1958 Dutch GP

## Track Facts

* Name – Zandvoort
* Location – Netherlands
* Corners – 10
* Laps – 75
* Base (Worst) Lap Time – 2:00.000
* Lap Record (Real Life) – 1:37.100 (Stuart Lewis-Evans)
* Lap Record (F1R) – 1:42.788 (Elie Bayol – T Taps)
* Pit Lane Length – 20 seconds\*
* Fuel Consumption – Low
* Tyre Wear – Medium

Note that this season pit-stops will last longer than in previous seasons; this number represents the time it takes to travel down the pit-lane not including the time you will spend stationary.

## Qualifying

Maserati will feel like the normal order has been restored, as Gerard takes his 21st career Pole - though his 1st at Zandvoort, which means he has now taken Pole in every single country the F1R series has ever visited! Unlike last season however, his team-mates are right there with him as Maserati take a 1-2-3 in qualifying for the 1st time since the 1954 British GP (though that time it was Lang-Marimón-Berger in those places on the grid). Behind Gerard Piotti's late runs takes him to 2nd on the grid, with Bonnier a respectable 3rd place.

Speaking of late runs it was left late by both Brabham and von Trips to claim 4th and 5th respectively, as they doubtless hoped the rain would abate in time to give them a late advantage - but it was not to be. Herrmann is 6th for Cooper in a much improved session for the British marque, who also have Flockhart in a creditable 8th place, with the Ferrari of Salvadori sandwiched in between them.

BRM start with two cars in the Top 10, as Gibson and Musso claim 9th and 10th respectively ahead of erstwhile Pole sitter Trintignant in a solid 11th for Porsche, while another man out-performing his machinery is Chiron in 12th for OSCA! The same could arguably be said of Bridger in the Lotus down in 14th as well…

Vanwall have a session to forget, as Collins can only manage 13th, with Fairman 15th, Brooks 18th and de Beaufort 24th overall. Behind Bridger the Lotus team also struggled somewhat, as McLaren is their only other representative inside the Top 20 (in 16th), given that Menditeguy starts 26th and Scarlatti goes from the very back of the grid!

Hill struggled severely in this qualifying session for BRM in 17th (compared to how he has performed in other sessions), as does Behra for Cooper in 21st and Gould for Ferrari in 27th, while Schell in 19th for Porsche and Hawthorn in 20th for OSCA will likely be somewhat satisfied to not be outside the Top 20 considering their machinery…

The woes for Connaught continue, as Emery can only manage 22nd, Moss only 25th and Marsh 28th, but it is at least the 1st time that the latter has not started from last on the grid this season - as he looks a whole new man since arriving at the circuit this race! Gendebien is a brand new driver for this weekend, and he can be reasonably pleased with 23rd on the grid. Godia in 29th is in familiar territory, but he does at least make the grid - unlike Fangio in the OSCA, who is the only man to miss out and fail to qualify. Luckily for him dropped scores this season mean he can still be competitive in the long run…but this hardly helps!

## Grid

Maserati were kings of qualifying here in Zandvoort, as a familiar story last season (Gerard taking Pole) somehow seems a little less familiar this season, considering his best qualifying before here was 6th in Monaco (not counting the Indy 500 where he qualified in 3rd place). Piotti and Bonnier will be hoping to score their 1st ever points here, and drastically change the look of the 'Most Races without Points' Top 10, where they currently sit 4th and 8th respectively overall!

Don't rule out the man in 2nd place in those standings, as Flockhart qualifying in the Top 10 is a good sign for Cooper, who have the uber-consistent Herrmann in 6th place as well - though their usual front runner Behra qualified some way off the pace down in 21st…BRM look well poised as well in 9th and 10th for Gibson and Musso, while Trintignant in 11th and Chiron in 12th both out-performed their machinery to sit where they do right now.

Ferrari in 4th, 5th and 7th will be looking to extend their points scoring spree - though it will have to be a spectacular race for them to repeat their 1-2-3-4 of last race, given that Gould starts down in 27th after his crashes in qualifying put paid to most of his hopes of points this time out. It should be an exciting race in prospect…!

## Race Commentary

*Lap 1* – Gerard gets off the line with ease, as only a driver who has done this 20 times in his career already can do! He does have Piotti right on his case behind however, with Bonnier, von Trips and Brabham all also holding their positions after the 1st lap…

The drama is behind them, as Hans Herrmann’s run of points finishes comes to an abrupt halt here as he crashes heavily at the 1st corner and causes havoc behind him as cars seek to avoid the debris that has come onto the track as a result! Salvadori is forced to swerve violently to try and keep Flockhart behind him, as well as stay damage-free, which he pulls off by the skin of his teeth as one of Herrmann’s wheels bounces perilously close to him!!!

Meanwhile Musso reacts quickly, using team-mate Gibson to slip-stream behind and move himself up to 7th from Flockhart in 8th, Gibson in 9th and Fairman up to 10th, despite Bridger’s best efforts to block him! Collins makes an excellent pass on Chiron at the opening corner to move ahead of the OSCA, who now sits 12th overall.

Trintignant, McLaren and Schell all make very poor getaways, as do newcomer Gendebien and last man Scarlatti – Brooks and Hill are the main beneficiaries (now 13th and 14th), with Hawthorn (15th) ahead of Trintignant (16th), Behra (17th), Emery (18th), de Beaufort (19th) and Bridger (20th). Moss is up to 21st and Gould is up to 22nd as they gain places as a result of many of the slow starts ahead of them!

McLaren is 23rd, Marsh up to 24th, Menditeguy 25th, Godia up to 26th, Schell 27th, Gendebien stalls a little in his 1st ever start and struggles to get away from the line – but is at least ahead of Scarlatti, who has a ponderous getaway at best!!!

