Drivers question Dutch GP start procedure after Zandvoort chaos

Wet final corners turn Dutch GP start into a gamble

The opening lap of the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort was shaped by a narrow strip of standing water and a start procedure that left drivers facing a sharp change in grip. Rain had begun during the grid procedure, but much of the circuit was already drying by the time the race got underway.

Gabriel Bortoleto suffered a similar moment behind him but kept his Audi out of the wall. His team-mate Nico Hulkenberg also avoided a collision, despite immediately telling his team that he feared he was about to T-bone Bortoleto.

Drivers challenge the safety-car formation lap

The decision to complete one lap behind the safety car before a standing start came under scrutiny. Pierre Gasly argued that, if the race was going to use a standing start, a conventional formation lap would have allowed drivers to push harder and bring their slick tyres up to temperature more effectively.

Gasly said the FIA should have chosen between two clearer options: a normal formation lap followed by a standing start, or a rolling start with an additional safety-car lap. Liam Lawson shared that view, saying the combination of a safety-car lap and standing start appeared likely to create trouble before the race had even begun.

The debate follows earlier discussion around conditions at Zandvoort, including the Dutch GP strategy options, where changing grip was already identified as a central factor.

FIA explains its decision

The FIA said race control acted on the information available before the start. The medical car completed a reconnaissance lap and reported standing water at Turns 2 and 3, including the banked Hugenholtz corner. That prompted the decision to use a safety-car formation lap while keeping both a standing and rolling start available.

Carlos Sainz, however, felt a rolling start would not necessarily have changed the outcome because the wet section came late in the lap and the cars were already running one by one. Lawson stressed that he had deliberately lifted and left more margin in the final corner. Verstappen, meanwhile, rejected external explanations: for him, the incident was simply a mistake.