VERSTAPPEN’S WIN WOWS HOME FANS
HOME favourite Max Verstappen snatched the world championship lead from Lewis Hamilton on Sunday as the Red Bull driver produced a scintillating performance to win the first Dutch Grand Prix since 1985.
A week after the farcical washout in Belgium, pole-sitter Verstappen controlled the race from the start in bright sunshine at a circuit set in coastal sand dunes at the beach resort of Zandvoort.
His seventh win in 13 races this season turned a three-point deficit into a three-point lead over seventime world champion Hamilton ahead of Monza next weekend.
Hamilton came in second, setting the fastest lap on the final lap to earn a consolation bonus point, with Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas a distant third.
“As you can hear already, it’s just incredible,” said Verstappen, roared on by some 70,000 orange-clad fans at a venue where the last winner was Niki Lauda for Mclaren 36 years ago.
“Expectations were high going into the weekend, I’m so happy to win here. It’s such an amazing day, the whole crowd, incredible.” Verstappen, who earned half points for his win over two laps behind the safety car at Spa last Sunday, pulled away on the opening lap, keeping Hamilton in his rear-view mirror and surging clear.
“It’s definitely a very good day. The start was very important, I think we did that well,” said Verstappen.
“Of course, Mercedes tried to make it difficult for us but we countered them all the time really well.”
A narrow track with deep gravel traps made overtaking difficult, prompting Mercedes to use varying strategies for Hamilton and Bottas to ramp up the pressure on Verstappen.
Hamilton pitted on lap 21, inducing Red Bull to immediately call Verstappen in and leaving Bottas briefly at the head of the field.
Verstappen retook the lead as he burst past Bottas down the final straight on lap 31 to the sound of roars from the grandstand, but with the Finn having allowed Hamilton to eat away at the gap to the Dutchman.