*Lap 2* – Piotti’s pressure on Gerard pays off, as the defending champion looks reluctant to defend too heavily against his own team-mate and lets the Italian through, who claims Fastest Lap in the process. Meanwhile Salvadori is holding up a whole queue of cars, subsequently causing Musso to brake hard and slow down Flockhart, which gives Gibson the chance to leapfrog both of them and move into 7th place.

Collins moves into the Top 10 thanks to Fairman moving over to let him pass, while Trintignant defends unsuccessfully against Behra – but in their battle at Tarzanbocht they both exit relatively slowly and that allows de Beaufort to pass the whole group of them! Meanwhile Emery drops back a little, as Moss moves past him – but the former Connaught does manage to move back into line in time to prevent Gould coming through as well.

Meanwhile McLaren is holding up those behind him as he struggles with his pace, which slows down Marsh, Menditeguy and Godia behind him – though not enough to allow Gendebien and Scarlatti to close up to them.

*Lap 3* – Salvadori pulls across to block Gibson at Rob Slotemakerbocht and does defend successfully from one BRM…but isn’t ready for the other BRM of Musso, who manages to claim 6th place thanks to getting a much better exit! Gibson though finds himself completely baulked by the Ferrari, and thus drops a place to Flockhart as well.

Behind them a whole host of drivers are blocked, but the man taking advantage is Hawthorn in the OSCA, who is now up to 14th ahead of Hill. Further back, despite Trintignant blocking Emery the Connaught is on a mission and eases past the Porsche before also passing team-mate Moss for 18th, who moves over for Emery but does not move back in time to block Gould in the Ferrari! McLaren is still holding up the group behind him as well…

*Lap 4* – Gibson in 8th is blocking the Vanwall duo behind, while Emery’s hurry is becoming apparent as he is now under heavy pressure from Gould. McLaren is also still holding up Marsh in the Connaught for 23rd place.

*Lap 5* – Salvadori is under pressure from Flockhart, but manages to withstand it for this lap – but the concertina effect ripples back and it is Hawthorn who takes advantage with a forceful pass on Brooks that causes the Vanwall to veer to avoid a collision – and that in turn lets Hill through as well. Chiron also lets Hawthorn through into 12th too, so as not to hold up his charging team-mate!

McLaren again holds up Marsh, Menditeguy and Godia – but this lap the Cooper almost capitalises to take 25th from the Lotus.

*Lap 6* – Von Trips moves over to let Brabham pass him, as the Ferrari duo look to keep the Maserati’s ahead honest! Hardly any other action on track this lap, as the drivers start to size one another up now…

*Lap 7* – Brabham makes a small mistake at Bos Uit, which allows von Trips back through – but this is hardly gaining them any ground on the Maserati trio ahead! Indeed, Piotti actually sets a new Fastest Lap this time around (a 1:39.0) to take another 0.6 seconds out of the Ferrari pair…

Chiron is under pressure from Hill, as he looks to act as rear gunner for team-mate Hawthorn in 12th – though that successful defence causes delays all the way down to Moss in 20th overall! McLaren blocks Marsh again early in the lap, and perhaps fearing that the Connaught would work out a way past the Lotus team swap McLaren and Bridger, so that the Brit now has to deal with the on-rushing Marsh!!!

*Lap 8* – Another FL for Piotti (a slightly quicker 1:39.0) moves him out to 0.7 seconds ahead of Gerard, but the wily old campaigner is ever-present behind his team-mate. Meanwhile Salvadori defends heavily from Flockhart for 7th, which ripples back through the queue of cars behind him all the way down to Brooks, who de Beaufort had been using to slipstream behind, which in turn allows the Dutchman to past Brooks and Hill to claim 14th place!

Unfortunately for Vanwall, Behra is also alive to the opportunity and he passes Brooks at Hondenvlak too. Bridger is now the man blocking Marsh this time around…

*Lap 9* – As if to show that “anything you can do…” Gerard reclaims the FL, with an even quicker 1:39.0 to halve his team-mate’s lead at the front of the race to just 0.3 seconds. Brabham meanwhile moves back ahead of von Trips, but this slipstreaming isn’t getting them any closer to the Maserati’s up-front as they are now some 4 seconds back. Flockhart is the man under pressure this lap, as Gibson makes a strong case to claim 8th position – but the Cooper is wise to his tactics. The concertina effect of that defence ripples all the way back to Hawthorn in 12th, while Chiron in 13th is now busy defending from de Beaufort – and holding up those behind him in the process!

Further back Marsh has his best attempt yet at passing a Lotus but is thwarted by the door being closed in his face at Panoramabocht – which also gives Godia his best shot at passing Menditeguy, but the Argentina JUST manages to keep the Cooper in check.

*Lap 10* – Flockhart is again the man challenging, as he looks to claim 7th from Salvadori – but to no avail. Again the concertina effect from that battle slows down the cars as they prepare to enter Rob Slotemakerbocht…and again it is OSCA who are alert to this, as Chiron uses the tow from Hawthorn to pass both him and the Vanwall of Fairman ahead – and Hawthorn even manages to get back in line in time to ensure he doesn’t lose a position to de Beaufort!

Behra and Brooks are fighting over 16th, with Emery and Gould likewise scrapping over 18th – and FINALLY Marsh makes his way past Bridger to claim 23rd and set off after his auld adversary McLaren!

*Lap 11* – The Maserati’s seem willing to put more on the line, as they continue to scamper away from the Ferrari’s…and now manage to break the 1:39 barrier, as Piotti (1:38.8 – new FL!), Gerard (1:38.9) and Bonnier (1:39.0 – almost!) really are the class of the field at the moment.

Meanwhile Chiron is up to 11th and now under heavy pressure from Fairman, Hawthorn and de Beaufort as it stands – all of which is allowing Collins in 10th to pull away somewhat. Menditeguy slipstreams past Bridger this time around, who is alert to the danger from Godia and pulls over in time to ensure the Cooper stays in 26th place.

