Razeen Gutta
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won his home Grand Prix much to the delight of the Zandvoort faithful with the world champion finishing ahead of George Russell and Charles Leclerc in a nail-biting race.
Verstappen started in pole but had strong competition from behind, with Mercedes and Ferrari both giving it their all to chase the champion down.
Ferrari were once again let down by strategy with Leclerc saying post-race that there was little he could do.
“To be honest, much better was difficult to do. Max was too quick today and then there was the Mercedes which were flying on the hard tyres. We struggled to find the feeling on the hard tyres, so we’ll analyse that,” Leclerc said.
Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Russell extended their spell on medium tyres in second and third place respectively when Verstappen took his second pit stop on lap 48.
It all seemed assured for the Dutchman after the lap 55 safety car, however, when the restart saw him fly past both Mercedes cars on the main straight.
Like Verstappen – Russell and Leclerc both came out on softs to seal podium finishes ahead of Hamilton.
Verstappen touched on that restart post-race and added that he was proud to win the race in front of the 120,000 capacity crowd cheering him on.
“It was not a straightforward race. We timed the restart really well. It’s incredible to win again. It’s always special to win your home grand prix. I’m proud to be Dutch,” he exclaimed.
The win takes Verstappen 109 points clear at the top of the standings. While he will not be able to win the title at Monza, he could seal yet another championship as soon as Singapore if things keep going the way they are.
Image source: @ESPNF1
