Verstappen: It was a significant crash, but I've experienced worse.

      Max Verstappen avoided injury after a significant crash into the wall during the opening lap of his final Dutch GP at Zandvoort. The Red Bull driver lost control in the banked final corner on a partially wet track, colliding with the barrier at high speed, and a portion of the car also ended up near the marshal area. Giedo van der Garde remarked to Viaplay about the severity of the impact. "It’s a mega-heavy crash," he stated. "Hitting a concrete wall at 270 or 280 kph is a serious impact." He expressed relief that Verstappen was unhurt, sharing, "I spoke with his trainer for a while. He said he’s ok."

      Verstappen was taken to the medical center for the required examinations and addressed the media later, after watching most of the race. "I just wanted to see how the race was going, so I took some time for that," he explained. When asked if he was physically affected, he simply replied, "No." Verstappen noted that the car unexpectedly lost grip as he neared the drying line. "There were a few cars slower than me," he mentioned. "The car lost control at a strange moment, and I couldn't regain it. Ultimately, it’s my fault, but it was a strange situation." He later added, "It was quite a crash, but I've experienced worse. It can happen; I was caught off guard. It was still fairly wet in that corner, and as soon as I saw the dry patch, I thought: now you can go full throttle. But that clearly didn’t work."

      The Dutch driver had also been feeling unwell throughout the weekend, though he stated he felt somewhat better on Sunday. "Physically, at least," Verstappen clarified. "My nose is still blocked, and I still have a bit of a cough." Team principal Laurent Mekies confirmed that Verstappen is fit to race again at Monza. "That’s the most important thing: Max is doing well," said the Frenchman. "He will also be ready to get back in the car next week."

      Mekies expressed concern about Red Bull’s overall performance. "It seems we've taken a step back compared to the races before the summer break. Each session was more challenging than in Budapest, Spa, or Austria. We have some tough work ahead of us to regroup." Meanwhile, stand-in teammate Liam Lawson managed to finish P7, with Mekies commending his performance during his one-off return to the senior team. "It’s never easy to jump into another car of a different team for one race," he remarked. "He did a good job and was only one-tenth behind Max in qualifying." Hadjar is expected to return for Monza.