The Dutch Grand Prix belonged to one man and that was Max Verstappen. The sea of orange was all you could see in the grandstands and the whole weekend was like a giant party.

This race was awesome. Formula one hasn’t raced on this track since 1985, and boy am I glad it’s back on the calendar. It’s a high paced twisty track that gave us some unforgettable moments. In all three practice sessions this past weekend, someone spun or crashed and that caused a red flag due to the lack of run off areas in the track. However, the race was smooth with no stoppage, and only one close call.

Robert Kubica was replacing Kimi Raikkonen this past weekend, and in Monza because the Finn is self-isolating after contracting COVID-19.

There was a lot of Championship points resting on this race. Lewis Hamilton fought as hard as he could against Verstappen on Sunday, but unfortunately for the brit, it was not meant to be. It was a hard fought battle between those two, with both of them stopping twice for new tyres. However, Hamilton stopped a third time for soft tyres at the end of the race to try and secure the point for fastest lap, which he got on the last lap. At the end of the day, Red Bull made the better strategy decision with pitting Verstappen after Hamilton and being faster with their actual stop. Verstappen is now the leader in the Driver’s Championship, by only 3 points, however, Mercedes remain on top in the Constructors championship.

Sergio Perez had a tough start to the race, failing to make it out of Q1 and then having to start in the pit lane due to installing a new power unit. Then on lap nine, he had to come into the pits for a change of tyres after getting a flat spot from chasing down Nikita Mazepin. He would stop once more later in the race, but he managed to fight his way through the field, driving beautifully, to finish in P8 and get Driver of the Day. I will say he greatly deserved to be driver of the day, it was not an easy weekend, but he still managed to make something of it.

Mercedes and Red Bull are not the only two teams who are in a tight fit for the Constructor’s Championship. Right behind them is McLaren and Ferrari gunning to see who will round out the top three teams this year. Up until this Grand Prix, it looked like McLaren where going to stay on top, but after having a not so great weekend, and Ferrari having both cars higher up in the points, the red prancing horses are sitting in P3.

McLaren were not in the best shape, with Lando Norris failing to get out of Q2 for the first time this season due to a Red Flag. He did manage to finish P10 scoring one point for the team in the race, with Daniel Ricciardo finishing just out of the points in P11. This also means that Norris has dropped down to P4 in the Driver’s Championship due to Bottas finishing on the podium. On the other hand, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz had great races and finished fifth and seventh respectively.

Our only real close call in the race was on lap 37 when Sebastian Vettel, while hunting down the Alfa Romeo of Robert Kubica, spun in turn three nearly colliding into Bottas and Yuki Tsunoda, but just missing them.

Valtteri Bottas had a relatively quiet and comfortable race, eventually finishing in P3. He tried to stay with Verstappen and Hamilton as best as he could, but unfortunately he just didn’t have the pace. However, on lap 67 Bottas was brought in to put on soft tyres, but was told not to go for the fastest lap as his teammate already had it. The Finn did not take this advice and set two purple sectors on his first lap after getting the tyres. He was flying, but in the last part of the lap the head strategist at Mercedes, James Vowles, told him to abort so he backed off, still managing to get the fastest lap. This forced Hamilton to pit for softs with only two laps to go.

Pierre Gasly had a great race. The Frenchman drove beautifully and managed to finish P4. I think he has really shown his worth over last season and this current one. Dealing with the pressure of Red Bull is a lot for even the best driver, and I think Gasly just wasn’t ready for that yet. He needed some time to mature and really get into his own rhythm which I think he is starting to find. I think we will see great things from him in the future.

Tsunoda and Mazepin were the only two cars to be classified as retired. However, George Russell, while technically placing in 17th above Mick Schumacher, also retired his car towards the very end of the race.

Max Verstappen, as mentioned was on cloud nine when won his home race. He was joined on the podium by Hamilton in second and Bottas in third. Gasly finished fourth followed by Leclerc in fifth, Fernando Alonso in sixth, Sainz in seventh, Perez in eighth, Esteban Ocon in ninth, and Norris rounding out the top ten.

What I really liked about this weekend was how the fans didn’t boo and cheered for everyone. It was such a nice change and you could see their energy reflected in the drivers. This sport is not about booing someone you don’t like. If you are truly a fan of Formula One Racing, you are there to watch the racing and enjoy everything the weekend has to offer. I hope we keep up this energy because it really brings a new life to the sport.

We are currently underway at Monza and so far it looks like it’s going to be a great week. I can’t wait to see what else the Temple of Speed brings us.