ZANDVOORT: Red Bull's Max Verstappen won his home Dutch Grand Prix from pole position for the second year in a row on Sunday to send the fans wild and his Formula One world championship lead into triple figures.
He added a bonus point for the fastest lap as George Russell finished second for Mercedes and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc completed the podium at Zandvoort.
"They threw everything at us but we made the right calls," said Verstappen over the radio as he celebrated his fourth win in a row, and 10th in 15 races to surge 109 points clear at the top.
"It’s always special to win your home grand prix, this year I had to work for it even more," he added as the grandstands full of orange-shirted fans -- most of the 105,000 attendance -- went into party overdrive.
Leclerc and Verstappen's Mexican team mate Sergio Perez are tied on points in second place overall, with the Ferrari driver ahead on wins with seven rounds remaining, but Verstappen's second title looks a formality.
In the constructors' standings, Red Bull have 511 points to Ferrari's 376.
Mercedes' seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton was fourth, the Briton fuming at his team after leading a race he might have won but for the timing of safety cars and a tyre strategy that left him on slower tyres than rivals.
"I can't believe you guys," he said over the radio, with expletives filling the airwaves.
The Mercedes drivers had run one-two for the first time this season, after rivals made their first pitstops, with the pair on an initial one-stop strategy while Verstappen planned for two.
A virtual safety car period triggered by AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda changed that, however, with Verstappen taking a cheap pitstop and Hamilton complaining his hopes of winning had been "stuffed".
Tsunoda had stopped by the side of the track on the 44th of 72 laps, complaining a wheel had not been fitted properly.
Told it was safe, he got going again and returned to the pits for a tyre change and seatbelt check before being sent back out -- and stopping.
FERRARI BUNGLE
The full safety car was deployed on lap 55 when Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas stopped just before the last corner, with Verstappen pitting for soft tyres and Russell calling for the same but Hamilton staying out on the mediums.
Verstappen seized the lead again at the re-start and did not look back, with Russell and Leclerc powering past soon after and triggering a heavily bleeped radio exchange.
"We timed it really well out of that last corner into the banking. You could see the draft was quite strong and we got ahead. It’s incredible to win again," said Verstappen.
Perez finished fifth with Fernando Alonso sixth for Alpine and Lando Norris, who had forced his way past Russell at the start, seventh for McLaren.
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz ended up eighth after starting third and finishing fifth on the road, relegated due to a five-second penalty for an unsafe release in the pitlane.
The Spaniard had already been dropped from third to sixth by a pitstop bungle that even team principal Mattia Binotto described as a mess.
Sainz came in after 15 laps for his first stop with the mechanics having only three tyres to put on the car and the driver kept waiting for more than 12 seconds before he could leave.
Perez, who pitted after Sainz and left before him, drove over a Ferrari wheel gun left out of place by a distracted mechanic.
Alpine's Esteban Ocon was ninth, strengthening the Renault-owned team's grip on fourth overall, and Lance Stroll took the final point for Aston Martin.
Reuters
Mon Sep 05 2022
Max Verstappen celebrates on the podium after winning the Dutch Grand Prix, alongside second placed Mercedes' George Russell and third placed Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort, Netherlands, September 4, 2022. - REUTERS
COP29 climate summit draft proposes rich countries pay $250 billion per year
The draft finance deal criticised by both developed and developing nations.
Bomb squad sent to London's Gatwick Airport after terminal evacuation
This was following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage.
Kelantan urges caution amidst northeast monsoon rains
Kelantan has reminded the public in the state to refrain from outdoor activities with the arrival of the Northeast Monsoon season.
Former New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern receives UN leadership award
Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern was given a global leadership award by the United Nations Foundation.
ICC'S arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant an apt decision - PM
The decision of the ICC to issue arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant is apt, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
KTMB provides two additional ETS trains for Christmas, school holidays
KTMB will provide two additional ETS trains for the KL Sentral-Padang Besar route and return trips in conjunction with the holidays.
BNM'S international reserves rise to USD118 bil as at Nov 15, 2024
Malaysia's international reserves rose to US$118.0 billion as at Nov 15, 2024, up from US$117.6 billion on Oct 30, 2024.
Findings by dark energy researchers back Einstein's conception of gravity
The findings announced are part of a years-long study of the history of the cosmos focusing upon dark energy.
NRES responds to Rimbawatch press release on COP29
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) wishes to offer the following clarifications to the issues raised.
Online Safety Bill and Anti-Cyberbullying Laws must carefully balance rights and protections
The Online Safety Advocacy Group (OSAG) stands united with people in Malaysia in the fight against serious online harms.
Malaysia's inflation at 1.9 pct in Oct 2024 - DOSM
Malaysia's inflation rate for October 2024 has increased to 1.9 per cent, up from 1.8 per cent in September this year.
Saudi Arabia showcases Vision 2030 goals at Airshow China 2024
For the first time, Saudi Arabia is participating in the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition held recently in Zhuhai.
King Charles' coronation cost GBP 71mil, govt accounts show
The coronation of Britain's King Charles cost taxpayers GBP72 million (US$90 million), official accounts have revealed.
Couple and associate charged with trafficking 51.9 kg of meth
A married couple and a man were charged in the Magistrate's Court here today with trafficking 51.974 kilogrammes of Methamphetamine.
PDRM to consult AGC in completing Teoh Beng Hock investigation
The police may seek new testimony from existing witnesses for additional insights into the investigation of Teoh Beng Hock's death.
Thai court rejects petition over ex-PM Thaksin's political influence
Thailand's Constitutional Court rejects a petition seeking to stop Thaksin Shinawatra from interfering in the running the Pheu Thai party.
Abidin takes oath of office as Sungai Bakap assemblyman
The State Assemblyman for Sungai Bakap, Abidin Ismail, was sworn in today at the State Assembly building, Lebuh Light.
UPNM cadet officer charged with injuring junior, stomping on him with spike boots
A cadet officer at UPNM pleaded not guilty to a charge of injuring his junior by stomping on the victim's stomach with spike boots.
How Indian billionaire Gautam Adani's alleged bribery scheme took off and unraveled
The indictment was unsealed on Nov. 20, prompting a $27 billion plunge in Adani Group companies' market value.
Elon Musk blasts Australia's planned ban on social media for children
Several countries have already vowed to curb social media use by children through legislation, but Australia's policy could become one of the most stringent.