Five Things to Watch as F1 Returns for Dutch Grand Prix

After a month off for the summer break, Formula One is back as fans, drivers, and teams descend on the seaside resort of Zandvoort for Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix.
With 10 races to go, the championship is finely poised with Max Verstappen looking nervously over his shoulder at the chasing pack and competitors lining up to dethrone his Red Bull team from the constructors' crown.
AFP Sport takes a look at five talking points in the paddock ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix.
Back to the Max?
The biggest question is whether home favorite Verstappen can re-establish his dominance in front of his adoring Orange Army of fans.
The three-time champion has been unstoppable in recent years and cruised to last season's title with a staggering 19 Grand Prix victories.
The 26-year-old Dutchman has also been untouchable on his home track since Zandvoort returned to the Grand Prix circuit, winning in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Following last season's procession, Verstappen looked to be picking up where he left off, winning seven out of the first 10 races for a healthy championship lead.
But he hasn't taken the checkered flag since Spain in June, a "lean spell" of four races he hasn't experienced since 2020.
He still enjoys a 78-point lead over his nearest rival, Lando Norris from McLaren, but he will be keen to reassert himself to quash any pretenders to his crown.
Verstappen himself appeared relaxed about it, telling the team podcast before the break: "I honestly don't care about the records – when I'm sitting on the beach drinking gin and tonic I don't care about that, so I'll be fine!"
McLaren resurgence
The main pretender to that crowd, 24-year-old British driver Norris, is enjoying a breakthrough year in a car that is much more competitive this season.
Norris secured a long-awaited maiden Grand Prix victory in Miami, holding off Verstappen and finally burying the cruel online nickname of "Lando NoWins."
The McLaren renaissance reached new heights with a first Grand Prix win for Oscar Piastri in Hungary in July, with the team securing a 1-2 on the podium for the first time since 2021.
Perez woes
The constructor's championship is even tighter than the drivers' race, Red Bull sitting just 42 points ahead of McLaren, with Ferrari only 21 points further back in third.
Much of this is down to a disappointing season from Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, who has suffered a dramatic loss of form.
Since the Miami Grand Prix in early May, he has registered no higher than eighth, twice failing to finish and trailing in 17th at Silverstone in July.
In the uncompromising world of Formula One, this has inevitably led to speculation over whether he can retain his seat.
Red Bull have publicly stated their support for the Mexican but Perez will want a podium place at Zandvoort to impress famously ruthless team principal Christian Horner.
"I know what we can extract from the car in the coming weeks and we will do our best to maximize the second half of 2024," said Perez before the race.
'Musical seats'
Perez's position is not the only question mark heading into the Dutch Grand Prix as the mercato rumor mill goes into overdrive.
Since seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton announced a surprise switch to Ferrari for next season, speculation over his Mercedes spot has been at fever pitch.
Team principal Toto Wolff has promised an announcement "in the summer" and would love to bring Verstappen himself to the Silver Arrows.
At just 17, junior driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been mentioned as a possible candidate to join George Russell but Wolff suggested he might still be too young.
Carlos Sainz, who will be replaced by Hamilton at Ferrari, announced last month he would sign for Williams amid what he said was an "exceptionally complex" drivers' market.
Orange by the sea
Regardless of Verstappen's race fortunes, expect the traditional "sea of orange" from his fanatical Dutch fans at the Zandvoort track, a stone's throw from the beach.
Like the famous Silverstone, the track was opened in 1948 and welcomed its first Grand Prix in 1952 with races periodically staged there until 1985 when it was shelved.
Zandvoort enjoyed a triumphant comeback in 2021, undulating through the Dutch dunes along its 4.2 kilometers (2.6 miles) circuit length.
The drivers will complete 72 laps in around two hours. A sudden downpour stopped last year's race and while Sunday's forecast is set fair, unpredictable Dutch seaside weather could yet play a role.

Max Verstappen has won every Dutch Grand Prix from pole position since his home race returned to the Formula One calendar in 2021 but Red Bull's triple world champion faces a tough test this weekend.

Zandvoort has become a seaside party for Verstappen's revved-up Orange Army but this time the 26-year-old is on his longest losing streak in four years.

Mercedes have won three of the last four races and Verstappen, who leads by 78 points with 10 rounds remaining, has not stood on top of the podium since Spain on June 23.

In fact, he has had only one podium appearance since Barcelona.

Sunday will be Verstappen's 200th start in Formula One, making him the youngest driver to reach that milestone, and the only F1 winner at Zandvoort in his own lifetime wants to make it even more memorable.

"It is always a fantastic atmosphere, and the fans are incredible, so it is a special one for me," he said, declaring himself refreshed and ready for the second half of the season after the August break.

"We are looking forward to the week ahead and hopefully we can be fighting for the win."

Mexican teammate Sergio Perez, the only driver from the top four teams yet to win this season, has a new race engineer with regular Hugh Bird going on paternity leave and Richard Wood standing in.

"I know what we can extract from the car in the coming weeks and we will do our best to maximize the second half of 2024," said Perez, whose poor form has put Red Bull at risk in the constructors' standings.

McLaren are only 42 points adrift with Australian Oscar Piastri taking a win and two seconds from his last four races while British teammate Lando Norris remains second overall despite costly mistakes.

HAMILTON REVIVAL

Mercedes' seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton has won two of the last three, after teammate George Russell was disqualified from first in Belgium just before the break.

The 39-year-old Ferrari-bound Briton has scored more points than any driver in the last four races but is 127 behind Verstappen.

"We know we have ground to make up. We are not yet able to compete for victories at every Grand Prix," team boss Toto Wolff cautioned.

"We have made good steps in improving the W15's weaknesses though and will continue to work hard to take more. If we can do so, then we will close the gap to those ahead in both championships."

Ferrari's campaign may be firing up again too, with Monaco winner Charles Leclerc on pole again in Belgium and finishing third after fourth place in Hungary.

With a home race at Monza immediately after Zandvoort, the Ferrari fans will be looking for positive signs.

Further back, Renault-owned Alpine will mark a year since their last podium appearance and with a new team boss -- Oliver Oakes -- making his debut as replacement for Bruno Famin.

Five Things to Watch as F1 Returns for Dutch Grand Prix