*Lap 12* – Salvadori is again the cork in the bottle, with Flockhart, Gibson and Collins all queuing up to have a go at the Ferrari! The line of cars being held up by this battle goes all the way back to Brooks in 17th, who now has Emery, Gould and Moss for company too – but there is one man who is alert to the happenings up-front in this train, which is Graham Hill. The BRM seizes the opportunity when the inevitable concertina at Rob Slotemakerbocht happens to nip past de Beaufort into 14th place and put himself on the back of Hawthorn for 13th…

Marsh wastes no time in catching up to McLaren but finds the Lotus continually obstinate – something Godia can relate to as he now joins battle with Bridger for 25th position.

*Lap 13* – Gibson is now holding up Collins for 9th, which sees Chiron gain a little ground on the pair of them…while another Vanwall being held up by a BRM is de Beaufort behind Hill, which in turn is pushing Behra into the clutches of Brooks behind him!

*Lap 14* – Bonnier has been content to sit back and watch his team-mates apply pressure to each other thus far, but now shows what he can do with a new Fastest Lap of a low 1:38.8 that sees him trip the gap back to just 1.3 seconds to Piotti. Again, Salvadori blocks Flockhart (which is allowing Musso in 6th to escape up the road), which means Collins is now just 0.4 seconds ahead of Chiron in 11th!

Although the OSCA is more concerned with the pressure from Fairman in 12th it seems. Brooks is another frustrated Vanwall, as he finds himself held up by Behra for 16th – while further back Marsh has a great attempt on McLaren go begging, and now has Menditeguy for company behind him! Godia continues to pressure Bridger, but to no avail as yet…

*Lap 15* – Chiron blocks Fairman this lap, which almost costs the Vanwall driver a position thanks to the pressure from Hawthorn behind him – he shuts the door on his compatriot just in time though. Gould continues to run well out of position in 19th and is stuck in a Connaught sandwich between Emery and Moss as it stands.

Overtaking attempts from both Marsh and Godia on their respective Lotus adversaries pass without incident again on this lap.

*Lap 16* – The pressure from Gerard at the front pays off, as Piotti slides a little wide at Bos Uit and the defending champion pounces to reclaim 1st place. Despite that it was still a sub 1:39 lap for all three Maserati’s, and they are the only ones even close to that sort of pace right now. Salvadori continues to hold back Flockhart and Gibson, who will be praying for a change in the conditions or the pit-stops to come soon so they can get ahead of their struggling fellow Brit!

The big news further back on this lap is that McLaren makes a passing attempt, rather than just defending as he looks to find a way past Trintignant…but he maybe should have stuck to defending, as Marsh seizes the chance to capitalise and force his way around the outside at Pulleveld to claim 22nd place and set off after Trintignant himself!

*Lap 17* – Piotti looks irritated at his own carelessness that cost him the race lead, and he shows it by pulling right alongside Gerard on the run down to the start/finish straight – but ultimately decides discretion is the better part of valour as he ducks back behind his team-mate.

Salvadori gets a rare lap off from defending, as Flockhart is the man coping with pressure from both Gibson and Collins, while everyone back to Brooks in 17th gets held up by Chiron defending from Fairman over 11th.

Marsh’s 1st attempt at passing Trintignant is as disastrous as McLaren’s effort, as he out-brakes himself at Tarzanbocht and loses his recently acquired 22nd place to…Menditeguy! The Argentine slipstreams past McLaren to take said 22nd position from Marsh, McLaren, Bridger and the still pressing Godia in 26th.

*Lap 18* – Piotti gets his just reward for the pressure he applied to Gerard, as he sets a new Fastest Lap (a 1:38.5) to reclaim 1st place! Salvadori and Flockhart continue to duel over 7th, but neither is giving an inch as of yet – and Chiron is now the closest he has been to Collins for some time as a result…

Further back Menditeguy tries his own attempt at Trintignant but is wise to the dangers of falling foul of those behind him – and thus manages to avoid Marsh passing him…but the Connaught is incredibly close behind now!!!

*Lap 19* – Hawthorn is being held up by Fairman now, as one OSCA looks to relieve the pressure from the other OSCA ahead by applying some of his own! Marsh and McLaren are both losing time behind Menditeguy, while our 1st stop of the race takes place as Godia comes in to take advantage of some clear air behind him as he comes out in 28th place behind Gendebien but ahead of Scarlatti.

*Lap 20* – Piotti has the hammer down and has grown his lead to Gerard up to 0.6 seconds now with an even faster 1:38.5! Salvadori is slowing Flockhart et al down so much that Chiron has managed to bridge the gap, though he is unable to overtake Collins despite a risky manoeuvre at Scheivlak that doesn’t come off…

De Beaufort is being held by Hill, which is also the same for Gould behind Emery and the duo of Menditeguy and Marsh behind Trintignant. It could be worse though, as Godia demonstrates by sliding wide at Rob Slotemakerbocht to brush the barriers and cause some minor damage to his car – he can still continue though.

*Lap 21* – Piotti set a 1:38.4 to set Fastest Lap…only for Gerard to step up and do an even faster 1:38.4! Fairman is being held up by Chiron, while an optimistic dive by Behra at Tarzanbocht does nothing but bring Brooks closer to the Cooper’s rear! Meanwhile a bold move for Ferrari, who elect to pit Gould very early on indeed to see him emerge in 26th place overall, which promotes Moss into 19th and Trintignant into 20th with his pursuers very much still on his tail…

*Lap 22* – Gerard backs up the pace of last lap with a 1:38.3, which brings him to within striking distance of Piotti once more! Bonnier also gains ground on the leader that lap, as he is now just 1.2 seconds behind. Flockhart continues to apply pressure to Salvadori, but the experienced Brit simply will not budge as he clings onto 7th place (and has now allowed Musso to escape to the tune of 11 seconds already).

