Will Verstappen’s domination of his home race end? Five Dutch GP talking points · RaceFans

Formula 1 was in competitive shape when it went into its summer break, with four different drivers tasting victory in the last five rounds.

Max Verstappen’s healthy lead in the drivers’ championship looks unlikely to be overturned, but that doesn’t mean he can expect to have things his way at his home round.

Here are the talking points for this weekend’s race.

Four in a row for Verstappen?

Verstappen has stamped his authority all over his home race since the Dutch Grand Prix returned to the calendar three years ago. No one else has started from pole position or won at Zandvoort during that time.

But he is up against it as he returns to the Dutch seaside track this year. He went into the summer break having failed to win any of the previous five races.

Of course for Verstappen there would be nowhere better to end his win-less run than on home asphalt. By Sunday evening, he will either have ended his longest losing streak for four years, or the Dutch Grand Prix will a new winner.

Are Mercedes taking over?

Mercedes have now won three of the last four races. The first of those, in Austria, was aided by Verstappen’s collision with Lando Norris, but the W15s were arguably the cars to beat at Silverstone and Spa.

Indeed, their latest victory came without the new upgrade the team brought to Belgium. Mercedes opted not to run the new parts due to an inconclusive day of running on Friday and the added complication of rain on Saturday.

However Mercedes intend to try the new parts again this weekend, and it may prove another step forward for a car which has made regular improvements in recent races and has the potential to become the class of the field.

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Alpine’s latest leader

For the second year in a row, Alpine arrive at the Dutch Grand Prix with a new team principal. This weekend’s race will be their first under the leadership of Oliver Oakes, who previously led junior outfit Hitech, which races in Formula 2, Formula 3 and elsewhere.

Alpine scored their most recent podium finish at this race 12 months ago, courtesy of Pierre Gasly. But they have had little to celebrate since then – that one third place bagged them more points than they’ve taken over the whole of 2024 so far.

It’s hard to imagine the team will repeat last year’s feat. Oakes is likely to face fewer questions over the team’s…