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The 2023 F1 Dutch GP marks the return of the sport after the summer break F1. The season has had its fair share of ups and downs, with Red Bull's dominance and the magnitude of it surprising quite a few. Before the summer break, the Austrian team had a perfect record of 12 wins in 12 races.
The second half of the season begins in Max Verstappen's backyard as the Dutch driver will try to equal Sebastian Vettel's record of nine consecutive wins in F1.
With the weather expected to play a role this weekend, what can we expect from the 2023 F1 Dutch GP race weekend? Let's take a look.
2023 F1 Dutch GP: Preview
Key Storylines
#1 Max Verstappen targets Sebastian Vettel's record
It would be a huge accomplishment if Max Verstappen is able to accomplish this feat. Winning nine races in a row is no joke and one has to have all the ducks align to have something like this happen.
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Having said that, Verstappen is clearly the favorite to win 2023 F1 Dutch GP and he has been undefeated at this venue in the last couple of years.
One would back to level this record but fortune can be a very interesting thing in the sport.
#2 The possible protest and disruption from climate change activists
The climate change activists have already put together multiple protests and there has been no sign of slowing down from them.
Heading into the 2023 F1 Dutch GP, extra security will be needed to be put in place because if the threats are real it could be a serious safety concern.
We had something similar last season in Silverstone, let's hope we don't have it here.
#3 Upgrades galore for Red Bull's chasing pack
Both Aston Martin and Ferrari are expected to bring upgrades for their challengers to this race. The Silverstone-based team is under serious pressure right now with the kind of dip it had in form since Austria.
On the other hand, Ferrari will be hoping that the slow-speed nature of the track helps the team and the upgrades brought have an intended impact.
It will be interesting to see where these two teams find themselves in the pecking order at the 2023 F1 Dutch GP.
Form guide
In form
It's hard to look beyond Max Verstappen at the moment, The Dutch driver is on an eight-race winning streak and has not shown signs of losing focus at any point in time.
A record ninth consecutive race win beckons and it will be interesting to see if he faces any kind of challenge this weekend.
Out of form
Aston Martin comes to mind when we think of out-of-form teams because of the manner in which its form has slumped since Austria. The team went from challenging Red Bull for a win in Canada to complete anonymity somehow.
There are a few upgrades lined up for the 2023 F1 Dutch GP and it will be interesting to see how much of an impact they have.
2023 F1 Dutch GP: Predictions
Who wins the race?
This one's a no-brainer right now. It takes a brave (foolish?) person to pick against Max Verstappen winning a race this season.
The track at Zandvoort is not the best for Red Bull as the team does not hold the same advantage on slower-speed sections. There could be a potential challenge from Mercedes and McLaren in qualifying but the races are a completely different league at the moment.
Of course, rain could spice things up a bit more but Max Verstappen hasn't shown any vulnerability in those conditions.
The surprise of the weekend (Team)
The one track we could draw correlations with for Zandvoort is the Hungaroring and one team that shined out of nowhere was Alfa Romeo.
Unless it rains, which would result in conditions that Bottas does not truly excel in, we could see the Swiss team putting together an impressive run at the 2023 F1 Dutch GP.
The surprise of the weekend (Driver)
The first half of the season was not an impressive one for George Russell. He got dominated in a manner against Lewis Hamilton that was somewhat surprising after the kind of season he had put together in 2022.
The driver will be coming to Zandvoort determined and hoping to put the first half of the season behind him. We're picking George as the surprise of the weekend as we expect the young driver to take back the initiative from his teammate.
Disappointment of the weekend (Team)
Aston Martin was very impressive at the start of the season. The way Alonso raked up podiums was impressive to watch. Since Austria, however, the team has taken a major step back and it's hurt the overall results.
The 2023 F1 Dutch GP is supposed to be the race that the team is looking at with the hope of getting back to its lost glory. Unfortunately, car performances don't transform overnight and we're heading for a not-so-impressive weekend for the team.
Disappointment of the weekend (Driver)
Sergio Perez put together an improved showing in Spa and will be heading to Zandvoort more confident. However, he might not be looking at a great result this weekend. Red Bull is not expected to hold a sweeping advantage over everyone this weekend.
The qualifying session is going to be very close and rain could make things even more tricky. These are just the conditions in which Perez has found a lot of trouble this season. The 2023 F1 Dutch GP could feature Sergio Perez having a bad qualifying and a damage-limiting race. A podium could be out of reach as well.
