Max Verstappen Wins 2022 F1 Dutch Grand Prix; Lewis Hamilton Drops Out of Podium Late

Max Verstappen won his home race at the Dutch Grand Prix to continue his dominance of the 2022 Formula One season.

The Dutch driver started on the pole and finished first ahead of George Russell in Sunday's race at Zandvoort, Netherlands, much to the delight of the orange-clad fans in attendance.

It represents the fourth straight win for Verstappen, who now has 10 victories in 15 races this season. He continues to build his lead in the driver standings as Red Bull heads toward the constructor's championship.

Russell finished in second after a controversial strategy with teammate Lewis Hamilton, who fell into fourth place after leading late. Charles Leclerc grabbed the last spot on the podium after an eventful race.

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Final Results

1. Max Verstappen

2. George Russell

3. Charles Leclerc

4. Lewis Hamilton

5. Sergio Perez

Full results via Formula1.com.

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It's become a bigger surprise when Verstappen doesn't win races this year, as he ended up pulling away from the next closest competitor by more than four seconds:

It was still far from an easy path, as several drivers seemingly had a chance to win. Pit strategy was a major story in this race, and it helped create a divide between the top competitors.

Ferrari—as it has done often this year—hurt itself with a mental mistake.

Carlos Sainz began the race in the third spot, but a long pit stop might have been enough to take him out of contention early:

Mercedes then attempted to win by making fewer stops than the other teams.

While Verstappen held the lead for much of the day, Hamilton remained a top contender with the initial one-stop strategy. After the British star dropped to fourth following a short pit, he drove past Sergio Perez into third position and up to second when Leclerc made his pit stop.

The outlook changed with just over 20 laps remaining after Yuki Tsunoda was unable to continue, forcing a virtual safety car. The move helped Verstappen pit without losing time, keeping him in the first position.

A few laps later, a safety car due to Valtteri Bottas' retirement meant Verstappen could pit for soft tires while Hamilton stayed out on mediums with the lead.

It was supposed to create a true race to the finish, but Verstappen showcased his talent immediately by passing Hamilton on the first turn after the restart.

George Russell, who could have helped Hamilton by blocking Verstappen, instead chose to change his tires. He later flew past his Mercedes teammate shortly after the restart.

Hamilton couldn't keep up and failed to reach the podium.

It led to what became an easy win for Verstappen after a nervy middle of the race.

The Formula One season will continue next week in Italy as everyone tries to catch the Dutch star in first place.