Max Verstappen WINS the Dutch Grand Prix in front of a huge home crowd to match Sebastian Vettel’s nine-race winning streak as rain causes chaos on drenched Zandvoort circuit

• Max Verstappen has won the Dutch Grand Prix to extend his championship lead
• The Red Bull driver matched Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine consecutive wins
• Fernando Alonso finished second with Alpha Tauri driver Pierre Gasly third

Max Verstappen danced through the rain to claim a record-equalling ninth consecutive victory in a chaotic Dutch Grand Prix.

The defending champion, who started on pole, was the star performer in front of a vocal home crowd of 105,000 at wet and windy Zandvoort – while Mercedes entirely messed up the crucial early stages of the race when the first of the rain fell, just as the lights went out.

Rain visited towards the end – torrential this time, as the race was suspended, first, for circuit repairs with eight laps remaining after Guanyu Zhou banged into the tyre wall at Turn 8.

There ensued a maddening delay, F1 shooting itself in the foot. Forty-three minutes – nothing. And, then, after an eternity, a rolling start for two laps, not a standing start. What a joke. These are the best drivers in the world, yet they are mollycoddled and the spectator is the casualty.

At least there was some action finally: a six-lap shootout. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was right on Verstappen’s tail from the off. But the Dutchman held his nerve in the spray to prevail. 

Max Verstappen held on to win the Dutch Grand Prix on a drenched Zandvoort circuit

Verstappen danced through the rain to claim a record-equalling ninth consecutive victory in a chaotic race

Verstappen (right) navigated his way through a huge downpour of rain at the start and end of the race

Alonso was second and Pierre Gasly of Alpine third, once Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull was handed a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, condemning him to finish fourth and languish 138 points behind the defending champion.

Not that Verstappen led throughout. That honour for a few laps fell to Perez. That was because the Mexican was brought in for intermediates after just one lap. That was the best rubber to be on, while Verstappen stayed out for another perilous circumnavigation of the 14-corner track before being reshod himself.

On re-emerging from the pits, Verstappen was lying 13th and 11 seconds behind his team-mate. Not for long. Right foot down. The world champion was soon past Pierre Gasly’s Alpine and then Zhou’ Alfa Romeo for second. Perez was zooming into range.

While 2.7sec back from Perez, Verstappen was brought in for the undercut, to move from inters to slicks on a drying track. Who could say he didn’t deserve preferential treatment? He had qualified 1.3sec faster than Perez and would be off into the distant horizon but for the first round of stops as the heavens opened. 

If Perez couldn’t maintain at least a decent chunk of the significant advantage he held, how could he expect a favour now? He was up against the record-chaser, the one-man destroyer of all rivals. Perez can still bank his salary – that is his compensation for working at the elbow of genius.

Anyway, the deed was done and, rain aside, Verstappen looked set for win number 11 out of 13 this season, including the nine back-to-back successes that put him level with Sebastian Vettel, who achieved the same feat in 2013, during the last of his four title-winning seasons.

The threat of a few spits and spots of further disruption were mentioned over the radio in the middle part of the race – as Verstappen, Perez and Alonso dominated the podium places.

It was in this contest that Mercedes had hoped to be through George Russell, who started fourth. But what a calamity their strategy was in the opening moments. They were so slow to react to the obvious downpour.

Verstappen (left) has now equalled Sebastian Vettel’s (right) record of nine consecutive race wins

Fernando Alonso finished second after an impressive race in the rain from the Aston Martin driver

Sergio Perez (middle) finished fourth after being penalised by a late five-second penalty

Seven cars – including Perez – moved to inters after a single lap. Others – including Verstappen – the next. Yet, Lewis Hamilton was left skating until the end of lap three. That plunged him to the back of the field on his belated re-entry.

‘We should have come in, man,’ wailed the Briton, who started 13th. ‘It’s very wet.’

Russell was kept out a lap longer yet. Lap four. So he fell back to 18th. ‘I was forecast a podium,’ said Russell. ‘F***, how did we mess this up?’

Good question, pal. The whiff of a team in decline is hard to ignore. This was further evidence of the muddle and malaise. You didn’t need to be Einstein to figure out the idiocy of their strategy in real time.

Lewis Hamilton (pictured) recovered from starting in 13th place to finish sixth behind Carlos Sainz

Alpine driver Pierre Gasly finished third to round off a strong showing from the Frenchman

Lap 17 of 72, Logan Sargeant crashed, which happens pretty every day the sun rises. He banged it into the wall at Turn Eight, bringing out a safety car. At this stage, Hamilton was 13th and Russell 17th. Credit where it is due, Mercedes used the interruption in racing to move Russell on to hards, the only car so booted. 

It was a desperate throw of the dice, an attempted remedy but the horse had already bolted with his hopes riding it. He was passed by Hamilton 12 laps from the end and finally retired after a coming together with Lando Norris in the final six-lane blitz. Hamilton finished sixth.

A bad day for Ferrari, too. Charles Leclerc retired with a damaged floor, having touched McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Carlos Sainz finished fifth. Williams’ Alex Albon – so brilliantly impressive in qualifying – finished eighth, having started fourth, another victim of staying out too long in the opening laps. Ditto, Norris, who finished seventh, despite starting second.

Rain came belting down with some 11 laps to go. It was now that Zhou pranged his car. The red flag was waved. The final drama played out, and Verstappen stood on the top step watched by his king.

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