Max Verstappen takes dramatic Dutch Grand Prix for record ninth win in a row as rain causes chaos at Zandvoort
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Updated 27/08/2023 at 18:37 GMT
The Dutch fans at Zandvoort got the result they wanted, as Max Verstappen drove his Red Bull to victory at the Dutch Grand Prix. But it was far from smooth sailing, as rain caused chaos on the day. Rain early in the race led to a shuffling of the pack, before Verstappen assumed control. A deluge towards the end prompted a red flag with seven laps remaining in the race.
Driver reaction as Verstappen wins Dutch Grand Prix for ninth victory in a row
Max Verstappen took a record-equalling ninth consecutive win at a rain-affected Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort.
The race turned into a six-lap sprint after a late red flag due to heavy showers, but the championship leader stayed composed to secure victory on home soil and extend his championship advantage to 138 points.
"It's incredible," the Red Bull driver said in parc ferme. "Today they didn't make it easy for us with the weather to make the right calls all the time, but I'm incredibly proud. I've already had goosebumps from when they played the national anthem before the start and even with all the bad weather and the rain, the fans were still going at it - it was an incredible atmosphere."
Asked about the possibility to become the sole record holder for consecutive wins at the upcoming Italian Grand Prix he said: "I'll think about it next week. First, I'll enjoy this weekend. It's always tough; the pressure is on to perform and I'm very happy to win here."
Verstappen had Fernando Alonso to contend with in the late stages, but, eventually, there was no beating the Dutchman. Nevertheless, Alonso was delighted to return to the podium for Aston Martin for the first time since the Canadian Grand Prix: "It was a very intense race at the beginning with the wet conditions, but we were very fast. We probably stopped one lap too late, but it was the same as the leader.
"The car was flying today, very competitive, very easy to drive. In these conditions you need a car that you can trust and I did trust the car a lot today - I did enjoy it. It's been one of those races where it's difficult to concentrate and stay focused for such a long period of time.
"But I think this is a special race track with all the fans and the energy going on, so you always feel very focused. I did think about trying to make a move after the restart, but then I thought maybe I can't exit the circuit later on, so I stayed calm in second."
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Max Verstappen driving in the rain in his home grand prix.
Image credit: Getty Images
Sergio Perez was running in second for the majority of the race but lost the position to Alonso when going off track amidst the heavy rain in the late stages. Things got worse for the Mexican when he was awarded a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane and although he took the chequered flag in third, the penalty cost him the position.
Instead, Pierre Gasly returned to the rostrum after an incredible performance from 12th on the grid. "I'm feeling so stoked, what a race!," he said. "It hasn't been the easiest start to the year and we just tried to improve race by race. It was good to get some time off [during the summer break], come back, and be straight in. We had a third place in Spa in the Sprint; that wasn't exactly like a normal podium and I'm super pleased for all the guys to get this P3.
"I got a five-second penalty earlier in the race and [when Perez received his penalty] thought 'okay, now it's one-one'. I tried to push as hard as I could to stay within five seconds and I managed to do it. It was a very long race, very challenging from start to finish, and it was greatly executed from all the guys."
Chaos ensued already early in the race when rain started to come down on the opening lap. While the top drivers stayed out, Perez was among the first to pit for intermediate tyres and profited from the strategy, taking the lead when his opponents finally surrendered to the conditions.
However, once on inters, Verstappen took chunks out of his team-mate and finally overtook via an undercut on Lap 13. Gasly too was on the right side of tyre strategies throughout and kept his driving clean to run in fourth behind Alonso. However, race direction awarded the Frenchman a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane that he would have to serve at this next pit stop.
The safety car came out on Lap 16 following a crash at Turn 8 for Logan Sargeant that left his Williams stuck in the barrier. Positions stayed as they were when racing resumed as Verstappen caught Perez out by going early while the Mexican had to fight hard to keep Alonso behind him. Similarly, Gasly did well to defend from Carlos Sainz and hold on to fourth.
When the weather started to settle, so did the order on track with Verstappen building a comfortable lead over Perez who himself had Alonso under control. Gasly served his penalty and rejoined the race in fifth, hunting down and soon overtaking Sainz.
