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Australian Formula 1 star Oscar Piastri endured a torrid day at the office as McLaren failed to act as their rivals ran away from them.
The two-time Formula 1 champion took care of business at his home Grand Prix, crossing the line ahead of Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez.
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Perez was relegated to fourth place after a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, this elevated Alpine’s Pierre Gasly onto the podium.
The race was riddled with carnage throughout as the heavens opened up multiple times over the course of the race.
Heavy rain late in the race turned the track into a nightmare for the drivers before Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu lost control and skidded into the barriers forcing red flags to be waved.
As the race got back underway there was no stopping the Red Bull superstar from claiming the race win, making it three straight wins around the Zandvoort circuit.
The win extends his lead atop the drivers standings to 138 points, Perez sits in second place ahead of Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.
Max celebrates another win. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
While Verstappen was clear at the front of the field, it was a difficult day for McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
The pair had enjoyed a stellar qualifying with Norris starting the race from second on the grid while Piastri started seventh.
As the rain came down in the opening stages McLaren elected to keep their drivers out, a decision that instantly backfired as their pace fell away and saw them eventually fall down the order when they finally elected to pit.
It left the duo fighting their way back into the points before the late rain ultimately locked them into finishing seventh and ninth.
Piastri admitted after the race he was happy to get home with an unscathed car.
“Yes, it was chaotic, definitely,” reflected Piastri. “To have two cars in the points, and in one piece, is a decent afternoon.
“I think there were maybe a few opportunities that we could have done a bit more with, also a couple of mistakes from my side that certainly didn’t help our cause.
“But a lot to learn from. For me, we’ve had a lot of crazy races, so it’s been a bit of a baptism of fire in my rookie season, but all part of the learning experience.”
It wasn’t McLaren’s day. (Photo by SIMON WOHLFAHRT / AFP)
Verstappen fell behind his teammate following an early pit stop, but as the race fell away Red Bull brought the two-time champion in with the move shuffling the order and pushing Perez back behind.
The victory makes Verstappen only the second driver in Formula 1 history to win nine consecutive races after Red Bull Racing alumnus Sebastian Vettel won the final nine of the 2013 season.
He now will look to stand alone with 10 straight Grand Prix victories when the F1 grid heads to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix.
The Italian Grand Prix will be lights out on Sunday, September 3 from 11pm (AEST).
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