Verstappen wins his third Dutch GP in a row in front of home fans with dominant win at Circuit Zandvoort.

Max Verstappen continued his remarkable run of form as he claimed a record-equalling ninth win in a row with a comfortable victory at a rain-affected Dutch Grand Prix at Circuit Zandvoort equaling Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine successive Formula 1 wins set with the same team in 2013.

The Oracle Red Bull Racing driver mastered the extremely wet and unpredictable conditions as he finished ahead of the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasley in the Alpine, securing an 11th victory of the season and equalling Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine wins in a row.

Verstappen said: “Incredible. They didn’t make it easy for us with the weather to make all the right calls. I’m incredibly proud. I’m going to enjoy this weekend. It’s always tough. The pressure is on to perform and I’m very happy to win here.”

ZANDVOORT, NETHERLANDS - AUGUST 27: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 leads Fernando Alonso of Spain driving the (14) Aston Martin AMR23 Mercedes and Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 at the restart during the F1 Grand Prix of The Netherlands at Circuit Zandvoort on August 27, 2023 in Zandvoort, Netherlands. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202308270690 // Usage for editorial use only //

Verstappen had claimed pole in a wet-dry qualifying session on Saturday but quickly lost his lead as heavy rain during the first lap led to a major reshuffle of the order, as the track became more suited to intermediate tires than the slicks the entire field had started on.

Perez, who was one of seven drivers to pit at the end of the first lap, claimed the lead as he scythed through the field, but Verstappen, who came out in 13th after stopping a lap later, would quickly work his way back up to second.

With the rain having relented and the surface once more favoring slick tires, Verstappen was able to reclaim the lead as he pitted on lap 11 to benefit from an undercut on Perez, who emerged in second when he stopped a lap later.

Verstappen looked to be cruising towards victory as he opened up a 10-second lead over Perez, before another heavy band of rain hit the coastal town with 12 laps remaining.

Chaos ensued as a heavier shower than the one at the start saw drivers stop for intermediate – or in some cases wet – tires, before cars began to aquaplane on the main straight, with a heavy crash for Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu prompting a red flag.

Following a delay of more than 40 minutes, Verstappen calmly controlled a rolling restart on intermediate tires to ease almost four seconds clear of Alonso in the five laps that remained.

Elsewhere on the track drivers positioned themselves best they could with the bulk of the racing drama coming from Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz as held off Lewis Hamilton for fifth, with the Mercedes driver unable to crown an impressive comeback drive from 13th on the grid.

ZANDVOORT, NETHERLANDS - AUGUST 27: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of The Netherlands at Circuit Zandvoort on August 27, 2023 in Zandvoort, Netherlands. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202308270702 // Usage for editorial use only //

Verstappen will have the opportunity at next weekend’s Italian Grand Prix to move beyond the nine successive wins Sebastian Vettel recorded for Red Bull in 2013.

The victory also maintained Red Bull’s record of having won every race this season, with the team’s record run of victories, which stretches back to the final race of 2022, now at 14.

Verstappen’s latest triumph takes the 25-year-old closer to a third successive drivers’ title, extending his advantage over Perez to 138 points with nine races remaining.