Fernando Alonso secured the extra point for fastest lap at the Dutch GP on his way to finishing second behind the record breaking Max Verstappen, who took his ninth consecutive victory of the season in a chaotic race dominated by rain.
Verstappen eventually overtook Sergio Perez after opting not to pit in the early stages of rain, and maintained his lead, even as a late safety car appearance—triggered by Zhou Guanyu’s crashed Alfa Romeo—ratcheted up the tension in the Red Bull garage.
The weather at Zandvoort, a coastal venue beside the North Sea, is notoriously unpredictable, and the rain proved to be a game-changer for many drivers.
Lando Norris, who decided against pitting in the early stages of the race for intermediate tyres, saw his position plummet.
However, he managed to rally to finish seventh, surviving a minor collision with George Russell’s Mercedes, which was forced to retire due to a puncture.
Late drama
As the rain intensified and the safety car led to a 40-minute delay, Verstappen faced a formidable challenge from Alonso.
However, the Dutchman held his ground to secure his third consecutive home victory. Perez was slapped with a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, demoting him to fourth and elevating Pierre Gasly’s Alpine to third—marking the team’s second podium finish of the season.
Alongside Zhou and Russell, Logan Sargeant also retired following a high-speed crash, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was called back to the garage due to extensive car damage.
Liam Lawson, making his F1 debut as a replacement for the injured Daniel Ricciardo, finished in a respectable 13th place, trailing Lance Stroll and Nico Hulkenberg.
