In a return to a traditional Formula One snoozefest, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen led nearly start to finish in winning the 2021 Dutch Grand Prix over the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in second and third, respectively.
Verstappen was on pole position and encountered little to no pressure from defending seven-time Formula 1 world champion Hamilton starting alongside him in the first row as the starting six places on the grid stayed in those exact same spots for the race’s first 21 laps until pit crossovers began. From Lap 22 to Lap 32, Verstappen briefly gave up the race lead to Bottas as the trio of drivers made their required pit stops. But that was the last time Verstappen would cede the lead as all three drivers lapped the entire field in the mostly non-competitive, sleep-inducing race.
Hamilton was able to salvage an extra point by claiming the fastest lap on the final lap of the race and now trails Verstappen by three points in the overall 2021 F1 driver’s championship.
2021 Dutch Grand Prix Top 10 Finishers
1] Max Verstappen Red Bull
2] Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
3] Valtteri Bottas Mercedes
4] Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri
5] Charles Leclerc Ferrari
6] Fernando Alonso Alpine
7] Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari
8] Sergio Pérez Red Bull
9] Esteban Ocon Alpine
10] Lando Norris McLaren