Max Verstappen receives welcome boost despite Zandvoort struggles
Red Bull are capable of a turnaround but this one would have to be special(Credit: Red Bull Content Pool)
20:51, 21 Aug
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A divergence in tyre strategy at the Dutch Grand Prix has left suppliers Pirelli stumped.
With just a single practice session at Zandvoort due to it being a sprint race weekend, time on the track on Friday was more crucial than ever.
Rain is incredibly unpredictable next to the North Sea this weekend, but a dry Friday left intermediate tyres under wraps.
However, Red Bull opted to use their hard tyre during running, a divergence in strategy from their rivals that could well end up helping Max Verstappen.
The Austrian team had a disappointing day overall, with Verstappen finishing sixth in sprint qualifying and substitute teammate Liam Lawson in 11th.
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Yet Pirelli’s Chief Engineer, Simone Berra, told GPblog and others that Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren perhaps should have followed their lead.
Pirelli surprised by Verstappen's F1 rivals
He explained: “I think I'm more surprised about the other teams. They didn't use the hard.
“Probably they were a little bit scared about the conditions of the track because it was a little bit damp in places at the start of the session, and so they preferred lower working range compounds compared to the C2.”
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Berra then went on to suggest the call could well end up benefiting Red Bull in the long run.
Pirelli could play a huge role this weekend (Photo: Race Pictures)
How Red Bull's tyre call could help Verstappen
He continued: “Considering the degradation is in line with our expectations, the one-stop is on the table at the moment, and is the top strategy.
“I'm a bit surprised about Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes keeping the two sets of hard.
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“It could make sense if we think that the intervention of the safety car under these new regulations is higher in probability. So they would probably like to keep a new set of hard compounds in case of neutralisations in the middle of the race when they have already done the pit stop, for example.
“So that could be the only reason that I see for that. Otherwise, I don't think that starting the race with two hards, on paper, is the fastest one.”
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Dutch Grand Prix
Overview
Friday 21.08.26
Practice 1
10:30 AM
Sprint Qualification
02:30 PM
Saturday 22.08.26
Sprint Race
10:00 AM
Qualification
02:00 PM
Sunday 23.08.26
Race
01:00 PM
Friday 21.08.26
Practice 1
Fri 10:30 AM
Sprint Qualification
Fri 02:30 PM
Saturday 22.08.26
Sprint Race
Sat 10:00 AM
Qualification
Sat 02:00 PM
Sunday 23.08.26
Race
Sun 01:00 PM
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F1-stand 2026
Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 219 | |
2 | FerrariFER | 169 | |
3 | MercedesMER | 160 | |
4 | FerrariFER | 138 | |
5 | McLarenMCL | 128 | |
6 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 109 | |
7 | McLarenMCL | 92 | |
8 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 68 | |
9 | Racing BullsRCB | 43 | |
10 | AlpineALP | 42 |
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