Verstappen takes record-equalling ninth win in row
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Runaway Formulation One chief Max Verstappen celebrated a record-equalling ninth successive victory after successful a rain-hit and red-flagged Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday for the third 12 months in a row.
The Crimson Bull driver's dwelling triumph from pole place at a soggy Zandvoort equalled now-retired four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel's 2013 run of success with the identical workforce.
It was Crimson Bull's 14th consecutive triumph and thirteenth of the season, with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza following subsequent weekend.
Rain introduced chaos on the finish of lap one, with an additional dry interval adopted by a downpour that swept in from the North Sea to halt proceedings for 40 minutes on the sixty fifth of 72 laps with vehicles skidding off.
Fernando Alonso put Aston Martin again on the rostrum with second place and a bonus level for quickest lap after the eventual rolling re-start behind the protection automobile led to an exhilarating last chase on the seaside circuit.
Pierre Gasly was third, his first podium end since he joined Renault-owned Alpine, as Crimson Bull's Sergio Perez collected a five-second post-race penalty for rushing within the pit lane and dropped to fourth.
Verstappen now leads Perez, his closest rival, by a mighty 138 factors with 9 races remaining.
Crimson Bull lead Mercedes by 285 factors with Aston Martin 40 factors additional again and 14 forward of Ferrari.
"Unimaginable. They did not make it straightforward for us with the climate to make all the suitable calls," stated Verstappen as his military of followers ready to social gathering into the night time.
"I already had goosebumps after they have been taking part in the nationwide anthem earlier than the beginning," added the 25-year-old, who chatted fortunately with the Dutch king and queen earlier than the rostrum ceremonies.
"Even with all of the dangerous climate, the rain, the followers are nonetheless going at it. So an unimaginable environment."
Verstappen's eleventh victory of the season, and forty sixth of his profession, supplied one other massive push in direction of clinching a 3rd title effectively earlier than the top of the season.
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz completed fifth with Lewis Hamilton sixth for Mercedes and fellow-Briton Lando Norris seventh for McLaren.
Alex Albon collected extra treasured factors for Williams in eighth, forward of McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Esteban Ocon tenth for Alpine.
New Zealander Liam Lawson completed thirteenth, and forward of workforce mate Yuki Tsunoda, on his Formulation One debut as a alternative for injured Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri.
Lawson overtook Charles Leclerc on lap 41, earlier than the Ferrari driver retired with a broken flooring, but additionally collected a 10-second penalty for impeding within the pitlane.
CLEAN START
Verstappen led cleanly away initially with Alonso seizing third place.
Solely seven-times world champion Hamilton, beginning a lowly thirteenth on the grid, lined up on medium tyres with everybody else on softs however all methods have been quickly shredded because the skies opened.
Perez, seventh on the grid and all the pieces to realize, pitted instantly for intermediates together with six others because the leaders stayed out.
The transfer paid off for him, however not for Ferrari who had Leclerc are available in solely to seek out no tyres prepared and mechanics scurrying to carry them.
Verstappen got here in a lap later however resumed effectively down the sphere and set about closing the hole.
He pitted once more for dry tyres on lap 11 and took over on the entrance a lap later when Perez got here in and found his workforce mate had efficiently made the 'undercut' work.
The climate performed havoc with others' hopes, Mercedes' George Russell plunging from third on the grid to 18th on lap 13 and complaining over the radio.
"I used to be forecast for a podium. How did we mess this up?" requested the Briton, who climbed again up the order however retired with a puncture after a conflict with Norris on the re-start.
The protection automobile was deployed from lap 16 to 21 when U.S. rookie Logan Sargeant crashed his Williams at flip eight.
Verstappen gave the impression to be cruising to victory till the ultimate deluge and the halt after Alfa Romeo's Guanyu Zhou crashed closely, with out harm.
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