# 2023 Dutch Grand Prix

The 2023 Dutch Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2023) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 27 August 2023 at Circuit Zandvoort in Zandvoort, Netherlands. It was the thirteenth round of the 2023 Formula One World Championship.
The race, largely affected by wet weather conditions, was won by Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen, who started from pole position, followed by Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin and Pierre Gasly of Alpine, Gasly's first podium of the season. Verstappen's victory was his ninth in a row, equaling Sebastian Vettel's record. The race featured the Grand Prix debut of Liam Lawson, substituting for AlphaTauri driver Daniel Ricciardo when the latter broke a metacarpal bone during a practice session.

## Background

The event was held across the weekend of 25–27 August. It was the thirteenth round of the 2023 Formula One World Championship and the 35th running of the Dutch Grand Prix.

### Championship standings before the race

Coming into the weekend, Max Verstappen led the Drivers' Championship by 125 points from teammate Sergio Pérez, with Fernando Alonso third, a further 40 points behind. Red Bull Racing led the Constructors' Championship, leading Mercedes by 256 points and Aston Martin by a further 51 points.

### Entrants

The drivers and teams were initially the same as the season entry list with the exception of Daniel Ricciardo, who replaced Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri from the Hungarian Grand Prix onwards. However, Ricciardo broke a metacarpal bone in his left hand in a crash in the second practice session, and was subsequently replaced by reserve driver Liam Lawson who made his Formula One race debut. Robert Shwartzman drove for Ferrari in place of Carlos Sainz Jr. during the first practice session.

### Tyre choices

Tyre supplier Pirelli brought the C1, C2 and C3 tyre compounds (designated hard, medium, and soft, respectively) for teams to use at the event.

## Practice

Three free practice sessions were held for the event. The first practice session was held on 25 August 2023, at 12:30 local time (UTC+2); it was red-flagged once as Nico Hülkenberg crashed at the last corner. Max Verstappen topped the session, with Fernando Alonso the second-fastest and Lewis Hamilton third.
The second free practice session was held on 25 August 2023, at 16:00 local time (UTC+2) and was topped by Lando Norris, with Verstappen the second-fastest and Alexander Albon third. The session was red-flagged when Oscar Piastri and Daniel Ricciardo crashed moments apart at turn 3. The accident resulted in a broken metacarpal bone in Ricciardo's left hand. He was deemed unfit to participate in further sessions throughout the weekend; Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri's reserve driver Liam Lawson replaced Ricciardo for the remainder of the weekend. The third free practice session was held on 26 August 2023, at 11:30 local time (UTC+2) in wet conditions. Verstappen topped it with George Russell being second and Sergio Pérez third. The session was red-flagged three times for Kevin Magnussen's crash and spins of Zhou Guanyu and Liam Lawson.

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on 26 August 2023, at 15:00 local time (UTC+2).

### Qualifying classification

| Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Qualifying times | Qualifying times | Qualifying times | Final grid |
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Final grid |
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT | 1:20.965 | 1:18.856 | 1:10.567 | 1 |
| 2 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:21.276 | 1:19.769 | 1:11.104 | 2 |
| 3 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:21.345 | 1:19.620 | 1:11.294 | 3 |
| 4 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | 1:20.939 | 1:19.399 | 1:11.419 | 4 |
| 5 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes | 1:21.840 | 1:19.429 | 1:11.506 | 5 |
| 6 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Ferrari | 1:21.321 | 1:19.929 | 1:11.754 | 6 |
| 7 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT | 1:21.972 | 1:19.856 | 1:11.880 | 7 |
| 8 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:21.231 | 1:19.392 | 1:11.938 | 8 |
| 9 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:22.019 | 1:19.600 | 1:12.665 | 9 |
| 10 | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams-Mercedes | 1:22.036 | 1:20.067 | 1:16.748 | 10 |
| 11 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes | 1:21.570 | 1:20.121 | N/A | 11 |
| 12 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Renault | 1:21.735 | 1:20.128 | N/A | 12 |
| 13 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:21.919 | 1:20.151 | N/A | 13 |
| 14 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT | 1:21.781 | 1:20.230 | N/A | 17 |
| 15 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas-Ferrari | 1:21.891 | 1:20.250 | N/A | 14 |
| 16 | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1:22.067 | N/A | N/A | 15 |
| 17 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | 1:22.110 | N/A | N/A | 16 |
| 18 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | 1:22.192 | N/A | N/A | PL |
| 19 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 1:22.260 | N/A | N/A | 18 |
| 20 | 40 | Liam Lawson | AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT | 1:23.420 | N/A | N/A | 19 |
| 107% time: 1:26.604 ||||||||
| Source: ||||||||
Notes
* ^1 – Yuki Tsunoda received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Lewis Hamilton in Q2.
* ^2 – Kevin Magnussen qualified 18th, but he was required to start the race from the pit lane as the new elements were changed without the approval of the technical delegate during parc fermé.

