Max Verstappen's quest for a maiden Formula One Driver's Championship title got a major boost on Sunday after recording a comprehensive victory at the 2021 Dutch Grand Prix. It was a critical win for Verstappen, who regained the championship lead over Lewis Hamilton with only nine races remaining.
Verstappen dominates at Zandvoort
Verstappen showed his class at his home track, leading every lap of the race to record his 17th career F1 victory and capture a dream win in Formula One's first race at Zandvoort since 1985. Lewis Hamilton now trails by three points in the title race as he finished second, but the seven-time world champion could grab a bonus point for fastest lap thanks to a late pit stop.
Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas rounded out the podium places in third, finishing ahead of Alpha Tauri's Pierre Gasly and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. They ended up in fourth and fifth respectively.
Fernando Alonso finished in sixth place for Alpine, ahead of Spanish compatriot Carlos Sainz, who ended up in seventh for Ferrari. Sergio Perez scored valuable points for Red Bull after starting 16th on the grid, ending in eighth place. Alpine's Esteban Ocon and McLaren's Lando Norris rounded out the top 10.
Daniel Riccardo failed to put some points on the board for McLaren in this race as he finished in 11th place. It was also disappointing for the Aston Martin pair of Lance Stroll and four-time champion Sebastian Vettel, who finished 12th and 13th, respectively.
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Verstappen holds off Hamilton and Bottas
All eyes, however, were on Verstappen and Hamilton as the two main protagonists in this year's epic title race continued their battle for F1 supremacy. However, there were no fireworks at Zandvoort, as the Dutchman controlled the race from start to finish.
Cheered on by around 65,000 Dutch fans, Verstappen made the perfect getaway at the start of the race as the pole-sitter retained his lead over Hamilton, an advantage he didn't relinquish until the end.
Mercedes tried to unsettle Verstappen by employing different strategies with Hamilton and Bottas during the race. They decided to send Hamilton for an early pit stop on Lap 20 with Mercedes for medium tyres. Red Bull reacted quickly, sending Verstappen for a pit stop a lap later to cover Hamilton's move.
Bottas stayed out on the race track with Mercedes utilizing a one-stop strategy for him. Unfortunately for them, he couldn't hold off Verstappen long enough, with the Dutchman overtaking him on Lap 31. Hamilton pitted again on Lap 39 to try the undercut, but that gamble backfired as the Briton ran into traffic on his way out of the pit lane.
Verstappen made his second pit stop a lap later to cover Hamilton's move once again. He wasn't troubled the rest of the race as he cruised to yet another win, providing immense joy to the home fans in attendance.
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