Max Verstappen, the dominant Formula One driver, stretched his enormous championship lead to 138 points as he pursued a third consecutive world championship on Sunday by winning the rain-shortened Dutch Grand Prix to match Sebastian Vettel’s F1 record of nine straight victories.
The experienced Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso of Spain finished second and earned a bonus point for the best lap as the Red Bull star secured his third consecutive victory from pole position at the Zandvoort track.
“I never even considered nine consecutive wins. Very pleased with that,” remarked Verstappen. “I am aware that my car is very capable,”
He was energized by the orange-clad home fans.
“When the national anthem played before the game, I already felt goosebumps. The supporters continued to compete despite the horrible weather and rain, creating an amazing atmosphere, according to the Dutch driver. This is going to be fun for me. It’s never easy since there’s constant pressure to deliver.
After finishing in fourth place following Red Bull driver Sergio Perez, Alpine driver Pierre Gasly moved up to third as a result of Perez’s five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
It was Gasly’s fourth podium finish in his career after receiving the same penalty before.
What a race, I’m feeling so pumped, he exclaimed.
In the end, Perez finished fourth, ahead of Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes and Carlos Sainz Jr. of Ferrari.
Zhou Guanyu of Alfa Romeo’s incident caused a late red flag, which delayed the chaotic race for 40 minutes. On lap 65 of a total of 72 laps, it was restarted with a rolling start in a race that required numerous tire changes due to the unpredictable nature of the weather.
Verstappen remarked that the circuit had so many rivers that it was quite risky.
Verstappen was in first place on the restart, followed by Alonso, Perez, and Gasly. Verstappen easily drove away for his 11th victory of a strong season after two laps behind the safety car, extending his margin over Perez.
Verstappen’s triumph was Red Bull’s record-extending 14th straight for the team going back to the final race of last year. Vettel established the previous mark for successive victories in 2013 with Red Bull throughout its first dominant era, when he won four straight titles.
“To match Sebastian, nine straight successes, to do it twice as a team is really incredible,” said Red Bull squad principal Christian Horner, who was in charge during Vettel’s heyday.
Verstappen also advanced to 46 victories overall and a step closer to his own F1 record of 15 victories set last year. In terms of victories, Verstappen, who becomes 26 next month, is already fifth all-time. With nine races remaining, he has Vettel (53) and Alain Prost (51) in his sights.
Ferrari’s day was made worse when Charles Leclerc had to retire on lap 44 due to floor damage. Leclerc experienced his third DNF of the year, matching his total from all of last season, while Sainz is still without a podium finish.
The 42-year-old Alonso is in the midst of a comeback and believes he will eventually win 33 races in his career.
He said, “We’re getting there. “The automobile was flying, very fast, and quite simple to drive. You need a car you can trust in these circumstances, and I did today.
Lando Norris of McLaren placed seventh, while the remaining three drivers were Alex Albon of Williams, Oscar Piastri of McLaren, and Esteban Ocon of Alpine. Mercedes driver George Russell, who began third and ended 17th, had a forgettable race.
Verstappen made a clean break from Norris at the opening, and Alonso passed Russell to go into third. Several drivers had to pit for the first of several tire changes as a result of the heavy rain that started falling shortly after.
Amazingly, Ferrari did not have replacements available for Leclerc and failed to recognize that his front wing was broken, adding to a long list of errors made by the team both this season and last.
A lap before Verstappen, who had started 10 seconds behind Perez but quickly began to close the distance, Perez made his change. Verstappen arrived for a second chance while Ferrari altered Leclerc’s front wing as the track dried. On the subsequent lap, Perez entered the race and finished three seconds back of Verstappen, who had taken over the lead.
On Lap 17 of 72 of the high-banking course, Logan Sargeant wrecked for the second time in two days after starting from 10th place, the highest position on the grid for an American driver since 1993.
A frustrated Sargeant addressed his colleagues, “I don’t know what happened, man.”
Sargeant, who is trying to save his job despite not having scored a point in his first season, sat on a grassy bank with his head bowed.
Following the safety car restart, Verstappen easily held off Perez, with Alonso in third. Leclerc rolled back to the garage while Perez drew further behind Verstappen.
Next weekend, at Ferrari’s home circuit of Monza, where Verstappen can create a new F1 record if he wins, he will be hoping his luck changes.
Given that Vettel took first place there in 2008, it would be proper to do so.