Zandvoort is the home of Max Verstappen, the Dutch Lion. To even imagine dethroning the reigning world champion is a tough mountain scale, let alone do it as his home GP. Nonetheless, his arch-rival Lewis Hamilton was determined to stamp his authority at the Dutch GP. But what followed for him was utter humiliation. And a former Ferrari manager has given Mercedes a mouthful for leaving their hero stranded in Qualifying.

DRS – A weapon that Red Bull and Williams yield best. But Hamilton’s battle is against the former. We have seen how easily Verstappen can climb the grid if and when he doesn’t start P1 on the grid. But can the same be said for the 7-time champion’s W14? Not at all. The Silver Arrows, despite a ton of efforts, haven’t been able to give Hamilton a car that’ll help him take the fight to Verstappen.

The Dutch GP Qualifying was the same as many before it. But this time around, Hamilton couldn’t even make it to Q3. His best flying lap could only get him to P13 on the grid. He was not happy with the Brackley outfit’s tactics at all. With this humbling result came even more humbling criticism for Mercedes, from former Ferrari boss, Peter Windsor.

On his YouTube channel, Windsor said, “Look at the problem Mercedes have in the effectiveness of their DRS. You have to take into account how much downforce Mercedes are running in order to get the car in terms of porpoising and various other things. George Russell (and Lewis Hamilton) only picking up 3 kilometers an hour between compared with Max Verstappen, who’s got an unbelievably efficient car aerodynamically, picking up 9 kilometers an hour.”

Read More: Lewis Hamilton & Toto Wolff Contradict Each Other Over Dutch Disaster as Mercedes Descends Into Crushing Chaos

The numbers should show you the massive difference. At the Speed Trap 95 meters before Turn 1, Verstappen recorded a top speed of 327 km/h while Hamilton could only manage a miserly 295 km/h. Judging by these numbers, the 2-time champion looks set to break Sebastian Vettel’s record at the Dutch GP today.

With a historic feat to be achieved, Max Verstappen keeps his feet on the ground

In 2013, driving for Red Bull, 26-year-old Sebastian Vettel won 9 races in a row. No one thought that his record could ever be broken. Then came along Max Verstappen with supreme control over his RB19. At the Dutch GP today, the home hero starts on Pol. If he can convert it into a victory, he’ll match Vettel. Yet, he is focused more on taking one victory at a time than thinking of all these records, however important they may look.

“I think at five wins in a row or something, Seb texted me and said ‘well done, keep it up’ and something like ‘you’re going to do it’,” Verstappen told Sky Sports at Zandvoort. “Nine in a row is something very impressive and I never thought I would be on eight. It’s not something I have constantly like ‘I need to do this. I need to do this’. I’m not in this sport to try and break records. I’m just here to win in the moment.”

Watch This Story | Clouded Future: $54M Deal in Doubt as Hurdle Hits Hamilton’s Mercedes Contract

If no one shunts him, Verstappen winning his 3rd consecutive Dutch GP and 9th consecutive victory in 2023 looks like a done deal.