More rain was expected and heavy showers came down on Lap 61. Perez, Gasly and Sainz were first of the front-runners to pit for inters with Verstappen and Alonso coming in a lap later. Aquaplaning at Turn 1 especially saw several drivers go off track, including Perez who touched the barrier and lost P2 to Alonso.
The red flag was waved when Zhou Guanyu had a heavy crash in his Alfa Romeo at the same corner and the rain kept lashing down. Around 40 minutes later, the race resumed with a rolling start.
Alonso looked set to challenge for the lead but eventually had to settle for second with Verstappen invincible out front. A five-second penalty awarded to Perez for speeding in the pit lane at his latest stop meant he lost third with Gasly the one to inherit the podium position.
Sainz came home in fifth, just holding off Lewis Hamilton who was in recovery mode from the get-go. Starting from 13th on the grid, the Mercedes driver had his work cut out for him and strategic mistakes early on made the challenge even harder. It was a similar story for Hamilton's team-mate George Russell who lost positions early when staying out too long in the rain and had a frustrating end to the day with a puncture that concluded his race prematurely.
DRIVER OF THE DAY - PIERRE GASLY (ALPINE RENAULT)
Not many would have tipped Gasly for a podium finish, but the Frenchman drove an incredible race from 12th on the grid.
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Max Verstappenand Pierre Gasly
Image credit: Getty Images
The groundwork was laid when he and his crew took the gamble to pit for intermediate tyres on the opening lap and climbed up the order. Making no mistakes, Gasly held on to the position and even recovered from a five-second penalty, pulling off a great overtake on Sainz.
WHERE THE RACE WAS WON AND LOST
1/72: VERSTAPPEN HOLDS LEAD AT LIGHTS OUT - Verstappen and Norris get off to an equally good start and stay in first and second respectively. Alonso is the big winner at lights out as the Spaniard shoots up into third.
1/72: RAIN! - The rain is coming down and while the top 5 stay out at this point, a number of drivers head into the box at the end of Lap 1 including Perez and Leclerc who loses plenty of time with his Ferrari crew not ready for the stop.
2/72: MORE SWITCHES TO INTERS, PEREZ TAKES LEAD - Verstappen and Alonso pit from first and second respectively, Norris is now the only one trying to brave the conditions. Perez is capitalising on his early switch and takes the lead.
13/72: VERSTAPPEN TAKES LEAD WITH UNDERCUT - Perez pits for slicks and the undercut works out for Verstappen who comfortably takes the lead by 3.5 seconds. Unsurprisingly, Perez is asking the question why Verstappen received the favourable strategy.
16/72: SARGEANT IN THE BARRIER, SAFETY CAR OUT - Sargeant's Williams is in the barrier at Turn 8. The race is over for the American and the safety car is out.
23/72: VERSTAPPEN MAINTAINS LEAD - No problem for Verstappen who catches Perez unawares by going early when the safety car comes in and holds the lead. Instead, Perez has to fight to keep Alonso behind him while Gasly holds off Sainz.
36/72: VERSTAPPEN IN CONTROL AT HALF-TIME - Verstappen holds an advantage of around five seconds over his team-mate Perez in front and looks untouchable just now.
61/72: HEAVY RAIN, FIRST STOPS - It's chucking it down here and the first drivers come in for inters, including Perez, Gasly and Sainz.
62/72: NEXT STOPS Verstappen and Alonso now also come in for inters. They rejoin the track in first and third respectively, not changing the order for now.
65/72: RED FLAG - The race has been stopped due to the rain with several drivers going off track at Turn 1.
67/72: VERSTAPPEN HOLDS LEAD AT RESTART - Alonso looked keen to challenge, but there was no beating Verstappen who holds the lead as the race gets back underway.
72/72: VERSTAPPEN WINS IN ZANDVOORT - Verstappen takes the chequered flag for a record-equalling ninth consecutive win on home soil. Alonso crosses the line in second while Gasly inherits the podium spot from Perez. Sainz holds off Hamilton for fifth while Norris comes home in seventh.
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