Defending champion Max Verstappen returns from F1’s month-long summer break in his home race at the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend, still holding a healthy 78-point lead in the standings.
However, the Red Bull star has been going through his worst spell since 2020 and has not won any of the last four races.
He will be keen to put that right at Zandvoort, where he has won in each of the last three seasons, but McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari will again present some stiff opposition.
- MAX VERSTAPPEN TO WIN
- OSCAR PIASTRI EACH-WAY
- DANIEL RICCIARDO POINTS FINISH
Verstappen Can Return To Winning Ways
If Max Verstappen's winless run extends to five races with another failure in the Dutch Grand Prix, his title rivals will really get excited as he has dominated at his home track since it returned to the F1 schedule in 2021.
Verstappen has won all three modern races at the coastal circuit from pole position and his recent struggles mean he can be backed at generous odds to make it four in a row in what will be the 200th grand prix of his career.
The Red Bull ace will be happy enough that his rivals have been sharing the wins around - Lewis Hamilton has won two of the last four rounds, with George Russell and Oscar Piastri taking one each - and his closest title rival Lando Norris will be frustrated after missing several golden opportunities to reduce the gap.
Verstappen's performance in Spa last time out was strong enough as he was easily the fastest in qualifying, but by then he knew his weekend would be ruined by a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his engine allocation for the season.
The Dutch driver made good progress to take fourth from 11th on the grid and still gained ground on Norris, who was fifth despite having started seven places ahead of the champion.
MAX VERSTAPPEN TO WIN
Piastri Should Be In The Mix
Oscar Piastri got his first F1 win on the board in Hungary and was a close second at Spa, so he looks a solid each-way bet for the race in the Netherlands.
McLaren have looked to have the best overall package at most recent rounds but strategic blunders and poor starts by Norris have seen them fail to make the most of their potential.
There's no reason to expect them to take a step back at Zandvoort, but with Norris having a mediocre record of 10th, seventh and seventh in the three races at the track, it could again be the young Australian who leads their challenge.
Piastri has finished in the top four at the last four races and will want to show he can win on his own merits after some of the shine was taken off his Budapest success by a team orders controversy.
OSCAR PIASTRI EACH-WAY
Ricciardo Targeting Strong Finish
Daniel Ricciardo will be doing everything he can to catch the eye of the Red Bull management in the remaining races as Sergio Perez continues to disappoint as Verstappen's team-mate and his RB team finished the first portion of the season in decent shape.
The Red Bull junior squad had one car in the points at each of the last four races, with Ricciardo being the driver in the top 10 in Austria and Belgium.
With further upgrades expected to improve their car, they should be able to stay in the hunt for the minor points positions.
Ricciardo didn't make the start in this race last year after breaking his hand in a crash in practice, but looks set to have a more enjoyable weekend this time.
DANIEL RICCIARDO POINTS FINISH
