THE Dutch Grand Prix is UNDERWAY at a packed Circuit Zandvoort.
Max Verstappen has huge support in the busy stands, but Lewis Hamilton is giving chase.
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)
Follow ALL of the latest news and updates below…
PARTY TIME
It’s no exaggeration to say that the fans are going absolutely wild for Max Verstappen. That’s some reception.
It’s a sea of orange in the stands and they’re jubilant after a wonderful day of racing on a fantastic track.
The Dutch GP is definitely one to keep an eye on for next year as well. Wonder whether we’ll look back on today at the end of the season as a defining moment for Max Verstappen…
UP IN THE POINTS
An outrageous drive from Sergio Perez who started down in P16 and managed to overtake the likes of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo to get up to P8 place. A thoroughly good day for Red Bull.
A special mention also for Fernando Alonso in the Alpine, who started in P9 and drove a superb race to overtake Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari as well as teammate Esteban Ocon to finish P6.
The 40-year-old shows us again that class is permanent.
HOME CHAMP
Incredible scenes as Max Verstappen is crowned the first ever Dutch winner of the Dutch Grand Prix after a 36 year absence from the F1 circuit.
It was a brilliant drive from the new leader of the Drivers Championship, who did incredibly well to keep Hamilton and Bottas at bay, who both pushed him right until the end.
There could be no other winner though.
MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE DUTCH GP
Who else? This was a mega event. A mega crowd and a popular winner.
The grandstands are lit up with orange smoke bombs.
Lewis Hamilton is second. Bottas is third.
Hamilton also gets the point for the fastest lap.
BOTTAS GETS THE FASTST LAP
And now Hamilton pits for tyres. Lap 72
BOTTAS FINAL PITSTOP
And that was a slow stop. It will allow him a crack at setting the fastest lap and earning a bonus point.
However, that will crucially take a point away from Hamilton, who currently has the fastest lap. Unless Hamilton stops again.
LAP 64 HAMILTON’S CHALLENGE HAS FADED
The Mercedes man has dropped his pace to preserve his tyres. The gap is now up to 4 seconds.
LAP 55
Hamilton has been eating into Verstappen’s advantage. He has reduced that gap to 1.3 seconds.
In doing so, he has taken some life out of his tyres. This might actually put Verstappen under some pressure.
TSUNODA HAS RETIRED FROM THE RACE
The Alpha Tauri man is back in the garage and out of this race.
MAZEPIN IS THE FIRST CAR TO RETIRE FROM THIS RACE
The Haas man is back in the garage. No real surprise of loss.
LAP 41 VERSTAPPEN PITS
Red Bull respond to the threat of the undercut from Hamilton by calling in Verstappen.
The pitstops is clean and he is back on his way again, three seconds ahead of the Mercedes man.
LAP 40 HAMILTON PITS
Another stop for the world champion, who takes another set of medium tyres.
He returns to the track in second place but almost 25 seconds behind the leader.
FEW OVERTAKES OF NOTE SO FAR, BUT THIS WAS A GOOD ONE
Pierre Gasly on Fernando Alonso. I bet they enjoyed watching that down at Honda.
SEBASTIAN VETTEL SPINS ON THE BANKING
The Aston Martin man loses the rear of his car and slides to a halt. He’s now down in 17th place.
PENALTY FOR RUSSELL
The Brit has been given a five second time penalty for speeding in the pitlane.
LAP 31 VERSTAPPEN GETS PAST BOTTAS INTO TURN ONE
The grandstands erupt as the Dutchman regains the lead. The Finn, then surrenders P2 to Hamilton.
It is Verstappen, Hamilton, Bottas, Leclerc, Sainz – the two Ferraris are yet to pit.
LAP 30 BOTTAS IS BACKING VERSTAPPEN INTO HAMILTON
The Finn is helping out tactically here as Verstappen has become the jam in a Mercedes sandwich.
LAP 22 VERSTAPPEN PITS
The Red Bull team respond to Hamilton’s pitstops by calling him in a lap later.
The pitstop was a second-quicker to increase the Dutchman’s lead in this race.
Valtteri Bottas, who has yet to pit, is the new race leader.
HAMILTON REPORTING TYRE PROBLEMS
Lap 21 Hamilton comes in for some fresh tyres. He’s gone for a set of medium tyres in the hope of reaching the end of the race.
SO FAR, NO RED FLAGS
I will admit, I’d almost guaranteed there would be at least one red flag so far, judging by the support races.
But this GP has been incident free. Already on lap 19/72. It is whizzing by.
1,000 LAPS
Max Verstappen has now lead 1,000 laps in Formula One.
MAX IS PULLING AWAY
The Red Bull man is trying to get out of the way of a Hamilton fight back. If he builds a gap it will make life easier on his team when it comes to deciding when to pit him for tyres.
NEAR MISS FOR GIOVINAZZI
The Alfa Romeo man is in he thick of the action and almost clatters into Carlos Sainz and then Fernando Alonso.
PROBLEMS FOR RICCIARDO?
His McLaren is pumping out blue smoke and George Russell is travelling behind and says the Aussie is leaking oil.
Now, it could be a little bit of oil overfill burning off, or maybe there is a bigger issue.
LIGHTS OUT – WE ARE GO
A great start from Verstappen who is already a two car lengths clear of Hamilton into Turn One.
He absolutely nailed that start. The Red Bull man is flying as Hamilton came under attack from teammate Valtteri Bottas.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