Meanwhile Chiron again blocks Fairman as they charge into Panoramabocht and the OSCA plays it perfectly, as he ensures the Vanwall dives to the inside before shutting the door and making a relatively slow exit that allows Hawthorn to go around the outside and claim 12th position to sit right behind his team-mate now!

Brooks pressures Behra, while Emery elects to come into the pits to block off Gould’s early stop – which works out nicely as he emerges some 2 seconds ahead of the Ferrari. That moves Moss up to 18th, Trintignant to 19th and Menditeguy into the Top 20 – though Emery now has a significant gap to race into after his stop.

*Lap 23* – Piotti ensures that he keeps the lead, as he narrowly outpaces Gerard this lap. Menditeguy blocks Marsh this lap, but that doesn’t impact them gaining ground thanks to others pitting – specifically Gibson who drops to 23rd and Trintignant who comes out in 27th behind Emery, Gould and Gendebien. That means Collins is now 9th, Chiron 10th, Hawthorn 11th, Fairman 12th, Hill 13th, de Beaufort 14th, Behra 15th, Brooks 16th, Moss 17th, Menditeguy 18th, Marsh 19th and McLaren now inside the Top 20.

*Lap 24* – Piotti continues to keep Gerard at bay, while Bonnier pits on this lap along with de Beaufort, Moss, McLaren and Gendebien. All of that means Brabham is now 3rd, von Trips 4th, Musso 5th, Salvadori 6th, Flockhart 7th, Collins 8th and Chiron up to 9th. Hawthorn however has slowed down significantly on track and looks like he may be out of fuel…but he is not too far from the pits and thus jumps out to push the car into the pit-lane…

Fairman is now inside the Top 10 as a result, with Hill 11th, Behra 12th, Brooks 13th and then Bonnier out in 14th place. Menditeguy is 15th, Marsh 16th, Bridger 17th, Schell 18th, Gibson pressuring after his stop in 19th and de Beaufort out in 20th position. Moss emerges in 21st place after his stop JUST ahead of team-mate Emery and Gould.

Hawthorn technically crosses the line in 24th but is still yet to actually have his pit-stop, so Trintignant in 25th, McLaren emerging in 26th, Godia up to 27th despite his damage, Scarlatti up to 28th and even Gendebien emerging in 29th will all fancy their chances at overhauling the OSCA after his eventual pit-stop…

*Lap 25* – Piotti comes in this time, which could be crucial for the race lead depending on when Gerard elects to come into the pits. It is the more experienced Maserati driver who inherits the race lead, with Brabham now up to 2nd thanks a whole host of other drivers coming into the pits (more on them in a moment). Salvadori is up to 3rd with Collins narrowly behind in 4th, Hill up to 5th, Behra 6th and then it’s Piotti out in 7th with a little clear air.

Bonnier is 8th some 2 seconds behind his team-mate with von Trips out of his stop in 9th, Menditeguy and Marsh up to 10th and 11th, while Musso comes out right behind the pair of them and could well lose some serious time as a result. Bridger is up to 13th, with Flockhart out in 14th, Fairman in 15th out ahead of Gibson 16th who passes Schell on this lap, and then Chiron 18th after a slow stop by OSCA, with de Beaufort up to 19th, Brooks out in 20th and Emery up to 21st after he passes team-mate Moss with ease.

Gould is 23rd from Trintignant, McLaren, Godia, Hawthorn (after his dramas finally out of the pits in 27th), Gendebien and Scarlatti after most of the field have stopped other than the Top 6, Menditeguy, Marsh, Bridger and Schell.

As such the big winners in the pits are Fairman for Vanwall (ahead of both Chiron and Gibson) and Moss (moved ahead of Gould in these stops), while clearly the man losing the most ground is Hawthorn’s OSCA.

*Lap 26* – Gerard (1st), Salvadori (3rd), Collins (4th), Menditeguy (10th), Marsh (11th) and Schell (17th) all come into the pits this time around. That puts Brabham into the race lead, from Hill in 2nd and Behra in 3rd overall. Crucially Piotti manages to use his out-lap to JUST stay ahead of Gerard in 4th and 5th respectively!

Bonnier is now 2 seconds back in 6th after lacklustre out-lap for the Swede, with von Trips back up to 7th, Musso up to 8th, Bridger (the last of the “back-markers” still to pit) in 9th and Flockhart out in 10th place FINALLY ahead of Salvadori! He is not the only one that jumps the Ferrari in these stops, as Collins sets a blistering pace on his in-lap and then the Vanwall pit-crew do a sterling job to jump the Ferrari in the pit-lane and claim 11th overall.

Salvadori does emerge in 12th narrowly ahead of Fairman 13th, Gibson 14th, Chiron back up to 15th, de Beaufort 16th, Brooks 17th, Emery 18th, Moss 19th and Gould rounding out the Top 20. Menditeguy and Marsh both enter the pits at the same time…but it is the Connaught pit-crew who react quickest, and Marsh now looks to have finally cleared all the Lotus drivers (with the possible exception of Bridger, who is yet to pit!).

Trintignant is 22nd from McLaren 23rd, Godia 24th and Schell out in 25th overall – with Hawthorn, Gendebien and Scarlatti still in the running, albeit well over a lap behind now.

*Lap 27* – The final four drivers pit this time around, which sees Piotti resume the lead for a moment – before Gerard dives up the inside at Tarzanbocht to take the race lead! Bonnier is up to 3rd with Brabham out in 4th, narrowly ahead of team-mate von Trips but some 10 seconds behind Bonnier as it stands.

Musso is back up to 6th with Flockhart a distant 7th ahead of Collins (who the Cooper is now being forced to defend against), Salvadori, Fairman and Gibson. Hill emerges in 12th with Behra 13th (a net gain for both of them) and Chiron now 14th defending from de Beaufort, who in turn is keeping team-mate Brooks in check behind!

