ZANDVOORT - Max Verstappen can equal Sebastian Vettel’s record nine wins in a row this weekend as Formula One ends its August break and heads for the Dutch sea­side dunes of Zandvoort. The 25-year-old Red Bull driver can count on a capac­ity crowd cheering him all the way as he returns home more dominant than ever. The double world champion is favourite to complete a hat-trick, after winning the two races held at the cir­cuit since it returned to the calendar in 2021, and has a 125 point lead over Mexi­can team mate Sergio Perez after 12 of 22 rounds. Red Bull are meanwhile chasing a 14th successive win, and 13th of this season, with the run dating back to Abu Dhabi last year. Germany’s Vettel, now-retired, is the only driver to have won nine races in a row during a single campaign and he did it for Red Bull on his way to a fourth title in 2013. “I’m excited to get going with the second half of the season now and what better way to start than in the Neth­erlands,” said Verstappen. “It’s an amazing track and of course, the fans are incred­ible there, so I’m definitely excited to get back on track. “It looks like the weather could be temperamental there but I don’t mind ei­ther way, wet or dry, we’ll do our best to make sure we score maximum points.” The battle to be best of the rest promises to be more excit­ing, with Mercedes, Aston Martin, Ferrari and McLaren all ready to pounce if Red Bull have a shock off day and drop the ball.