Verstappen Out on Lap One at Zandvoort
On a wet track, Verstappen lost the rear at the exit of Luyendyk corner on the opening lap, hit the barrier twice, and ended his home race before completing even two laps.
The Dutch Grand Prix ended in the most painful way possible for Max Verstappen. On the wet track, on the very first lap, the Dutchman lost the rear at the exit of the Luyendyk corner, hit the barrier, and then made contact with the wall a second time after trying to continue. He walked away unhurt, but his race was over before he’d even completed two laps – in front of a crowd that had turned out in huge numbers to send him off.
The result is especially painful given his history at this track. Since Zandvoort returned to the calendar in 2021, Verstappen had been the undisputed favourite there – three consecutive wins and a second place in 2024, without a single home retirement in all that time. Sunday’s incident snapped that streak in the harshest way possible.
For the thousands of fans in orange who came to send their hero on, the race left a bitter taste – but also a reminder of just how quickly luck can turn, even for a driver with that level of dominance on familiar ground.