Emery is now 17th, from Moss, Gould and Marsh – who makes it 3 Connaughts inside the Top 20! Menditeguy is next, from Trintignant, McLaren and the returning Bridger in 24th overall.

*Lap 28* – Piotti makes a marginal gain on Gerard, but the gap is still 1 tenth of a second over the line. Bonnier is setting an equivalent pace some 2.1 seconds back. The real action on track is between Gibson and Fairman, as the BRM tries to dive up the inside at Panoramabocht into a gap that was never really there and that causes them to collide – and having assessed the damage they both elect to come straight into the pits.

The Vanwall is less damaged than the BRM, so is out ahead – but a whole host of cars have passed them by, including Hill (now 10th), Behra (11th), Chiron (12th), de Beaufort (13th), Brooks (14th), Emery (15th), Moss (16th), Gould (17th), Marsh (18th), Menditeguy (19th), Trintignant (20th), McLaren (21st) and Bridger (22nd), which sees Fairman out in 23rd and Gibson out in 25th (with Godia sandwiched between them) – but at least with plenty of time to recover!

*Lap 29* – Gerard is starting to extend his lead at the front and is now around 0.5 seconds ahead. The only other action is Gibson flying past the ailing Godia and setting off after Fairman ahead for Round 2!!!

*Lap 30* – Chiron is holding up de Beaufort, who continues to prevent Brooks from passing him by as well. Meanwhile Fairman is in a real hurry, as he dispatches Bridger for 22nd with ease – though that may be due to wanting to avoid another incident with Gibson behind!!!

*Lap 31* – An optimistic move by Fairman on McLaren is unsuccessful, while Gibson likewise fails to pass Bridger this time around.

*Lap 32* – Chiron is again called into action to block de Beaufort and Brooks, who seem to be as keen to fight against each other as they are against the OSCA ahead! Gould is being blocked by Moss over 16th as it stands, but such is the gap back to Marsh (around 30 seconds) that he can try pretty much any manoeuvre he wants!

Meanwhile both Fairman and Gibson make the moves vs their respective Lotus’ opponents to leave Fairman 21st and gaining heavily on Trintignant, McLaren 22nd and Gibson up to 23rd and keen to make his way back into the mix…

*Lap 33* – Flockhart is under pressure from Collins, as the Vanwall looks to improve further and catch those up ahead. Chiron again holds up de Beaufort – as the number of frustrated Vanwall drivers increases thanks to Fairman also being held up by Trintignant for a spot in the Top 20 that the Porsche is clearly unwilling to give up!

*Lap 34* – Gerard’s lead is now over a second at the front of the race, as the experienced campaigner looks to claim yet another hat-trick for his own! Bonnier is gaining a little ground on Piotti for 2nd, but otherwise the Top 5 are keeping things calm and evenly matched as it stands.

The same cannot be said of those further down the order – as Gould has a move on Moss rebuffed, before both Fairman and Gibson continue their come-back trail together, as the Vanwall reassumes his Top 20 spot, Trintignant is now 21st and Gibson is up to 22nd and setting a good pace still.

*Lap 35* – Hill pressures Salvadori for 9th, but the Ferrari has his defensive hat on today and simply refuses to budge off-line, which in turn is holding up Behra as well. That battle is a much more calculated affair than de Beaufort’s attempts to overhaul Chiron, which are becoming increasingly more desperate (and still holding up Brooks as well)!

Gibson gets blocked by Trintignant this lap, as Fairman sets a pace equivalent to that of Musso in 6th as he revels in the clear air he has at his disposal. Emery pits for an unusually soon 2nd stop, which demotes him from 15th to 24th and sees the likes of Moss, Gould, Marsh, Menditeguy, Fairman and Trintignant all promoted back within the Top 20. It also lifts Gibson to 21st and the Lotus duo of McLaren and Bridger up to 22nd and 23rd respectively.

*Lap 36* – Gibson pressures Trintignant for 20th place, while another man on a comeback drive is Hawthorn, who is now just 2.5 seconds behind Schell and gaining quickly!

*Lap 37* – Chiron again holds up the Vanwall duo behind, while Gould is still frustrated by Moss’s excellent defensive driving ahead of him. Gibson at last makes the pass on Trintignant for 20th, while Godia comes in for his 2nd stop to drop behind Schell and the on-rushing Hawthorn (now less than a second back) into 27th position.

*Lap 38* – Fairman’s clean air runs out, as he finds himself stuck behind Menditeguy and fighting for 18th place – with Gibson less than 5 seconds behind and zeroing in on them! Hawthorn makes a comfortable pass on Schell for 25th this time around and will now set off after Emery ahead…

*Lap 39* – Flockhart continues to block Collins, as these two are starting to get quite close to each other in these exchanges…while the Salvadori v Hill v Behra battle is a far more sedate and gentlemanly affair. De Beaufort is another getting gradually more and more impatient in his overtaking efforts, but he still seems unwilling to let Brooks through to have a go at the OSCA!

Maybe it was because Fairman could sniff 18th position, or maybe it was Gibson closing in at a rate of knots, but either way the Vanwall manages to dispatch Menditeguy with ease at Tarzanbocht with Marsh the next man he will be chasing after…

*Lap 40* – Emery challenges Bridger for 23rd place, mindful of the fact that Hawthorn in 25th is gaining on both of them and is now only 12 seconds behind them…

*Lap 41* – Chiron is still holding strong in 12th against the Vanwall duo behind…

*Lap 42* – The gap at the front has stabilised at 1.2 seconds, while further back Moss pits from 15th to emerge in 21st right between Trintignant and McLaren! Fairman meanwhile makes easy work of passing Marsh, as he advances into what is now 16th place – but the 30+ second gap to Gould may be somewhat insurmountable, even with the laps remaining!

