Max Verstappen on course for ANOTHER record as George Russell suffers worst Mercedes result ever

Verstappen met de trofee na Zandvoort — Photo: © LAT Images

Dutch Grand Prix

Verstappen on course for ANOTHER record as Russell suffers worst Mercedes result ever

Red Bull took a predictable victory, yet the race was anything but straightforward

Lauren Sneath

Wednesday 30 August 2023 18:58 Updated: 20:31

Max Verstappen soared to yet another decisive victory at the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend, taking his third successive win in front of his home crowd and leading yet more laps, putting him well on the way to becoming the first driver to lead 1000 laps in a year.

But further down the grid, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows as inclement weather caused chaos on track.

George Russell was aiming for a podium spot, but finished dead last out of the drivers who made it to the end of the race.

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Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari could not even manage that, as he sustained floor damage and was forced to retire. Zhou Guanyu and Logan Sargeant also did not complete the race.

Yet at a track where Verstappen dominance was almost guaranteed, it was Fernando Alonso who took Driver of the Day as the Spaniard claimed his first podium since the Canadian Grand Prix.

What does Verstappen’s victory mean for Red Bull? And over a drama-filled race, which drivers continued to show their dominance over the field?

Here are the key stats you need to know from the weekend…

Verstappen’s run of dominance continues

The Dutchman triumphed during a tricky race and joins the elite company of Jim Clark as the only drivers to win the Dutch Grand Prix three times in a row.

He is remains the only driver, apart from Lewis Hamilton, to win their home race on multiple occasions in the hybrid era.

Max Verstappen won the Dutch Grand Prix for the third time in a row

Verstappen equalled the seven-time world champion Mercedes driver in another way, matching his best-ever tally in a calendar year by winning 11 races this season.

The Red Bull driver has led 628 laps this season. He needs to lead another 15 laps to surpass his personal best set in 2021 and 112 more to beat Sebastian Vettel’s record from 2011. At this rate, he could also become the first driver to lead 1000 laps in a year.

Perez loses out but records personal best

Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez went from leading the race to fourth place by the end after strategy decisions, a clumsy off-track moment and a late time penalty pushed him down the grid.

The Mexican driver was given a five-second penalty for speeding in the pitlane just before a red flag was called, leaving the podium spots to Verstappen, Alonso and Pierre Gasly.

However, there is a silver lining for the Red Bull driver: this marks his first top-four result at Zandvoort.

Alonso’s form never wavers

The Aston Martin driver has spearheaded the team’s surge up the rankings this year, and the Zandvoort race was no exception.

Alonso raced intelligently and aggressively to secure P2 behind Verstappen, as well as securing Driver of the Day and winning an extra point for the fastest lap of the race.

Fernando Alonso is proving a valuable addition to Aston Martin

This marked Alonso's first fastest lap in six years and his first time claiming the additional point for the fastest lap since its introduction in 2019.

Another record the Spaniard achieved was the longest interval between fastest laps. The two-time champion is the only driver to have scored fastest laps 20 years apart, while he also broke Michael Schumacher's record of longest time between a first and last podium - also two decades apart.

Helping make team history

The race marked Aston Martin’s first podium in the Netherlands, as they made their Formula 1 debut as a constructor at this very track 64 years ago.

Aston Martin secured their first fastest lap in their 62nd race start. Only Toyota, Ensign, Red Bull, Toro Rosso, and Sauber took longer to take their first fastest lap.

The team will be very grateful to Alonso for such strong on-track performances, but the same may not be said of his team-mate. Alonso now has 168 points, which is more than triple the score so far of Lance Stroll, on 47 points.

Hamilton is consistent, but Russell has disastrous race

Hamilton took P6 at the Dutch Grand Prix, continuing his streak of finishing in the points at each race this year. He, Verstappen and Alonso are the only ones to score in every round so far.

Barring the Austrian Grand Prix, Hamilton has also finished in the top six at every race, showing consistency as Mercedes battles for P2 in the constructors’ championship.

Lewis Hamilton took P6 at the Dutch Grand Prix

Unfortunately, his team-mate Russell had a nightmare race. After predicting that the team would be fighting for podiums, and starting third on the grid, Russell limped to the chequered flag in P17.

This marks his lowest race result since joining Mercedes last year, and will not be a weekend he will want repeated.

Mixed results for Ferrari

While Leclerc fought hard on track, floor damage he sustained at the start of the race led his pace to drop and an eventual retirement from the race. This marks his third DNF of the year so far.

His team-mate Carlos Sainz, however, managed to take P5, securing his highest result yet in the Netherlands.