FORMULA ONE
What happened in Sargeant’s accident?
The Williams caught fire, with no injuries to the driver, and the final practice at Zandvoort was condensed into one minute. Alonso was fifth, having been fastest before the crash.
During the third and final practice session of the Dutch GP, there was a major accident involving Logan Sargeant. Fortunately, the driver was unharmed, but the Williams FW46 caught fire after Sargeant lost control of the car and crashed into the side protections of the track. The incident occurred when Sargeant’s car skidded onto the grass at the exit of turn three.
The car, which Carlos Sainz will drive in 2025, began to emit smoke, but the fire extinguishers arrived in time to prevent further damage. The red flag was raised, and the session was suspended for about three-quarters of an hour due to the incident.
There was barely enough time to go out again for two minutes because the repair work on the guardrail was extensive. Limited data is available for qualifying at Zandvoort, which may contribute to the excitement. Additionally, there is a slight chance of rain on Saturday afternoon, which becomes more likely after Q3 when the cars are already off the track.
How were the standings after the final practice at the Dutch GP?
Alonso was the fastest in the morning session with the Aston Martin, although only ten drivers had set times before a serious incident occurred. The Spaniard was almost four-tenths of a second faster than Piastrifour-tenths and nearly half a second faster than Stroll. The track conditions were challenging, as it had rained in the morning, and only intermediate tires were used. Although the wind has stopped on the Dutch beach, the weather is still unpleasant. Despite the rain, Alonso felt quite comfortable, as always.
During the final minute of practice at Zandvoort, many drivers were able to improve their lap times as the sun was already rising. Gasly set the fastest time, followed by Magnussen and Bottas. Alonso finished in fifth place without completing another lap. Sainz finished in 10th place, two seconds behind, but the conditions were not optimal due to heavy traffic and water spots on the track.
Verstappen even received a black and white warning flag for overtaking cars in the pit lane exit lane and crossing the white line on the way out. There are a lot of hot nerves in the champion’s garage. After winning the last three visits to his circuit, he’s having much more difficulty this year.