Verstappen Wins the Turbulent 2022 F1 Dutch Grand Prix

Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen thrilled his home crowd with a thrilling victory in the 2022 Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix at the historic Zandvoort circuit.

Mercedes-Benz AMG's Lewis Hamilton took the lead in the closing laps, but Verstappen took advantage of a late safety car period to switch to soft tires and, in a move similar to his championship-winning run at last season's Abu Dhabi GP, passed the Mercedes driver on older medium tires He passed the Mercedes driver on the old medium tyres, a move similar to the one that won him the championship in Abu Dhabi last season.

Hamilton was passed by fellow Mercedes driver George Russell, who finished second, four seconds behind Verstappen, and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, who finished third, 10 seconds behind the winner. Hamilton took the checkered flag in fourth place, with Red Bull's Sergio Perez rounding out the top five.

Verstappen started the race in pole position and led the race until Hamilton pulled ahead midway through the race. However, on lap 48, Alfa Tauri's Hiroki Tsunoda suffered mechanical problems, bringing out the virtual safety car.

Then on lap 55, Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas stopped, bringing out the yellow flag. One lap later the safety car was brought in and Verstappen went out on soft tires under the final caution. The safety car left the track at the end of lap 60, and Verstappen, who had better pace on the soft tires, easily passed Hamilton to take the lead.

Meanwhile, in Ferrari, Carlos Sainz was unable to change tires in time during his pit stop and fell behind. In the end, Sainz lost about 9 seconds and several positions.

Then, on his second pit stop, Sainz had to slow down to avoid the McLaren pit crew in front of him, causing Alpine's Fernando Alonso to pull away. The incident was deemed a dangerous release and Sainz was given a 5-second penalty. He eventually finished the race in fifth place, but the penalty dropped him to eighth.

In the 2022 drivers' championship, Verstappen has a commanding lead with 310 points to Perez and Leclerc's 201. In the constructors' championship, Red Bull leads with 511 points. Ferrari is second with 376 points and Mercedes is third with 346 points. The next race is scheduled for this weekend at the Italian Grand Prix.

Full results for the 2022 F1 Dutch GP are as follows:

1) Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) 2) George Russell (Mercedes-Benz AMG) +4.071 seconds 3) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +10.929s 4) Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Benz AMG) +13.016s 5) Sergio Perez (Red Bull Racing) +18.168s 6) Fernando Alonso (Alpine) +18.754s 7) Lando Norris (McLaren) +19.306s 8) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari, +20.916s 9) Esteban Ocon, Alpine +21.117s 10) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +22.459s 11) Pierre Gasly, Alfa Tauri +27.009s 12) Alexander Albon, Williams +30.390s 13) Mick Schumacher, Haas, +32.995s 14) Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) +36.007s 15) Kevin Magnussen, Haas, +36.869s 16) Guan Yu Zhou, Alfa Romeo +37.320s 17) Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren +37.764s 18) Nicolas Latifi, Williams +1 lap NC) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo - DNF NC) Hiroki Kakuda, Alfa Tauri - DNF [19]