Max Verstappen has not managed to win any of his last four F1 races, with the Dutchman being made to pay for cheeky comments he made about his British rivals
Max Verstappen joked about the Dutch national anthem to lighten the mood of his lack of racing victories. The three-time Formula One winner added, “I would actually like to hear it, it’s been a while,” after previously making the same sarcastic remark about his British opponents.
The Red Bull star’s extraordinary run without a win extended at the Belgian Grand Prix, when he finished fourth after climbing from P11. The 26-year-old Dutchman, who dominated on his path to winning his last two titles, has had a surprising turn of events.
He had been on a hot streak earlier in the season when he mocked British drivers Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, and George Russell during an EA FC streaming session with friends. Verstappen commented, “Haven’t heard that in a while!” when he heard the British national song playing in the background.
The trio has subsequently responded with style, demonstrating their racing prowess with four wins between them. Verstappen seemed to have accepted his slice of humble pie and used the opportunity to chuckle at his own misfortune.
During a live feed, Sim Racing commentator Luke Crane asked, “Can someone play the Dutch national anthem?” Verstappen, self-deprecatingly, added: “I would actually like to hear it, it’s been a while!”
Despite multiple situations where his frustrations erupted on the team radio during races this season, the driver grinned. He swore several times during the Hungarian Grand Prix, expressing his displeasure with the team’s “s**t” strategy and criticizing his car.
Fortunately, his home Grand Prix in Zandvoort, Netherlands, is next on the schedule. It is scheduled for August 25th, following the summer break, and provides Verstappen with a wonderful opportunity to score a victory and hear the Dutch national song once more.
The last time he had the pleasure of seeing ‘Het Wilhelmus’ was at the Spanish Grand Prix, where Norris and Hamilton completed the podium. With three consecutive wins at Zandvoort since its reinstatement to the racing calendar for the first time since 1985, he will go into the race full of confidence.
Despite the recent defeats, Verstappen still leads the drivers’ title by 78 points after winning seven of the first ten races of the season. McLaren star Norris falls behind in second position, with 199 points
