Dutch Grand Prix predictions: Max Verstappen to lose unbeaten home streak?

After an entertaining qualifying at Zandvoort, the race at the Dutch circuit promises to be another great battle between Max Verstappen and the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Strategies and the start will be key on a track where overtaking is tricky.

We have predicted the top 10 positions for the Dutch GP. And we encourage you, our readers, to make your own predictions for Sunday’s race as well!

Dutch Grand Prix predictions from P10 to P1

10. Lewis Hamilton

After a poor qualifying where he failed to make it through to Q3 and a three place grid penalty, Lewis Hamilton will start the race in P14 after Alex Albon was disqualified from qualifying for technical non-compliance.

It will be a very difficult race for Lewis totally out of position and he will have to make a good start and play with a different strategy to try to move up the field. Even so, thanks to the performance advantage over his closest rivals, we think he will be able to make a comeback and make it into the points, and who knows, maybe fight for something more.

9. Lance Stroll

A P9 for Lance would be the perfect end to a solid weekend for the Canadian driver after getting into Q3. Aston Martin has emerged as the fifth force and is very close to Ferrari at Zandvoort in terms of performance.

Stroll will start the race P8, but behind him he will have the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz and the Alpine of Pierre Gasly to put him in trouble. Still, Lance is in great form and the pace of the Aston Martin this weekend should allow him to score points in the Dutch Grand Prix.

8. Fernando Alonso

The Spanish driver had a great qualifying and will start from P7 on the grid. He may even be able to fight Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez at the start, but we don’t think the Aston Martin will be able to keep up with the pace for many laps.

However, it is possible that Alonso will be able to fight Ferrari, who are not having an easy weekend at Zandvoort. Everything will depend on the tyre wear and the real pace we see on track after a Friday with little running. Still, P8 would be a great result with both Aston Martins in the points.

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7. Carlos Sainz

Carlos Sainz will start the race in P10. Ahead of him will be Pierre Gasly’s Alpine and both Aston Martins. After a Friday of few laps for him, finishing P7 should be a positive and realistic result seeing that Ferrari is no match for Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes.

6. Sergio Perez

After a decent qualifying, we believe that Checo will still not find his best race pace form. This could be a blow for Red Bull who will once again see the gap to McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship drastically reduced.

Still, a P6 would be one of the Mexican driver’s best results since the Miami GP. To achieve it, he will have to keep Carlos Sainz and the Aston Martins behind. The big question is whether or not he will also be able to fight with Charles Leclerc for more than P6.

5. Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc has an interesting race ahead of him. At the start he will have to attack Sergio Perez, but given Ferrari’s poor pace this weekend he may struggle to maintain P5 at Zandvoort.

We think this is the highest position he is aiming for in an uneventful race, although Charles is always capable of pulling out extra potential in adverse situations.

4. George Russell

On paper, it should be a relatively quiet race for George Russell. But as has been the case in recent races, don’t rule out Mercedes finding some surprise race pace to fight off McLaren and Red Bull.

With Ferrari in the doldrums and, apparently, McLaren and Red Bull with superior pace, P4 should be the most realistic race position for Russell at Zandvoort.

3. Oscar Piastri

After a win in Hungary and a podium in Belgium, Oscar has another great chance to score another podium at Zandvoort. His aim will undoubtedly be to pass Max Verstappen at the start, but the Dutchman will certainly not give up in front of his home fans.

Lando Norris is not satisfied with Max Verstappen’s P2 finish to increase his chances of fighting for the Drivers’ Championship. Oscar Piastri is his best ally and McLaren will surely try a different strategy to Max’s if Oscar fails to overtake him on track. Even so, we don’t think it will be enough to beat the Red Bull driver.

2. Max Verstappen

Although with a good start he could be a clear candidate for the win, we think Max will have to settle for a P2 in his home race even if he is not happy with this. McLaren showed incredible pace both in qualifying and on Friday’s long runs.

Without Sergio Perez to help him, Max will either have to put in a strong performance to fight for the win or rely on the Red Bull pit wall for the strategy team to provide him with a good tactic to attack.

1. Lando Norris

After two particularly bad starts at the Spanish and Hungarian GPs, it’s third time lucky at Zandvoort! With a much shorter run down to the first corner than in Barcelona and Budapest, Norris’ chances of failure are reduced.

Furthermore, the great traction shown by the MCL38 should allow Lando to hold P1 on the first lap and, eventually, the rest of the race if the pace shown on Friday doesn’t disappoint. Undoubtedly, as in Hungary, the start will determine Norris’ fate at Zandvoort.

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