Max Verstappen ended his last Dutch Formula 1 GP in Zandvoort prematurely after suffering an accident still in the first lap. The Red Bull Racing driver lost control in the last corner, in an area that remained wet, hit the barrier hard, and retired from the race in front of his fans.
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Before the accident, Verstappen had been involved in a tight battle with Lewis Hamilton and his teammate, Liam Lawson, during the first meters of the race. According to the Dutchman, the close contact with Hamilton was a consequence of the situation on the grid, while the loss of control happened when he tried to accelerate over a part that seemed drier.
“I was caught by surprise, it was still quite wet in that corner and as soon as I saw the dry part, I thought: ‘Now you can accelerate,’ but clearly it didn’t work, so it was probably still a bit early,” Verstappen told the press.
The impact was considered significant by the driver, although it was not the strongest of his career. Verstappen said he did not ask what the G-force reading was, but questioned the possibility of not needing to go through the medical center: “It was a reasonable hit, but I’ve had worse,” he said, while the medical team reported that the impact was below the threshold that would require his visit to the location.
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Despite the frustration with the retirement, Verstappen highlighted that the main problem for Red Bull during the weekend had been the pace shown in Zandvoort. The driver acknowledged that he could not keep up with the competitors ahead and classified this aspect as the most disappointing part of the event.
“Overall, we had a disappointing weekend in terms of pace. We simply couldn’t really fight with the guys ahead, so that’s probably the most disappointing part,” Verstappen added.
The Dutchman also regretted not being able to complete the race and try to extract a better result, although he acknowledged that the car’s pace made this task difficult. Now, Verstappen hopes the situation will be different in the next round, in Monza: “Still, I would have liked to race. I would have liked to try to do a good job, but I hope that in Monza we can be a bit more competitive,” he concluded.
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