Max Verstappen: Red Bull driver says huge Dutch Grand Prix crash 'could have been a lot worse'
Max Verstappen had a massive crash when running in seventh on the opening lap of the Dutch Grand Prix; Verstappen walked away unharmed but feels the shunt could have been "a lot worse" at his home event
Sunday 23 August 2026 18:59, UK
Max Verstappen admitted his huge crash at the Dutch Grand Prix "could have been a lot worse" after he lost control of his Red Bull on the opening lap of his final home event.
Verstappen caught too much of the damp kerb through the normally flat-out banked corner and hit the outside barriers hard before coming to a halt in front of a packed Zandvoort crowd.
The severity of the incident caused a red flag but Verstappen walked away unharmed from what is likely to be the last Dutch Grand Prix of his career - as the event does not have a contract beyond this year.
- Dutch GP Result | F1 2026 standings | F1 2026 calendar
- Kimi Antonelli to take Monza grid penalty for engine change
- Download the Sky Sports app for expert analysis, best video & more📱
- Not got Sky? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream F1 with no contract 📺
"It was of course still quite wet in that corner. As soon as I was going through the corner, I could see a little bit of a dry line coming, and I thought from that point on I could accelerate again, but it suddenly then accelerated a lot," Verstappen explained to Sky Sports F1.
"It caught me out, simple as that. I tried to correct it but couldn't. And then you hit the wall, but it could have been a lot worse because there were a lot of cars behind me as well, but luckily that all went well."
Verstappen: Zandvoort highlighted Red Bull are fourth fastest
It was a dramatic end to a disappointing first race after the summer break for Red Bull, just days after Verstappen signed a new contract to stay with the team until at least the end of 2030.
Verstappen started and finish Saturday's Sprint in sixth and was half a second behind pace-setters Mercedes and McLaren in both qualifying sessions.
Having been able to compete at the front in the four races before the summer break, with three podiums in July, it was a surprise to see Red Bull take a step back.
"If you look on average the whole season we have been fourth fastest, I think this weekend really highlighted that," said Verstappen.
"We're a little bit behind, we want to be closer. Maybe [at the next race] in Monza we are, but I don't know.
"We're getting towards the end of the season, you also have to look at next year. I think there are a few things on the car we are looking at that can only be changed next year, to really find a lot more performance."
Red Bull did not bring a major upgrade to Zandvoort, only a new front corner, so team boss Laurent Mekies says they need to understand if their lack of performance was circuit specific, or to do with previous upgrades.
"Performance-wise I think there is nowhere to hide. It was a very difficult weekend. It seems we have made a bit of a step back compared to where we were before the summer break," he said.
"Of course we will never know what the real pace of the car would have been with Max. It's fair to say session after session it looked more difficult than it was in Budapest or Spa or Austria."
Formula 1 heads to Monza for Ferrari's home race at the Italian Grand Prix on September 4-6, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime
