Formula 1: The Dutch Grand Prix experience, from the eyes of a fan

Sunday

The first race for the F1 Academy was moved to 8:30 in the morning, but that was too early for my liking, so I decided to get some extra sleep in. I made it in time for the second race, which began at 10:45.

With Doriane Pin on pole, I had high hopes, given the fact that Abbi Pulling had converted her pole position to victory in the first race. The French driver did exactly that, taking her first victory since the race in Jeddah.

Bianca Bustamante was quite quick throughout the race and made up quite a few positions. She seemed to be a fan-favorite. I had the privilege of meeting her in Miami and it made sense why she was nearly everyone’s favorite F1 Academy driver.

After that, I got my first chance of the weekend to watch Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. This series was quite large, with 28 cars on the grid, meaning lots of action. The race delivered, providing fans with lots of overtakes and some contact between drivers here and there. A couple of safety cars came about, resulting in some DNFs. These cars seemed to be fairly bulky, and their speed seemed similar to that of the Formula 1 Academy cars.

I stayed in my seat for the driver's parade shortly thereafter, and I was very excited to see all 20 drivers up close. They were riding on a float that was beautifully decorated with thousands of flowers. Luckily, I managed to get close-up pictures of George Russell, Lando Norris, Nico Hulkenberg, and Max Verstappen.

I sped toward the F1 Academy paddock hoping to get some pictures with the drivers. It was quite crowded, and all teams began taking down their garages. Bianca Bustamante had the biggest crowd yet again, and it appeared she was giving a tour to some fans with garage access. I patiently waited my turn for a picture and autograph with her. It felt so surreal that she is younger than I am and is on such a big stage.

The Al Qubaisi sisters were in their garage as well, but without much of a crowd. I managed to get a picture with both and had a nice conversation with Amna. Though she did not have the best of weekends, the Virginia-born driver was very excited for the F1 Academy’s next race in Singapore. She told me that street circuits are her favorite.

With the race starting soon, I was so excited. All grandstands were filled, and each seat was decorated with flags resembling the Netherlands national flag. The formation lap sparked a roar, with the Max Verstappen song playing in the background.

As all 19 cars made their way onto the grid, with Kevin Magnussen starting from the pit lane, the energy could be felt all around. The camera zeroed in on the famous Rolex clock as its time changed to 3:00 pm, and on the lights as they went on and began counting down.

Once the lights went out, the crowd roared as all cars sped forward. Yet again, Lando Norris lost the lead going into turn one, and all I could do was laugh. I find it so bizarre that he has never held the lead into the first turn from pole position.

I was praying that Lewis Hamilton would make up as many places as possible. Though he qualified P12, he was handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding Sergio Perez during qualifying. He moved up to P14 once Alex Albon was excluded from qualifying due to an illegal floor specification.

The seven-time world champion was one of three drivers who started the race on soft tires, so I was hoping for many overtakes from him. Hamilton produced a fantastic stint on the softs, making his way into the points, and he even made his tires last longer than some drivers who started on the medium tires.

Despite being surrounded by Verstappen fans, I jumped with joy as Russell overtook Oscar Piastri on the opening lap. Norris soon took the lead again and never looked back, as he continued to build the gap between himself and the home favorite.

Once both Mercedes drivers switched to the hard tires, things became bleak. Both Russell and Hamilton did not have much pace, and it was rough to watch Russell get overtaken and fall out of a podium place.

Toward the final stint of the race, both of them boxed for soft tires in the hope of achieving more pace. However, it turned out poorly, as both drivers were unable to catch up to Sergio Perez. A P7 and P8 finish for the Silver Arrows was something I did not expect. I had honestly hoped for better, considering how strong the team had looked heading into the summer break. 

With Norris taking his second career victory by a whopping 22+ seconds, I was honestly shocked. It seemed to be quite the coincidence that the only two races I have ever attended also happened to be the first two wins for the British driver. I plan to be in Monza this weekend as well, so it will be interesting if Norris takes the win again. I might be the lucky charm for Lando.