Dutch Grand Prix: Race Recap

Both drivers took the start on Pirelli P Zero Red soft tires, Hulkenberg from 14^th and Magnussen from the pit-lane after undertaking pre-race power unit and gearbox changes that resulted in a grid penalty.

Rain began falling halfway around the opening lap and the team split strategies, with Magnussen pitting for Cinturato Green intermediates, and Hulkenberg staying out on his slick tires. Magnussen worked his way up to seventh place, before coming in on lap nine for soft tires once the track dried, while Hulkenberg stayed out through the evolving weather. 

The Safety Car was deployed on lap 15, after Logan Sargeant crashed out, with Magnussen taking the restart from seventh and Hulkenberg 16^th after pitting for Yellow medium tires. Magnussen put on a rearguard action but was unable to prevent quicker rivals from passing before coming in on lap 36 for mediums, while Hulkenberg stopped for softs on lap 48.

Forecast rain drenched Zandvoort on lap 61 and both drivers pitted to take on another set of intermediates before the race was red-flagged due to the worsening conditions.

After a 43-minute delay the race restarted, with both drivers on intermediates, and they made gains through the final five laps of action, enabling Hulkenberg to take 12^th, and Magnussen 14^th at the checkered flag. 

Up front Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen recorded his ninth successive victory, and 11^th of the 2023 season, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso second, and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly third.

Kevin Magnussen:

“I think we did a good job at the beginning of the race with the conditions and managing that well. We got up to P7 I think and then it dried up, and there was a Safety Car which didn’t help us because we lost all that advantage that we had given ourselves with the right calls. We fell from P7 to outside of the points and it’s a shame. It feels extra frustrating when you manage to hustle your way into the top 10 and then you don’t have the pace to be there. We’ll keep working and today we showed we’re trying our best and going for it when there’s an opportunity, but we need more pace.”

Nico Hulkenberg: 

“It was a very dynamic race and the last five laps were just survival mode. I think there were only two of us – Valtteri (Bottas) and myself – who decided to stay out on slicks when the rain began, which wasn’t the right decision in hindsight. I lost quite a bit of race time in those couple of laps, so we missed an opportunity there. After that, you run your race, but it was difficult to gauge where you were, so I did my own race. Pace, from what I could see, was alright in the midfield, but obviously not enough to do anything at the front. We collected a lot of data with the new front wing which we now need to study and understand more and hopefully we can optimize it.”

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal:

“Quite an exciting race in general with all the weather changes and I think we got right what we could, we steered clear of unforced errors in some tricky conditions. Our dry pace is not good enough at the moment however, but I think we got out as much as we could from the race – that is where we are right now.”

Today's Data

Event: Dutch Grand Prix – Sunday August 27
Location: Circuit Zandvoort, Netherlands
Layout: 4.259-kilometer (2.646-mile), 14-turn circuit
Weather: Cloudy / Showers
Air Temps: 16.7 degrees Celsius (62 degrees Fahrenheit)
Track Temps: 26 degrees Celsius (78.8 degrees Fahrenheit)
Race Winner: Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing
Team Result: Nico Hulkenberg – Started 14^th / Finished 12^th (Running – completed 72/72 laps)
Kevin Magnussen – Started Pit-Lane / Finished 14^th (Running – completed 72/72 laps)