Verstappen wins dramatic Dutch Grand Prix after late Safety Car dashes Hamilton’s hopes of victory in the Netherlands.
It was another strong showing for the Flying Dutchman himself as the speedy Red Bull crossed the line first on Sunday in his home terrain. After his second pit stop on Lap 48 during the Virtual Safety Car, Lewis Hamilton stayed out to claim the lead with his teammate, George Russell, following in P2.
All hopes of a win for the 7-time world champion were dashed on Lap 55 thanks to a late Safety Car where fans watched Red Bull ace the strategy pitting Verstappen for softs, allowing him to zoom past both Mercedes by the Lap 61 race restart.
To make matters worse for Hamilton (who didn’t pit for fresh tyres), Russell and Leclerc passed the Brit, leaving him just outside of the podium finishers and fourth at the flag and certainly wondering how it all went so wrong.
After a disastrous pitstop at the Ferrari garage along with a 5-second penalty, the other flaming hot Ferrari of Carlos Sainz and Red Bull of Sergio Perez had a late battle for P5, only allowing the McLaren of Lando Norris and Alpine of Fernando Alonso to pull in close.
Perez finished P5, ahead of Alonso (P6) and Norris (P7), with Sainz ending eighth at the flag thanks to his penalty. It certainly was a day the spicy chili pepper will be quick to forget…
Estie Bestie finished ahead of one of his actual besties, Lance Stroll who rounded out the points for the day with the Alpha Tauri of Pierre Gasly just missing out on points.
Looking Ahead
The triple header continues with its final stop in Monza. Will Ferrari be able to secure a win on home soil or will Red Bull continue its stampede against the competition? It’s all to play for next weekend at the historic Italian Grand Prix.
