Max Verstappen matched Sebastian Vettel’s nine consecutive wins record at the Dutch Grand Prix, keeping his composure in a chaotic race in front of his home crowd, extending Red Bull’s unbeaten season to 13 races.

Verstappen can break the winning streak record if he continues his form at Monza next weekend. Here are three other notable storylines from the event at Zandvoort on the North Sea coast:

Alonso and Aston Martin Shine:

Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin had a strong performance, with Alonso securing second place and the fastest lap. His racecraft was exceptional, even challenging Verstappen after a race restart due to rain.

This marked Alonso’s first podium since Canada two months ago, boosting the team’s hopes in the midfield battle behind the dominant Verstappen/Red Bull combination. It was his 11th top-three finish of the season, breaking Michael Schumacher’s record for the longest gap between his first and last career podium.

Cruel Blow for Ricciardo:

Daniel Ricciardo, who was looking forward to the next races after returning from a sabbatical with AlphaTauri, suffered a setback. A practice crash left him with a broken hand, likely forcing him to miss several races. His last-minute replacement, reserve driver Liam Lawson, handled the situation well in his first-ever race.

Mercedes’ Tactical Mistakes:

Mercedes had a challenging day, with George Russell starting third but finishing 17th and Lewis Hamilton scraping into sixth. Poor decisions in tricky weather conditions, such as staying out too long during the first spell of rain, cost them.

Team principal Toto Wolff acknowledged the mistakes and expressed frustration, stating that the car had the pace but they couldn’t capitalize on it. They hope for a less chaotic and rain-free race in Italy next weekend.

The Dutch Grand Prix provided several unexpected twists and turns, leaving fans eager to see how the rest of the season unfolds.