Gibson meanwhile seems to have calmed down a little, but that approach doesn’t help him to pass Menditeguy, who continues to mount an obstinate defence against the BRM. Emery being blocked by Bridger now means Hawthorn is just 8.2 seconds behind them…

*Lap 43* – Collins challenges Flockhart again, but this time finds himself running out of grip on the slippery wet track surface, and the two collide with each other! The damage is relatively minimal, so neither loses a position – but they are certainly going to be slower than they previously were as a result.

Gibson finally makes the move on Menditeguy to take 18th place, while Moss is now fighting with Trintignant for 20th after his stop. Another block by Bridger on Emery brings Hawthorn under 6 seconds behind them now!

*Lap 44* – Salvadori is now right behind Collins and Flockhart, with Hill right behind the Ferrari too! Chiron is still holding up de Beaufort, while Hawthorn has the gap down to 4.5 seconds to those in front…

*Lap 45* – Collins just can’t quite reach the speeds he previously was able to on the run down to Hondenvlak, and he finds himself losing places to Salvadori, Hill and Behra as that particular trio close right up to each other!

Brooks is again thwarted by de Beaufort, but this time Chiron isn’t involved – and so team principal Mike Baston looks visibly upset at this needless in-fighting! Trintignant pits from 20th and comes out in 26th, which promotes Moss to 20th, McLaren to 21st, plus that moves Bridger into 22nd and still blocking Emery…who is now just 2 seconds ahead of Hawthorn!

*Lap 46* – Flockhart desperately tries to defend from the trio behind him, but all he succeeds in doing is slowing Salvadori’s momentum for a moment – but that is long enough for Hill to pounce and move up to 7th with Salvadori now 8th and Behra up to 9th with Flockhart down to 10th position.

Collins meanwhile is more successful with his defence against Chiron, who manages to still maintain his position against de Beaufort and Brooks. Emery is once more blocked by Bridger, and Hawthorn is now right on their tails and is pushing hard to overtake!

*Lap 47* – The Ferrari battle over 4th has been quiet for a long time, but it springs into life with a great lap from von Trips, which sees him overhaul Brabham and claim 4th position as a result. Behra meanwhile is challenging Salvadori for 8th place, but the focus is still on the ailing duo of Flockhart and Collins who lose 10th place to Chiron and 11th to de Beaufort on this lap.

Meanwhile Hawthorn shows just how impressive his pace is, as he overtakes Emery at Scheivlak before passing Bridger into Panoramabocht to move into 22nd place!

*Lap 48* – Brabham responds to von Trips to reclaim the position almost immediately, as the Ferrari’s are starting to battle over 4th place with the Maserati trio now some 20 seconds or so up the road. Meanwhile Brooks is the latest driver to overtake Flockhart and Collins, as he is now up to 12th position.

Gould pits from 15th and drops to 19th, which promotes Fairman to 15th, Marsh to 16th, Gibson to 17th and Menditeguy to 18th. Emery is blocked by Bridger for 23rd place again.

*Lap 49* – Bonnier, de Beaufort, Gibson, McLaren and Gendebien all pit on this lap, which means Brabham is now 3rd, von Trips 4th, Musso 5th and Bonnier out in 6th place. Salvadori again blocks Behra for 8th, while Brooks is now 11th, Flockhart 12th, Collins 13th, Fairman 14th, Marsh 15th and de Beaufort out in 16th position.

Menditeguy is now 17th with Gould 18th, Moss 19th, Hawthorn now inside the Top 20, Bridger 21st, Emery 22nd, Gibson out in 23rd, Schell up to 24th and McLaren out in 25th narrowly ahead of Trintignant, which is a net gain for the Lotus. Gendebien manages to come out ahead of Scarlatti, to prove that things could be worse for the Porsche!!!

*Lap 50* – Piotti, von Trips, Musso, Chiron, Brooks, Flockhart, Fairman, Hawthorn and Scarlatti all pit this time around. That means Brabham is now 2nd place, Piotti is out in 3rd position with Bonnier 4th, von Trips out in 5th, Hill up to 6th, Salvadori up to 7th, Behra up to 8th, Collins up to 9th (though still struggling with his damage) and Musso out in 10th position. Marsh is up to 11th, with de Beaufort 12th, Chiron out in 13th behind the Vanwall, Brooks out in 14th, Flockhart out in 15th rid of his damage and Menditeguy up to 16th.

Gould is 17th and holding Moss up, with Bridger up to 19th and still keeping Emery at bay with Fairman out in 21st, Gibson up to 22nd, Schell 23rd, McLaren 24th and keeping Trintignant in 25th with Hawthorn out narrowly behind them in 26th overall.

*Lap 51* – Brabham leads the race now (though is yet to pit), with Gerard out in 2nd place now some 2.8 seconds ahead of Piotti in 3rd with Bonnier around 4 seconds back in 4th overall. Salvadori, Collins (who finally fixes his damage) and Menditeguy all come into the pits as well this lap. That moves Behra up to 7th, Musso up to 8th, Salvadori out in 9th, Marsh up to 10th, de Beaufort 11th, Chiron 12th, Brooks 13th, Flockhart 14th and Collins out in 15th position.

Gould is 16th, Moss 17th, Emery up to 18th after he finally overtakes Bridger at Panoramabocht, Fairman into 20th place, Gibson 21st, Schell 22nd and Menditeguy out in 23rd position overall. McLaren and Trintignant both squabble with each other going into Tarzanbocht, and that gives Hawthorn a chance to move back up to 24th position, which he takes with gusto!!!

