mercedes, Ferrari and even McLaren have each had moments over the first half of the year where they had the second-fastest package on the grid. But it was Ferrari who held that position at the last round at Spa-Francorchamps, with Charles Leclerc taking the final step on the podium behind Verstappen and Sergio Perez – albeit half a minute behind the winner.

There’s no reason to suggest that the competition behind Red Bull won’t remain as tight as it has been up to now. The order has changed depending on circuits, conditions and which teams have brought upgrades to the various rounds. Ferrari and their fans will be hoping that their rivals have not caught them standing still over the break.

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A new chapter for Alpine

Although it was announced on the first day of running at the Belgian GP, Otmar Szafnauer’s tenure as team principal of Alpine officially came to an end over the break.

After joining the team from Aston Martin before the 2022 season, Szafnauer had success in his first year as the team finished a solid fourth place in the constructors’ championship behind the big three of Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes and, crucially, ahead of McLaren.

But in 2023, Alpine’s performance has remained relatively stagnant as McLaren has catapulted themselves into the battle behind Red Bull. With a new CEO at the helm of Alpine, both Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane – a long-time team stalwart – have departed their positions, signalling the start of a whole new chapter for the team with Bruno Famin stepping in as interim team principal.

With Alpine’s F1 team receiving major investment recently from a group including Wrexham FC’s Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, the team appears to be at the beginning of yet another new cycle as it hopes to return to championship-winning ways in the year ahead. But will this latest phase be more successful than the last?

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What’s holding up Hamilton’s contract?

The summer break has traditionally been a useful time for teams to negotiate contract extensions with the drivers they want to keep around for coming seasons.

At Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton‘s contract is expiring at the end of this season and there’s no question of whether the seven-time champion wants to remain with the team he’s called home for the last decade – or any doubt Mercedes want to keep the most successful F1 driver of all time in their garage.

And yet, despite team principal Toto Wolff insisting that securing an extension with Hamilton is simply a matter of sorting out minor details, there’s not been any confirmation of a deal reached as of yet. The further towards the end of the season both Mercedes and Hamilton go, the stronger the spotlight will become and the more questions both team and driver will inevitably face over what the apparent hold up can be.

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Rookie running

Last year, the FIA introduced a new rule into the sporting regulations that compelled every team on the grid to run so called ‘young drivers’ in Friday first practice sessions at least once for both of their cars during the season. The idea was to offer upcoming drivers the opportunity to test current cars in representative conditions, rather than simply running outdated machinery in private tests.

But unlike last season, when many teams had run a young driver in at least one of their cars by the summer break, there have been no appearances seen in the season so far by any driver who meets the criteria of having participated in fewer than two grands prix.

Technically, however, McLaren, Williams and AlphaTauri have all satisfied one of their two requirements due to the fact they have each fielded rookie drivers this season – with the opening practice session of the season in Bahrain counting for one of their two instances. That means while those three teams only have to fit a young driver into their cars in Lando Norris, Alexander Albon and Yuki Tsunoda’s cars, the other seven teams have to do so for both of their cars.

It’s expected that we will see the first of those ‘young drivers’ participating this weekend at Zandvoort. But with three sprint rounds and a brand new circuit in Las Vegas over the final ten rounds of the season, there are only limited opportunities for teams to realistically fit their sessions in over the rest of the season.

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Are you going to the Dutch Grand Prix?

If you’re heading to Netherlands for this weekend’s race, we want to hear from you:

• Forum: Going to the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort

Who do you think will be the team to beat in the Dutch Grand Prix? Have your say below.

2023 Dutch Grand Prix

• Azerbaijan GP defeat was key to record-equalling run of wins – Verstappen
• “Too early to say” if podium signals return to form for Aston Martin – Alonso
• Verstappen makes history with unbeaten hat-track in first home races
• Perez is ‘doing his job and will be our driver in 2024’, Horner insists
• Ferrari had the “sixth or seventh fastest car” at Zandvoort – Sainz

Browse all 2023 Dutch Grand Prix articles