2025 Dutch Grand Prix Preview: 5 Big Talking Points Heading into the Weekend

Linus O'Howell
Aug 28
3 min read

F1’s Second Semester Starts Now!

After a long 4-week Summer Break, cars will finally return to the race track this weekend as Formula 1 returns for the Dutch Grand Prix! Whilst the Constructors’ Championship has basically already been decided, there are still lots at stake, particular when it comes to the fight for the World Championship between the two McLaren drivers! There are also other storylines at stake; can Lewis Hamilton finally get his first Podium for Ferrari, and which one of the midfield teams is going to end up as best of the rest? These are just some of the things to watch out for over the last 10 weekends of the season!

Can Pierre Gasly Deliver Another Zandvoort Masterclass?

Hungary last time out was probably Pierre Gasly’s worst weekend of the entire season so far, but despite that, overall, Pierre has driven very well this year! Now, Alpine are not very good right now, they easily sit bottom of the Constructors’ Championship, but that doesn’t mean Gasly can’t score points, especially at a track he’s got a great record at! In 2021, Gasly both qualified and finished 4th, legitimately on pace, and he scored a tremendous Podium around here back in 2023! Now, I don’t think that will happen again this weekend, but that doesn’t mean that the Gasman can’t end the weekend scoring positive points!

Norris VS Piastri

With McLaren’s clear car advantage over the rest of the field, it’s become pretty apparent that the battle for the win will come down to Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri, let alone the Championship! McLaren have scored 4-consecutive 1-2 finishes, with Lando winning 3 of them, an important stat to note! However, Piastri could’ve (and maybe should’ve) won all of those Races, so he’s left points on the table! I think the battle between the two McLaren drivers will only continue to grow, Max Verstappen, George Russell, and Charles Leclerc don’t have the package to get in amongst them, and it’s a complete toss up as to which one of them leaves Zandvoort as the victor!

Gabriel Bortoleto!

That’s it, no massive headline, just Gabriel Bortoleto! After struggling in the early parts of his Rookie season, Gabriel has come alive since the end of June, scoring 14 points in the last 4 Races! Bortoleto has been consistently getting the better of his teammate in Qualifying over recent weekends, a very impressive feat given Nico Hulkenberg’s stature and ability, and I honestly can’t praise him enough right now! With the way that Gabby Bortoleto is performing right now, I’d say that Kick Sauber will probably have their eyes firmly set on 5th in the Constructors’!

The Return of The Champ

In my opinion, there aren’t many, if at all any fans more passionate than the Dutch (only the Tifosi come close for me), they travel everywhere to support their main man Max Verstappen, but now it’s his turn to come home to them! Almost everyone at Zandvoort this weekend will be decked in orange to cheer on their hero, but unlike the last 4 years, circumstances this year are very different! See, Verstappen isn’t running away with the Title, in fact, he’s not even in the Title fight! That means this will be the last year that Zandvoort ever sees their Champion rock up with the Number 1 next to his name, a sad fact when you think about it, but if anything, that might just motivate the Dutch Lion even more! Whilst it’s going to be incredibly difficult for Max to trouble the McLarens, I’d say another visit to the Podium at home would suffice!