Verstappen eyes return to form in Dutch Grand Prix

After a month off for the summer break, Formula One is back as fans, drivers, and teams descend on the seaside resort of Zandvoort for Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix.

With 10 races to go, the championship is finely poised with Max Verstappen looking nervously over his shoulder at the chasing pack and competitors lining up to dethrone his Red Bull team from the constructors' crown.

AFP Sport takes a look at five talking points in the paddock ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix.

The biggest question is whether home favourite Verstappen can re-establish his dominance in front of his adoring Orange Army of fans.

The three-time champion has been unstoppable in recent years and cruised to last season's title with a staggering 19 Grand Prix victories.

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

Following last season's procession, Verstappen looked to be picking up where he left off, winning seven out of the first 10 races for a healthy championship lead.

But he hasn't taken the chequered flag since Spain in June, a "lean spell" of four races he hasn't experienced since 2020.

He still enjoys a 78-point lead over his nearest rival, Lando Norris from McLaren, but he will be keen to reassert himself to quash any pretenders to his crown.

Verstappen himself appeared relaxed about it, telling the team podcast before the break: "I honestly don't care about the records - when I'm sitting on the beach drinking gin and tonic I don't care about that, so I'll be fine!"

The main pretender to that crowd, 24-year-old British driver Norris, is enjoying a breakthrough year in a car that is much more competitive this season.

Norris secured a long-awaited maiden Grand Prix victory in Miami, holding off Verstappen and finally burying the cruel online nickname of "Lando NoWins."

The McLaren renaissance reached new heights with a first Grand Prix win for Oscar Piastri in Hungary in July, with the team securing a 1-2 on the podium for the first time since 2021.

The constructor's championship is even tighter than the drivers' race, Red Bull sitting just 42 points ahead of McLaren, with Ferrari only 21 points further back in third.