Victory for champion elect would be his ninth in a row, matching Sebastian Vettel’s record set in 2013
Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen during the second practice session at the Circuit Zandvoort, ahead of the Dutch Formula One Grand Prix. Photograph: JOHN John Thys/Getty ImagesEven with a chill wind sweeping across the sand dunes of Zandvoort and the threat of rain for Sunday’s race, nothing will dampen the ardour of the fans at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Verstappen goes into this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix in this seaside town outside Amsterdam as world champion elect. More than 100,000 fans will attend this first race since Formula One’s summer break expecting the Red Bull driver to move one step closer to closing it out and in so doing equal a remarkable record.
Victory here would be his ninth in a row, matching Sebastian Vettel’s record set in 2013. It reflects how he has strong-armed the championship. The 25-year-old already has a 125-point lead over his team-mate Sergio Pérez with 10 wins from 12 races. In the only two he was denied he has claimed second place. Pérez in identical machinery has flailed in his wake, as if in a different class.
With 12 meetings concluded and 10 remaining, Verstappen could close out his third consecutive championship as early as the Japanese GP, with six meetings in hand. A level of domination doubtless of concern to the sport, anxious to hold on to the swathe of new fans that have flocked to it in recent years. Such supremacy can be disenchanting, yet in Zandvoort McLaren’s Lando Norris argued strongly in favour of appreciating a rare talent.