Max Verstappen Will Never Meet Michael Schumacher And Lewis Hamilton Milestone After Lost Dutch GP Victory

Saajan Jogia | Aug 26, 2024

Pole position qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing looks on in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 27, 2024 in Spa, Belgium. / Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen lost out on a big chance to meet a rare career milestone during the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, which would have placed him among the greatest drivers in Formula 1, who won a race during their 200th Grand Prix.

The Dutch GP marked an important milestone for Verstappen, as it was his 200th race in the premier class. What better scenario could a driver expect than winning his 200th race at his home track? However, McLaren's Lando Norris stole the show after his MCL38 catapulted him to the top spot on lap 18, despite losing the lead at the start to the Dutchman, who secured second place.

McLaren has shown immense improvement in recent months after a mid-season upgrade worked as expected, causing Oscar Piastri to secure his maiden win at Hungary, followed by Norris' second win yesterday. McLaren not only warded off the threat from Red Bull in recent months but also dealt with challenges posed by the resurgence of Ferrari and Mercedes, with the latter surprisingly losing quite a lot of pace in Zandvoort despite winning three races before the summer break.

With Red Bull experiencing a phase of diminishing returns as a result of consistency in the regulations, it is now on a mission to save its place in the top spot in both the Constructors' Championship and the Drivers' Standings considering McLaren's leap of 12 points yesterday that reduced the gap in the Constructors' Championship to 30 points. The gap between Verstappen and Norris for the drivers' title is currently at 70 points. With nine more races to go, it could be anybody's championship this season.

Leaving aside the championships, McLaren's victory at Zandvoort also caused Verstappen to lose a rare chance of winning his 200th F1 race, an opportunity that will never show up again. Seven Formula 1 champions have reached the 200-race milestone thus far, and only five of those drivers won their 200th race. The legends included Jenson Button, Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel, and Lewis Hamilton. If Verstappen had won the Dutch GP, he would have been the sixth driver to join the list.

However, it wasn't only McLaren's resurgence this season that cost him the victory. The three-time world champion revealed problems with his RB20's balance after the Dutch GP qualifying, which had compromised the car's handling, resulting in him starting second on Sunday. He told the media:

“I had a bit of a moment in the [Turn] 11-12, but that was also a bit my qualifying in general.

“I never really felt comfortable. 

“Every run, there was always one or two corners where I felt like I was losing a lot of time. With the gust of wind, it seemed like it was very sensitive for us. 

“The car was really responding aggressively to it. That’s why I think every single run that I did was different. I just had a different balance every time. It just made it very difficult. 

“Q3, I think the first lap wasn’t too bad. I tried to push it a bit more, but everything just seems very snappy, very on the edge, I would say. 

“Nevertheless, I’m happy to be on the front row after Q1, Q2. I’ve never really been in that top-five region.

“Of course, I was trying to save tires a bit because I only had four sets, but I never really felt that I was in the fight for pole. 

“When you come out of qualifying on the front row, I think that’s okay.”