When Max Verstappen sent Holland into raptures to win his first-ever Dutch GP
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Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen completely dominated Belgium: Starting 14th, he was already in the lead by lap 12, which he retook on lap 18 after pitting for fresh rubber on lap 15. He kept that lead for the entirety of the race, eventually finishing almost 18 seconds clear of Sergio Perez. Even if he had by far the fastest car – that is an impressive achievement, to say the least.
He’s ahead of the rest of the pack by at least 93 points, which is his gap to Sergio Perez. Charles Leclerc has fallen behind the Mexican driver following his disappointing result in Belgium and is now 98 points behind. It would be fair to say that any and all championship challenges look to be over, and if normality prevails, Verstappen will be champion of the world for the second year in a row.
Next up is Zandvoort, which is, of course, his home race. He had taken victory from pole position last time out in memorable fashion, winning by more than 20 seconds (Lewis Hamilton had pit on lap 71 to snatch the fastest lap point, but failed). Last time around too, he had won the previous race in Belgium (albeit with half-points). No one would bet against Verstappen repeating his result this weekend.
Also Read: Story behind Max Verstappen’s unique trophy design at the Belgian GP
A weekend recap
Max Verstappen took pole position by the skin of his teeth, with a gap of about 0.038 seconds to championship rival Lewis Hamilton. As for the race, it went rather routinely and probably more comfortably than people were expecting, as Max Verstappen always seemed in control, even if there were a few tight laps. It’s notable to include that he is the only Dutch driver to win their home Grand Prix.
Zandvoort was a great weekend for Red Bull last year. Sergio Perez, starting from the pitlane, finished 8th during the race, which was a good result for him, even if not ideal. Max Verstappen, on the other hand, retook the lead of the championship that weekend, as he jumped Lewis Hamilton by 3 points.
This was a lead he kept till the last race until the end of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, following which the two come into Abu Dhabi as equals. We all know what happened next. This time, he is in a far different situation, but this is no time for complacency. He must finish the job, and there are also records to break.
The all-time record for wins in a season is held by Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher, with 13 each. Verstappen already has 9 for the season, and there are still 8 races to go. He may just be looking at a completely dominant season, even though that likely shouldn’t have been the case if it was only pure pace that counted: Ferrari and Charles Leclerc have paid a heavy price for their mistakes and going into Zandvoort, Verstappen holds all the cards.
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