Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Alfa Romeo F1 Team C43 at the start of the race. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 14, Dutch Grand Prix, Sunday 27th August 2023. Zandvoort, Netherlands.
Formula 1’s Dutch Grand Prix has been suspended in the closing stages due to heavy rainfall, and a crash for Zhou Guanyu, at Zandvoort.
A light shower caused chaos during the early stages of the race on Sunday with the majority of the field diving into the pit lane for Intermediate tyres.
Conditions dried sufficiently for slick tyres to then be used, with Max Verstappen reclaiming a comfortable lead, ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez.
Rain began falling after 60 of 72 laps with the pack opting to take on Intermediate tyres as conditions deteriorated.
Several drivers went off as the rain intensified with Zhou burying his Alfa Romeo in the Turn 1 barriers.
Zhou was able to extricate himself from the wreckage but, after a brief deployment of the Virtual Safety Car, the red flag was flown.
There have been 65 of 72 laps completed.
Verstappen leads the race, ahead of Fernando Alonso and Perez, who went off at Turn 1 moments before Zhou.
Keyword: Dutch GP halted after heavy rain, Zhou crash