Max Verstappen has significantly lowered expectations for his home Dutch Grand Prix, all but ruling himself out of contention for a win. This comes despite starting third at Zandvoort, marking the first time he's been off the front row at this event since its F1 return in 2021.
Why it matters
A victory at his home race is always a massive event for Verstappen and the Dutch fans. His pessimistic outlook highlights underlying performance issues with the Red Bull RB21's race pace compared to rivals, signaling a potentially challenging weekend for the reigning champion.
The details
- Verstappen qualified third, behind Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who secured a McLaren front-row lockout.
- Analysis of practice sessions, dominated by Norris, suggested the McLaren MCL39 holds a significant race pace advantage over Verstappen's Red Bull.
- Norris made history by topping all three practice sessions, a first in 2025.
Verstappen's candid assessment
- "It’s a bit unknown, but I do think that what we have on the car should be more stable," Verstappen told media, including RacingNews365, regarding his race pace.
- "But this season in general, our race pace has not been the best in terms of if you compare it to a qualifying lap."
- He added, "I just hope that at least we can keep the guys behind us literally behind us in the race. What happens in front of me, I have no control over. I’ll just try to do the best I can from my side."
- He also noted the challenging windy conditions during qualifying: "[Qualifying] was quite tricky with the wind, it was very windy and at some corners you’re a bit guided by what the wind is doing. So, the car is pushing or sliding, and I guess we’re not the strongest at the moment, but still, it was not bad."
The outlook
With the Dutch Grand Prix set to leave the calendar after 2026, Verstappen's chances of adding a fourth home victory appear slim if the race unfolds normally. His focus seems to be on defending his position rather than challenging the McLarens.