Max Verstappen will be hoping for a chance to win when he races on home soil this weekend. In recent years, Holland has been confident of winning the Grand Prix. Verstappen has won all three races held at Zandvoort since the circuit returned to an annual race schedule in 2021, and his Red Bull team has been in a class of its own during that time. But these power relations have changed. Verstappen still maintains a healthy lead in the drivers’ standings for his home Grand Prix, but this is mainly due to his early season results where he took the fastest car on the grid. However, he has won just two of his last seven races and none of his last four races. He had just one podium in the four races before the summer break, when he finished second at Silverstone. He might have done the same in Austria if he and Lando Norris hadn’t crashed a lap or two.
6 Formula 1 stories to watch after Lewis Hamilton’s prediction and Red Bull’s decision to sackIf Verstappen could choose which track to drive when he returns from his Formula 1 summer break, it would be Zandvoort. On a track that is so good to him, he will have an army of loyal fans cheering him on from the stands. But he does not seem confident that he will be on his way to victory. The 26-year-old said he is keeping his fingers crossed that Red Bull’s car is good enough to continue his winning streak on home soil.
He said: “It was nice to be able to spend time with family and friends over the summer break and it was refreshing to prepare for the second half of the season.” It would be nice to compete at home again. It’s always a fantastic atmosphere and the fans are amazing, so it’s special to me. “It’s a great track with short straights and narrow lanes. We hope to come back stronger for this race. “We’re looking forward to the week ahead and hopefully we can fight for the win.”
If there’s one thing Verstappen and Red Bull have become accustomed to in recent years, it’s fast cars that behave well wherever they go. But this year’s RB20 is much more erratic. Longtime consultant Helmut Marko has a more nuanced way of explaining. He told Auto Motor und Sport: “At the start of the season we had a car that was as balanced as McLaren is today. He could handle every contour and every situation. Then we headed somewhere. That car was a bitch only Max could handle.”
