Five big Dutch GP questions: Red Bull’s RB20 performance, F1 driver market and more

Formula 1 is back this weekend, and the Dutch Grand Prix will kick-start the run-in as we get set for 10 more races in what will be a record-breaking 24-race season.

There is still a huge amount to be decided with both titles potentially on the line as the year goes on, but in the here and now, prepare for a sea of orange as the Dutch Grand Prix approaches at Zandvoort.

Five big questions ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Can Red Bull and Max Verstappen get back to winning ways?

The biggest question of all, for those in the Orange Army this weekend – or pretty much everyone in attendance at Zandvoort, in fairness.

Four races without a victory might not seem like much, but given just how dominant Verstappen has been in recent years and how close he has been to the front even when he did not have the outright quickest car, you would have to go back to 2020 for such a long period when he did not stand on the top step.

When asked by PlanetF1.com in Belgium how he feels about the rest of the season, the World Championship leader acknowledged that the engine penalty he had at Spa may have skewed his result there somewhat, but knows Red Bull’s rivals appear to pose a genuine threat.

Asked if he feels in a ‘tenuous position’ heading into the second half of the season, he responded: “I think it shifts a little bit, for sure.

“Constantly McLaren has been really quick. Mercedes has been quick, but not everywhere, and from our side, yeah, we have a bit of work to do, we know that we have a few things to analyse as well what to do with the car for the remainder of the season.”

For the chasing pack led by Lando Norris, 78 points is a big gap to try and make up at this stage, however.

But can Red Bull’s rivals truly take advantage?

In those four races without winning, Verstappen’s lead at the top of the World Championship has dropped by only three points, despite missing out on 52 possible points in that time, factoring in what he could have scored for wins alongside fastest lap bonuses.

What this points to, as Christian Horner has mentioned, is the three-time World Champion’s consistency potentially being the separating factor so far this season.

What this also shows is, if anyone is to take a proper fight to Verstappen in the second half of the year, they will have to take a much bigger chunk of points out of him on a regular basis by establishing themselves as the clear second-favourites.

McLaren look best placed to do this with the car underneath them, but given Mercedes’ rate of recent progress and their three wins in the last four (one of which, admittedly, a late inheritance from George Russell after Norris and Verstappen came together in Austria – but they all count!), that picture is not quite as clear as it was earlier in the year.

So with at least three teams now fighting each other, including Red Bull, and a fourth if Ferrari put themselves back in the mix, this act of taking points off one another race by race could be exactly what Verstappen needs to maintain a healthy lead at the top of the Drivers’ standings, though of course the possibility remains he could still climb back on the top step of the podium at any moment.

A reminder of how the team-mate battles stack up at this stage of the season

👉 F1 2024: Head-to-head qualifying records between team-mates

👉 F1 2024: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

Will backing Sergio Perez prove to be the right call?

If anyone needs a strong weekend to put his mind at ease at Zandvoort, it’s Sergio Perez.

He received the boost he needed with Horner silencing the speculation surrounding his future by confirming at the beginning of the summer break that he would continue as a Red Bull driver, with Daniel Ricciardo also staying in place at VCARB.

What he will hope for, then, is a solid performance next to Verstappen and at least an improvement on his post-Imola best of a P7 finish, after a P4 in Miami, with Red Bull’s advantage in the Constructors’ standings being eaten into on a race-by-race basis.

How will Formula 1’s newest team principal take to life in the top tier?

A word on Oliver Oakes now, who is set to join the grid as the new Alpine team principal to become the second-youngest team boss ever at the age of 36, and the youngest on the current grid.

A former World Karting champion as a driver and already firmly established in motorsport through his time managing the Hitech GP outfit, Oakes was announced as the replacement for Bruno Famin at the top of Alpine as he moves to manage Renault Group’s other motorsport activities.

While Oakes is very young by the standards of Formula 1 team principals, his experience in motorsport management is already extensive, and he was picked out by Alpine to lead their charge for the future for a reason.

If you wanted to learn more about him, we already have a guide on Oliver Oakes to help you brush up your knowledge.

Will we see any further driver market movement now the ‘cork in the bottle’ is removed?

The end of the summer break used to be a good time to announce driver moves for the following season, but given how quickly everything has moved this season so far and the number of drivers out of contract, we have already had a huge amount to digest.

But still, there are several seats up for grabs, not least the Alpine drive alongside Pierre Gasly, for which junior driver Jack Doohan appears the favourite.

Other than that, there is of course the big question of what Mercedes will do to replace Lewis Hamilton. Do they opt for the rookie talent of Kimi Antonelli or choose to wait and see if they can somehow land Max Verstappen from Red Bull in what appears the unlikeliest of moves?

VCARB, meanwhile, have one seat left, and appear set to decide between youth and experience with Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson in the mix for that seat.

Perhaps the biggest remaining unknown, however, is what Sauber will do for their transition to Audi, now Carlos Sainz has decided upon his future and put pen to paper on a deal with Williams.

Both current drivers, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are assessing their options, with Nico Hulkenberg already signed to the team for next year, while junior driver and Formula 2 champion Théo Pourchaire is still looking for a way onto the grid, among several other candidates.

Watch this space, because there is still an awful lot to be decided on that front yet.

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