*Lap 52* – Brabham comes into the pits on this lap but extending his stint has moved him some 2 seconds ahead of von Trips at this point as the Aussie emerges in 4th place with a solid advantage and no more stops to go. Marsh and Schell both enter the pits on this lap as well, which means de Beaufort is now 10th from Chiron 11th, Brooks 12th and pushing hard to overtake the OSCA, who is moving very late in the braking zones!

Marsh emerges in 21st, behind Gibson who is now back inside the Top 20. Schell emerges from his stop in 27th, which promotes Hawthorn, McLaren, Trintignant and Godia up one position each!

*Lap 53* – Gould blocks Moss for 15th place, while Bridger pits and emerges in 25th just a fraction ahead of Godia! That in turn puts Fairman up to 18th, Gibson up to 19th and Marsh back inside the Top 20 for Connaught.

*Lap 54* – Hill and Behra both pit, which moves Musso up to 6th ahead of that same duo, who are now 7th and 8th respectively. Trintignant is still pressuring McLaren but is still unable to get by – while Godia forces past Bridger and up to 25th position.

*Lap 55* – Chiron again holds up Brooks for 11th place, while further back Emery pits from 17th and emerges in 22nd, which in turn promotes Fairman to 17th, Gibson to 18th, Marsh to 19th, Menditeguy to 20th and Hawthorn up to 21st position now just 12 seconds behind and moving significantly faster!

*Lap 56* – Godia pits for the final time, which promotes Bridger to 25th and Schell to 26th. The Cooper is out in 27th and will be pushing hard to make up for the lost time.

*Lap 57* – De Beaufort is gaining ground on Salvadori in the fight for 9th place and he is now less than 1 second behind. Chiron meanwhile is still staving off attacks from Brooks and Flockhart, while Moss is still hounding Gould over 15th position. Trintignant is now pushing McLaren for 23rd place, which is allowing Bridger to close the gap to them both…

*Lap 58* – Hawthorn is now within 10 seconds of catching Menditeguy for a spot in the Top 20…

*Lap 59* – Salvadori moves pre-emptively to block de Beaufort and maintain 9th position, while Chiron manages to keep Brooks, Flockhart and now Collins behind him as we head towards the end of the race!

Meanwhile Moss comes into the pits, which drops him from 16th to 20th – putting him about 7 seconds ahead of the resurgent Hawthorn – as well as promoting Fairman to 16th, Gibson 17th, Marsh to 18th and Menditeguy to 19th position. Trintignant is again blocked by McLaren this time round.

*Lap 60* – Trintignant pits from 24th to come out in 26th place just a moment ahead of Godia. That promotes Bridger to 24th and Schell to 25th overall.

*Lap 61* – De Beaufort again challenges Salvadori, which is starting to allow Chiron to close the gap. Flockhart blocks Collins for 13th position as their struggle intensifies!

*Lap 62* – Moss is blocked by Menditeguy for 19th, which means Hawthorn is now less than 4 seconds behind the pair of them!

*Lap 63* – Salvadori again is struggling to keep de Beaufort at bay but manages to shut the door at Panoramabocht to retain 9th – though that means Chiron is less than 3 seconds back now. Speaking of the OSCA, he is still under pressure from those behind – though as they queue up into Rob Slotemakerbocht there is almost a collision as Flockhart and Collins come perilously close to hitting each other in the braking zone! Both live to survive another day however…

Godia is also pushing Trintignant for 26th place but is not able to make the move stick this time around.

*Lap 64* – Collins continues to pressure Flockhart, but to no avail as yet. Moss is blocked again by Menditeguy, which has now brought Hawthorn some 1.4 seconds behind the duo.

*Lap 65* – Another lap for Salvadori holding up de Beaufort, which has now brought Chiron within 2.4 seconds of the pair of them…but then disaster strikes for the OSCA, as he pulls over to block Brooks and they collide! Both are damaged – though it looks like Brooks has come off slightly worse than his opponent, which means that Flockhart passes the pair of them with ease – while Collins is ahead of team-mate Brooks but still has Chiron in front of him.

Godia is also pushing Trintignant still, but is yet to make a move that puts the Porsche in any real difficulties…

*Lap 66* – Collins passes the ailing Chiron, who is now 13th – while Brooks in 14th is only 3.3 seconds ahead of Gould in 15th position. Moss challenges Menditeguy for 19th place, and as he is forced to brake due to the door being slammed in his face, which in turn hands the incentive to Hawthorn who claims 20th place with a pass around the outside at Scheivlak!

*Lap 67* – Salvadori continues to hold up de Beaufort, which is starting to bring Flockhart and Collins into contention for a place in the Top 10. Gould meanwhile is just 0.3 seconds behind the struggling Brooks and looking certain to overtake in the near future…

Hawthorn attempts a bold overtaking move around the outside at Bos Uit, which means that he and Menditeguy cross the line neck and neck…

*Lap 68* – …but Hawthorn manages to brake later and overtake Menditeguy at Tarzanbocht, which sees the Lotus resign himself to losing 19th position…but that resignation means he doesn’t defend the line into Hugenholtzbocht and that offers the chance for Moss to jump in and claim 20th place from the Argentine – who can at least console himself with the fact that he will likely finish as the lead Lotus this race.

Godia is blocked by Trintignant, as he pushes for 25th place.

*Lap 69* – Gould dives up the inside of Chiron, as he is eager to get past the OSCA…but it backfires significantly, as the two come together at Rob Slotemakerbocht, which causes further damage to Chiron but does a real number on Gould’s car! That allows Brooks to easily pass the Ferrari, who looks to be struggling with its steering at this late stage of the race…

Another effort by Godia is pure desperation, as he dives from ridiculously far back and gets nowhere near overtaking Trintignant!

*Lap 70* – The points positions look pretty set with 5 laps remaining, as the Maserati trio and Ferrari duo up front have been in a class of their own today. Brooks is providing the action right now, as he challenges Chiron for 13th at Bos Uit but cannot find a way past the OSCA. Fairman and Gibson are both now coming into contention for these positions as they are several seconds faster each and every lap!