## Race

The race was held on 27 August 2023, at 15:00 local time (UTC+2).

### Race report

The race was affected by wet weather conditions and was won by Verstappen. It was his ninth victory in a row, equaling Sebastian Vettel's record. Alonso set his first fastest lap since the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix. Alonso finished second for Aston Martin while Pierre Gasly finished third for Alpine, the latter gaining a position after Pérez received a five-second time penalty. Heavy rainfall and Zhou Guanyu's crash eight laps from the finish meant the race was suspended for three-quarters of an hour before resuming. The podium finish was Gasly's first since the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix and his first as an Alpine driver.

### Race classification

| Pos. | No. | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT | 72 | 2:24:04.411 | 1 | 25 |
| 2 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes | 72 | +3.744 | 5 | 19 |
| 3 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Renault | 72 | +7.058 | 12 | 15 |
| 4 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT | 72 | +10.068 | 7 | 12 |
| 5 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Ferrari | 72 | +12.541 | 6 | 10 |
| 6 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 72 | +13.209 | 13 | 8 |
| 7 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | 72 | +13.232 | 2 | 6 |
| 8 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | 72 | +15.155 | 4 | 4 |
| 9 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | 72 | +16.580 | 8 | 2 |
| 10 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | 72 | +18.346 | 16 | 1 |
| 11 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes | 72 | +20.087 | 11 | |
| 12 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Haas-Ferrari | 72 | +20.840 | 14 | |
| 13 | 40 | Liam Lawson | AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT | 72 | +26.147 | 19 | |
| 14 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 72 | +27.388 | 18 | |
| 15 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri-Honda RBPT | 72 | +29.893 | 17 | |
| 16 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | 72 | +31.410 | PL | |
| 17 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 72 | +55.754 | 3 | |
| Ret | 24 | Zhou Guanyu | Alfa Romeo-Ferrari | 62 | Accident | 15 | |
| Ret | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 41 | Floor | 9 | |
| Ret | 2 | Logan Sargeant | Williams-Mercedes | 14 | Hydraulics/accident | 10 | |
| Fastest lap: Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes) – 1:13.837 (lap 56) ||||||||
| Source: ||||||||
Notes
* ^1 – Includes one point for fastest lap.
* ^2 – Sergio Pérez finished third, but he received a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
* ^3 – Yuki Tsunoda finished 13th, but he received a five-second time penalty for causing a collision with George Russell.
* ^4 – Kevin Magnussen finished 15th on track, but he received a post-race five-second time penalty for falling more than ten car lengths behind the safety car.

## Championship standings after the race

| | Pos. | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Max Verstappen | 339 |
| | 2 | Sergio Pérez | 201 |
| | 3 | Fernando Alonso | 168 |
| | 4 | Lewis Hamilton | 156 |
| 2 | 5 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | 102 |
| Source: ||||
| | Pos. | Constructor | Points |
| | 1 | Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT | 540 |
| | 2 | Mercedes | 255 |
| | 3 | Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes | 215 |
| | 4 | Ferrari | 201 |
| | 5 | McLaren-Mercedes | 111 |
| Source: ||||
* Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.