Max Verstappen endured a disappointing 2026 F1 Dutch GP that ended on the opening lap as the Dutchman lost control and found the wall.
Verstappen entered the final Dutch GP weekend after recently extending his Red Bull Racing contract until 2030. However, his weekend quickly fell apart as he only managed P11 in FP1 before claiming P6 in both Sprint Qualifying and the Sprint Race. The four-time World Champion went on to secure P7 in Qualifying, before his home race was cut short on the opening lap.
Verstappen: “I got caught out”
Verstappen kicked off his race by running wide onto the grass after going wheel-to-wheel with Lewis Hamilton before rejoining and battling teammate Liam Lawson. His race ended in the final moments of the opening lap as he lost control in a still-wet last sector, slamming into the barriers and causing heavy damage to the car in the last corner, while Verstappen remained uninjured.
Reflecting on the incident after the 2026 F1 Dutch GP, Verstappen explained how he misjudged the wet surface.
“Yeah, well, I think this start is just a consequence of what is happening on the right. It’s okay, it can happen, and then, yeah, I got caught out. It was still quite wet in that corner, and as soon as I saw the dry patch coming, I was like, now you can accelerate, but clearly that didn’t work, so probably it was still a bit too early.
“It was a decent hit, but I’ve had worse,” he added before briefly sharing information about his medical check and G-force reading. “Yeah, I didn’t ask. I just asked, ‘can I not go to the medical centre, and they were like, it’s still below the threshold.’”
A frustrating final weekend at Zandvoort
As 2026 marked Zandvoort’s last year on the F1 calendar, Verstappen’s crash proved even more devastating for himself and his Dutch fans. However, despite this, Verstappen noted that the team’s lack of pace had been the biggest disappointment of the weekend, with Red Bull unable to match the pace of Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari.
“Well, I think overall we had a disappointing weekend, pace-wise. We just couldn’t really fight with the guys ahead, so that’s probably the most disappointing part, but of course I wish that I could have done a little bit more in the race, but looking at the pace that we were showing, I don’t think it was really possible anyway.”
Despite this, the Dutchman still wished he had been given the opportunity to race in his final home Grand Prix as he continued:
“But yeah, I still would have liked to race, I still would have liked to try and done a good job. But yeah, hopefully in Monza we can be a little bit more competitive.”
Verstappen on Lawson’s weekend with Red Bull Racing
With Isack Hadjar sidelined by a hand injury, Lawson stepped into the second Red Bull seat for the 2026 F1 Dutch GP, driving alongside Verstappen for the first time since his demotion in 2025. The Kiwi quickly impressed, qualifying P8 and finishing the race in seventh, while also battling Verstappen closely at Turn 3 on the first lap.
When asked whether Lawson’s immediate pace and determination had suprised him at Turn 3, Verstappen simply shared: “Yeah, but I mean, we’re allowed to race, I think that’s normal.”
Staying realistic
Beyond the crash and the lack of pace, Verstappen also revealed that he had been feeling unwell throughout the weekend.
“Yeah, I’ve just not been feeling well, so I’m just looking forward to the week break where I can just recover also, because I really didn’t feel good. So, yeah, I wish for more, but, you know, you need to be realistic this season,” he shared before pointing to Red Bull’s current position on the grid.
“We are the fourth-fastest team, so it’s not like walking up to Zandvoort, and suddenly, you know, we can do some magic things. It’s just how it is. Other teams have brought upgrades, we haven’t. When you’re already on the back foot, it’s even more on the back foot. So, it’s nothing surprising, it’s just the reality we live in.”
Asked whether 250kW restriction for rain conditions could have helped him avoid the crash, Verstappen said: “I don’t know, probably not. I think, you know, we’re just down in grip or balance compared to some of the other guys, so it’s just how it is. It would also be like that in the wet.”