*Lap 71* – It is absolute chaos in the fight for 13th place as Chiron defends from Brooks at Hondenvlak but is unable to prevent the Vanwall from getting past him – at the same time Gould is defending on the exit to Scheivlak from Fairman, who makes a frankly reckless move to pass into Hondenvlak, which causes both drivers to spin!

All of that means Brooks is now 13th (but with a little damage), Chiron is 14th (but quite heavily damaged), Fairman is 15th (with a little damage) and Gibson is now 16th as he follows Fairman through to pass Gould (who pulls into the pits to fix his damage and drops back to 19th place). Marsh is 17th now, with Hawthorn in 18th place ahead of Gould…with Moss narrowly behind the Ferrari now.

Godia is still pursuing Trintignant, but in his eagerness he becomes the latest man to cause a collision today after a dive up the inside at Tarzanbocht sees both cars sustain damage…though it will have little impact on the race, given that the Cooper is more damaged than the Porsche ahead and Gendebien behind is likely too far back to be able to catch the duo.

*Lap 72* – De Beaufort looks to have given up the fight with Salvadori after all these laps, which may well settle the final places inside the Top 10. Meanwhile Fairman easily passes Chiron for 14th and is just as easily followed through by Gibson as the OSCA drops down to 16th place. Gould is defending from Moss for 19th place, which is keeping Menditeguy in the mix with them.

*Lap 73* – Gibson looks to pass Fairman, who swerves wildly across to block the BRM at Hondenvlak – which only manages to cause yet ANOTHER collision!!! Fairman limps away with some fairly serious damage, while Gibson does get ahead to claim 14th from the Vanwall.

Further back another block by Gould on Moss now has Menditeguy within a second of this pair!

*Lap 74* – Flockhart is defending from Collins for 11th place, but the Vanwall is unable to make a move past the Cooper with time now running out for him as we enter the final lap…

*Lap 75* – Gerard claims the win, the fastest lap and the pole position to claim the 12th hat-trick of his illustrious career – and it gets better for the Maserati team as Piotti comes through in 2nd position with Bonnier in 3rd place to seal the Maserati 1-2-3 that puts them right back on the championship map!

Brabham and von Trips bolster their own championship challenges with points finishes here in 4th and 5th places respectively. Musso’s lonely race in 6th comes to an end, while Hill makes it a respectable race for BRM as he comes home in 7th place as the last man on the lead lap.

*1 LAP DOWN* – Behra finishes in 8th position after a solid race that sees him gain an impressive 13 positions on his starting slot. Salvadori completes a gritty drive to 9th position that saw him cover off pretty much every inch of the track at some point or another! De Beaufort was another gaining positions, as he moves up an incredible 14 places on his own starting position to come home within the Top 10.

Flockhart finishes 11th with a decent comeback drive after his coming together with Collins earlier in the race – though the Vanwall came mighty close to repeating that with a late lunge at Bos Uit that doesn’t come off. Brooks in 13th place had a tough finish to the race, but he does come home without incident…

…which is more than can be said for Gibson, as the BRM runs out of fuel and is forced to jump out and push his car over the line – during which time Fairman comes home 14th, Chiron a respectable 15th for OSCA, Marsh an impressive 16th for Connaught in his best race of the season so far and Hawthorn 17th after a strong comeback from his own fuel-related issues earlier on in the race.

Moss makes one final lunge at Panoramabocht, and who knows whether it is residual damage in the car or simply the Ferrari wanting to avoid another collision, but he doesn’t defend the line effectively enough and that gifts the Connaught 18th place from Gould in 19th and Menditeguy rounding out the Top 20.

*2 LAPS DOWN* – Gibson is still pushing his car, while Emery comes home 21st, McLaren finishes 22nd and Bridger 23rd before the BRM driver finally manages to haul his car over the start/finish line to be classified as the 24th finisher in the race.

Schell finishes 25th after a relatively lonely race, and a fairly forgettable one for the Porsche team.

*3 LAPS DOWN* – Trintignant finishes 26th from Godia 27th and Gendebien 28th in his first ever race in what can be considered a respectable debut.

*4 LAPS DOWN* – Scarlatti was way off the pace today but does at least bring the car home in one piece for the Lotus team, while Herrmann of course didn’t manage to make it past the first corner.

Watch this space for the next race, which will be the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa…

## Milestones

* 30th race entry for Carlos Menditeguy
* 20th race entry for Paco Godia
* 10th race entry for Paul Emery, Dick Gibson, Carel Godin de Beaufort and Masten Gregory (though there are some doubts over whether the latter will even enter this race)
* Salvadori up to 7th most entries ever (39 total), at the expense of Giuseppe Farina
* Trintignant up to 4th in Most Races without a Win, at the expense of Umberto Maglioli
* Menditeguy up to 8th in Most Races without a Win, at the expense of Luigi Villoresi
* Brooks up 9th in Most Races without Points, at the expense of Robert Manzon
* Emery, Gibson and de Beaufort make their 10th career starts
* Gerard won both this (the 1957 Dutch GP) and the 1953 Dutch GP; other past winners are Wharton (’55 - retired) and Whitehead (’52 - retired).
* Gerard takes his 12th hat-trick ever here!
* Points finish for von Trips is his 5th points finish in a row, which moves him up to the 10th best finishing streak in a row
* Points finish for Brabham is his 3rd points finish in a row
* FL at Zandvoort this time is Gerard (for the 1st time ever in the Netherlands), ’55 was Wharton (retired), ’53 was Ascari (retired) and ’52 was Whitehead (retired)
* Pole at Zandvoort this time is Gerard (also for the 1st time ever in the Netherlands), ’55 was Wharton (retired), ’53 was Bayol (retired) and ’52 was Whitehead (retired)