TRACKSIDE VIEW
Zandvoort isn’t just all about banking – no matter the enduring appeal of the awesome Hugenholtz, nor the new spectacle of the 2022 Formula 1 machines running through the final corner with DRS activated.
Autosport has again gone back into nature at the start of opening practice. We want to find a less-discussed but still vital section of the 2.65-mile track, so we climb across the dunes to reach the outside of the Turn 10 long, lefthand hairpin, where the cars turn across the usual North Sea wind and require a solid front end. On the way, a hare skips through the undergrowth behind the rapid Turn 7 Scheivlak right and later we’re festooned with yellow ladybirds. But the big beasts are already rumbling – the ground-effects cars getting to grips discovering their latest new environment.
From our vantage point, the exit of the preceding Turn 9 is also visible. It’s a tricky double-apex right, coming at the end of the ultra-fast, thrilling narrow run from Hugenholtz all the way through to mid-way around the second sector where the cars are braking from near top speed. There are two main challenges – hugging the white line around the outside of the second apex without going over, and then catching any oversteer snaps that follow the power going down when the rear is booted around as the drivers aim to get in shape for Turn 10 by quickly swinging right.
Daniel Ricciardo comes a cropper with the first Turn 9 exit challenge as the opening 10 minutes of FP1 ends, shortly before Max Verstappen’s gearbox failure causes a lengthy red flag. The Mclaren driver understeers slightly as he flirts with the white line – it’s enough to slide wide onto the dust and grass beyond, clipping a Turn 10 braking marker board as his excursion continues. The Australian’s efforts mean that when Sergio Perez does likewise 20 minutes later, there’s no polystyrene to hit – the marshals have cleared the debris during the stoppage. But Perez ends up so close to the wall it’s a reminder of how quickly this circuit can bite in response to any slight error.
Sebastian Vettel and Alex Albon are lighting up their rears most coming out of Turn 9 in the opening half of FP1 but, when it comes to nailing Turn 10, no one looks more at ease than Carlos Sainz. In the other Ferrari, Charles Leclerc is regularly needing two bites of the wheel, while Mclaren’s
Lando Norris can’t find a consistent line all session.
The difficulty at this point is keeping the car planted having swept right and braked sharply before the Turn 10 left entry. Late on, Valtteri Bottas demonstrates what can happen if that braking comes even a fraction too late – an oversteer snap sends his Alfa Romeo wide and wild. A fitting place, all things considered.
“IT REMINDS HOW QUICKLY THIS CIRCUIT CAN BITE IN RESPONSE TO ANY SLIGHT ERROR”