Max Verstappen accepted full responsibility for the opening-lap crash that ended his final home race at the Dutch Grand Prix. The four-time world champion spun out of the high-speed final banked corner, leaving his Red Bull heavily damaged and forcing him out of the race within minutes of the start. Zandvoort drops off the Formula 1 calendar from 2027, making this his last appearance at the circuit.
Verstappen's Account of the Incident
Reflecting on the start, Verstappen noted the earlier battle with Lewis Hamilton into Turn One and his fight with temporary Red Bull team-mate Liam Lawson. "Yeah, well I think the start is just a consequence of what is happening on the right," he said. "It's okay, it can happen."
He explained the crash: "And then I got caught out, it was still quite wet in that corner and then as soon as I saw the dry patch coming, I was like, now you can accelerate but clearly that didn't work so probably was still a bit too early."
Impact and Aftermath
Asked about the high-speed hit, Verstappen said: "It was a decent hit, but I've had worse. I just asked, can I not go to the medical center? And they were like, 'It's still below the threshold, so sorry.'"
The crash red-flagged the race and left thousands of Dutch fans disappointed in the stands. Verstappen, 28, had earlier sworn over team radio before apologising for the mistake, later showing his classy side by taking full responsibility.
