F1 Post Race Analysis: Netherlands 2022 — Norris Fights Alpine’s Two-Pronged Attack
After a weekend in the fast straights of Spa-Francorchamps, Formula 1 arrived at the sand dunes of Zandvoort for a change of pace and a track known more for its blind corners and extreme banking. Having lost ground to Alpine in the constructor’s championship, Zandvoort represented an opportunity for McLaren to claw some points back in the championship and generate some momentum. Why Zandvoort? The circuit’s characteristics play to the strengths of the McLaren — or rather it doesn’t play to its weaknesses being top-end speed. So how did the dust settle in this battle? Let’s jump straight into it.
You Can’t Hedge Your Bets With Only One Driver
Chart 1: Race Story — Cumulative Delta Plot
McLaren had the early advantage in the race thanks to a better qualifying than Alpine with Lando Norris in P7 trailed by Esteban Ocon in P12 and Fernando Alonso in P13. But this advantage disappeared quickly with Ocon climbing up to P9 by the end of the first lap. Clearing the early traffic was important for Ocon as it minimised the damage of getting bogged down in the dirty…
