“Been offline but never off. Head down for the second half of the season 🤙🏾” Just two days after sending his rivals a warning shot and hinting at a possible comeback, Lewis Hamilton is all set for the Dutch GP this weekend. As Formula 1 returns after its annual summer break, every team and driver is rejuvenated, pumped, and ready to go. And there’s no better track than Zandvoort to get back into racing mode.

With 10 races in 13 weekends to close off the season, F1 is heading to the land of Max Verstappen for Round 14. The fast-paced Circuit Zandvoort, with all its undulations, is as much tricky as it is fun to race at. And Mercedes is ready to take on the challenge.

Lewis Hamilton sets the scene for the Dutch GP

The first half of the season was predominantly one to forget for the seven-time champion and Mercedes. Except for a pole position in Hungary and a couple of podiums, the Brackley outfit didn’t have much to celebrate and had a lot of work to do heading into the break. Well, from what it’s posted on PETRONAS Motorsports’ YouTube channel, the team, Hamilton, and George Russell are all set to get back into the game, hoping to make amends in the second half.

In the video, Hamilton and Russell took turns debriefing the track, explaining everything that plays out during a lap at Circuit Zandvoort. Here’s what they said: “Round 14. Circuit Zandvoort, The Netherlands. 4.252 kilometer track. 72 laps, full of high-speed corners. High downforce required. Old school. A mix of corner speed, undulations, gravel traps. Banked turns affecting fuel flow. 5.2G through Turn 7. One of the highest lateral G-forces of the season. The last corner: 19 degrees of banking. Twice as steep as Indianapolis. The third-quickest lap time of the season behind only the Red Bull Ring and Interlagos.”

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When a new and improved Zandvoort returned to the F1 calendar in 2021, it brought opportunities for great racing, especially with its banked corners allowing drivers to take different lines through corners. As cool as it looks, it’s also very hard on the drivers, with them enduring tremendous amounts of G-forces. Needless to say, they’re all ready for the challenge. In the words of the Mercedes drivers, “Hold on. The Dutch Grand Prix. Mission: Active.” As ready as Hamilton is for the Dutch GP, the feeling is mutual.

The Dutch GP is ready to welcome Lewis Hamilton with open arms

Zandvoort is the home of the Orange Army—Verstappen’s dedicated fanbase. As dedicated as they are, their actions can also get out of hand at times, like they did at the 2022 Austrian GP. There were accusations against the Orange Army for homophobic and racist abuse and sexist catcalling. To avoid a similar situation at Zandvoort, the organizers have taken steps to keep the fans in check. 

The race’s director, Imre van Leeuwen, said, “I would be really disappointed in our fans if, as a Ferrari or Lewis Hamilton fan, you wouldn’t feel safe. That’s totally unacceptable, and we won’t let it happen.” After making this statement, the official Instagram handle of the Dutch GP commented on a post Hamilton shared that featured pictures from his trip to Cappadocia, Turkey. It wrote, “See you soon Lewis!👊🏽”

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Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, the Dutch GP, and F1 are excited to return to racing. Are you?