ZANDVOORT, Netherlands: After a month-long summer break, Formula 1 is back and fans, drivers and teams are flocking to the seaside resort of Zandvoort on Sunday for the Dutch Grand Prix.

With ten races to go, the championship is within reach. Max Verstappen looks nervously over his shoulder at the pursuers and competitors lining up to dethrone his Red Bull team from the constructors’ title.

Here are the five talking points in the paddock ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix.

The biggest question is whether local hero Verstappen can restore his dominance in front of his adoring Orange Army fans.

The three-time champion has been unstoppable in recent years, taking the title last season with an incredible 19 Grand Prix victories.

The 26-year-old Dutchman has also been unbeatable on his home track since returning from Zandvoort to the Grand Prix circuit, winning in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

After his success last season, Verstappen seemed to be able to pick up where he left off, winning seven of the first ten races and comfortably leading the championship.

But he hasn’t seen the checkered flag since the race in Spain in June, a four-race dry spell he hasn’t experienced since 2020.

He still has a 78-point lead over his biggest rival, McLaren’s Lando Norris, but he will be doing everything he can to prevail again and eliminate all contenders for his crown.

Verstappen himself seemed to take the matter in his stride and said in the team podcast before the break: “I honestly don’t care about the records – if I’m sitting on the beach drinking gin and tonic, I don’t care, so I’ll be fine!”

The biggest candidate in this group, 24-year-old Briton Norris, is making his breakthrough this year in a car that is much more competitive this season.

Norris secured his long-awaited first Grand Prix victory in Miami, beating Verstappen and finally putting to rest the cruel online nickname “Lando NoWins”.

The McLaren renaissance reached new heights with Oscar Piastri’s maiden Grand Prix victory in Hungary in July, with the team securing a one-two podium finish for the first time since 2021.

The constructors’ championship is even closer than the drivers’ championship: Red Bull is only 42 points ahead of McLaren, with Ferrari in third place, just 21 points behind.

This is mainly due to the disappointing season of Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, who suffered a dramatic drop in form.

Since the Miami Grand Prix in early May, he has never finished higher than eighth, retiring twice and finishing 17th at Silverstone in July.

In the uncompromising world of Formula 1, this inevitably led to speculation about whether he would be able to keep his seat.

Red Bull has publicly expressed its support for the Mexican, but Perez will be aiming for a podium finish at Zandvoort to impress the notoriously ruthless team boss Christian Horner.

“I know what we can get out of the car in the coming weeks and we will do our best to make the most of the second half of 2024,” said Perez before the race.

Perez’s position is not the only question mark ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, as the rumour mill is in full swing.

Since seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton surprisingly announced a move to Ferrari for next season, speculation about his place at Mercedes has been at full speed.

Team boss Toto Wolff has promised an announcement “in the summer” and would prefer to bring Verstappen to the Silver Arrows himself.

The 17-year-old young driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli was mentioned as a possible candidate to complement George Russell, but Wolff said he might still be too young.

Carlos Sainz, who is being replaced by Hamilton at Ferrari, announced last month that he would sign with Williams despite saying the driver market was “extraordinarily complex”.

Regardless of Verstappen’s racing success, you can expect the traditional “sea of ​​orange” of his fanatical Dutch fans at the Zandvoort circuit, just a stone’s throw from the beach.

Like the famous Silverstone, the circuit opened in 1948 and hosted its first Grand Prix in 1952. It hosted regular races until 1985, when the event was shelved.

Zandvoort made a triumphant comeback in 2021, winding its 4.2-kilometer (2.6-mile) circuit through the Dutch dunes.

The drivers will complete 72 laps in around two hours. Last year’s race had to be abandoned due to a sudden downpour. Even though the weather forecast for Sunday is promising, the unpredictable weather on the Dutch coast could still play a role.