2024 F1 Round 15 Dutch GP FP3: Fiery Sargeant crash causes 43-minute red flag, 18 drivers set times

Third practice for Round 15 of the 2024 Formula 1 season, the Dutch Grand Prix, took place at Zandvoort on the evening of 24 August, Beijing time. A major crash and fire involving Williams’ Logan Sargeant brought out a red flag for around 43 minutes, leaving little meaningful practice running. Eighteen drivers set times, and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was the only one to complete a double-digit lap total. In the final two minutes after the restart, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly posted a 1m20.311s to claim top spot on a timesheet that resembled a lottery. Neither RB’s Yuki Tsunoda nor Red Bull’s Sergio Perez completed a timed lap.

Just over ten minutes into the session, which began in light rain, Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg locked his brakes and went straight into the barriers at Turn 11. He had been among the first out on wet tyres, aiming to check the repairs to the car he had crashed the previous day, but this latest incident undid the team’s overnight efforts. Haas had drawn on its allowance of two curfew exemptions per season to carry out those repairs. Hulkenberg was also summoned to the stewards for a suspected breach of Article 26.10 of the Sporting Regulations after driving his damaged car back to the pits, with a hearing due after the session.

Three minutes later, misfortune struck Sargeant. He ran onto the grass on the exit of Turn 3, lost control and hit the barriers at Turn 4, with flames then rising from the rear of the car. Sargeant climbed out unaided, but Williams had less than three hours left, with potential damage to the gearbox, power unit and even the survival cell. The mechanics faced an almost impossible task. The barriers were badly damaged and repairs took a long time, with the session resuming only when two minutes remained.

There was another incident in the congested pit lane. Verstappen received a black-and-white warning flag after passing Piastri, going around the outside of a Mercedes and crossing the white line at the pit exit. Eighteen drivers ultimately set times: Magnussen was second, 0.139s behind Gasly, with Bottas third and Norris fourth. Hamilton and Verstappen completed only three laps apiece. Sargeant’s car could not be repaired in time, meaning he would miss the subsequent qualifying session.

Qualifying was scheduled for 21:00 that evening, Beijing time.