The Dutch GP 2023 was looking extremely good for all Mercedes-powered cars. Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, both McLarens, and both Williams looked rapid throughout the weekend. However, a tricky Q3 session delivered the first big shock of the weekend. Lewis Hamilton was knocked out of Q2 after a scruffy qualifying. Meanwhile, both Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant made it to Q3.
Lewis Hamilton suffers horrifying exit at the Dutch GP
The Dutch GP qualifying was another wet-to-dry session in 2023. This meant that the last lap had to count for each driver. Lewis Hamilton had a very scruffy Q1 as he kept running into traffic. He barely made it out of Q1.
This shocked a lot of people because Lewis Hamilton was one of the favourites for pole position at the Dutch GP. However, people expected him to bounce back. What happened next in Q2 left everyone shocked. The track had become visibly dry in Q2, which meant the car needed different tyre pressures.
Lewis Hamilton complained about this and still looked strong. He came into the pits for a new set of intermediate tyres. However, Mercedes didn’t time his release well. This led him out of sync with the field and he was one of the first to complete his lap. In a session where the track kept improving each lap, this was a big mistake. Ultimately, it led to Lewis getting eliminated in Q2 of the Dutch GP.
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Both Williams make it to Q3
While Mercedes suffered a horrifying shock, their customer team had a pleasant one in store at the Dutch GP. Williams had looked strong the whole weekend. Unlike Silverstone and Belgium, they didn’t let the tricky conditions take away their mojo.
Before the Dutch GP, Logan Sargeant was the only driver to not have made it into Q3. He corrected that stat at the first possible opportunity. He joined his experienced teammate Alex Albon in Q3 at the Dutch GP.
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Williams has been a team on the rise in 2023. And their performance at the Dutch GP has earmarked how far the team has come.
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