Max Verstappen crashed on lap one of his home Dutch Grand Prix after being squeezed on the grass in a four-wide moment at Turn 1. A rain shower 50 minutes before the start left the track damp, particularly in the banked final corner. Verstappen lost control of his RB22 when he attempted to accelerate on a dry patch that was still too wet, resulting in a substantial crash and a red flag.

He described the impact as “a decent hit” but said he’d “had worse.” Red Bull stand-in Liam Lawson challenged him early but Verstappen held seventh until the crash. Verstappen admitted it was a “disappointing weekend” pace-wise, with McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes out of reach, and acknowledged Red Bull as the fourth-fastest team without recent upgrades. He plans to rest ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, citing illness over the weekend.

Gabriel Bortoleto also lost control in the same corner but avoided a crash. Verstappen said the incident was a consequence of track conditions and not surprising given the team’s current performance level.