Max Verstappen has masterfully won the Dutch Grand Prix in Formula 1. In a blistering duel, the Red Bull driver held his great rival Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes behind him at the Zandvoort circuit, where 70,000 spectators stood on the benches for 72 laps, cheering their idol loudly.
The 23-year-old Dutchman is the long-awaited successor to Niki Lauda, who won the penultimate Grand Prix of the Netherlands 36 years ago in the dunes of the North Holland coastal town. Verstappen took the lead in the world championship with his seventh victory of this season with a 3-point lead.
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The Dutch GP was not a hectic race with a lot of spectacle. It went from lap one between the two best drivers at the moment: Verstappen and Hamilton. The rest actually figured and acted in the race as filler.
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The start went without a hitch. Verstappen started from pole position razor sharp and dived first into the Tarzan corner and immediately took a safe distance from Hamilton. Behind the two rivals, all drivers neatly gave each other space, so that a previously feared crash in the narrow 180-degree bend did not occur.
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The 23-year-old home favorite spoiled the 70,000 exuberant fans in the early stages with fast laps and gradually he cut a gap with Hamilton. After about ten laps, the lead was 3 seconds and the Dutchman reached a milestone en passant by completing his thousandth lap in the lead in a Formula 1 race in his career.
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Not much happened behind Hamilton. What the drivers predicted in advance on the relatively short and winding track, turned out to be true. Overtaking turned out to be quite difficult. Only in the backfield did drivers pass each other now and then.
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Hamilton made his first pit stop after 20 laps, Verstappen reacted immediately by changing tires the following lap. As a result, the Dutchman returned to the track ahead of the British world champion, but behind Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas, who had started third.
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Bottas didn’t last long. After 31 laps, Verstappen passed it on the straight to the start and finish. The Finn then gave Hamilton the space to pass him too. For example, the two rivals were in the lead together shortly before half of the race. Slaloming through the stragglers, the duo rode close behind each other.
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The Briton made his second pit stop after 40 laps. He hoped to surprise Verstappen, but the Dutchman reacted immediately and after a second pit stop of 2.1 seconds he sovereignly held the lead.
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It was important to finish the last 30 laps on hard, wear-resistant tires and Verstappen succeeded masterfully. Hamilton saw no chance of attacking his theoretically faster medium tires. The seven-time world champion capitulated in the final laps, but still managed to collect the bonus point for the fastest lap.
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