Sawt Falasteen - Mad Max: Is Verstappen's dominance under threat?

Sunday's Grand Prix at the Dutch seaside resort of Zandvoort should have been a celebration for Verstappen, his 200th race in front of hundreds of thousands of his adoring orange-clad fans.

But Verstappen cut a strangely disconsolate figure throughout his visit home, at times as gloomy as the Dutch weather that blighted practice and qualifying.

While the other drivers returned from a summer break full of tales of drinking with buddies or going to Taylor Swift concerts, Verstappen seemed significantly less joyous.

Asked on Thursday whether he had another 200 Grand Prix in him, the 26-year-old was monosyllabic. "No."

He said he would wait until 2026 regulation changes to see if racing was still "fun" but wasn't really thinking too much further ahead.

"I'm pretty easy-going," he said.

The weekend followed a pattern of near Verstappen misses and downbeat comments.

He spun his Red Bull on his first outing on a wet track -- in hindsight a harbinger of the misery to come -- then was pipped to the fastest practice lap.

"We didn't quite have the pace on the long and short runs and at the moment there isn't a clear answer on how to improve this," snapped a frustrated Verstappen.

Frustration also during qualifying where he was beaten for the first time ever to pole position at Zandvoort, lighting up the team radio with expletives as he bounced out of a corner.

"I never really felt comfortable'" said the Dutchman. "Everything just seemed very snappy, very on the edge I would say," he added.

Referring to his nearest rival, McLaren's Lando Norris, he offered a revealing insight about his state of mind.

"It seems like Lando's a bit happier in general, which is the driving and how he feels. I'm a bit more over the place with the balance."

- 'A lot of points' -

Come race day, Verstappen powered off to a fast start, briefly taking the lead to give his fans some hope but the gulf in pace between his Red Bull and the McLaren quickly became clear.

Overtaken with some ease on lap 18, the gap grew ever wider, with Verstappen eventually more than 20 seconds off the pace set by winner Norris.

"Throughout the race it was quite clear that we are not quick enough, so I tried to be second today," said Verstappen, an unfamiliar position.

Norris, the British driver two years Verstappen's junior, is seen as the most likely pretender to the Dutch crown, helming an upgraded McLaren finally as competitive as any car on the grid.

For Norris, it was premature to talk about possibly preventing Verstappen from cruising to a fourth straight world championship.

Verstappen still enjoys a 70-point lead over the chasing pack, thanks to a typical dominant start of the season that saw him win seven out of the first 10 races.

"It's a lot of points, and it's Max," said Norris when asked if he could close the gap.

Overhauling Verstappen would likely require not only a sustained period of McLaren wins but also slip-ups from the Red Bull man he is not prone to offering.

If anything, it's the less experienced Norris that is more likely to lack consistency.

Question marks remain over his starts: before Zandvoort, he had bagged pole three times but never held the lead after the first lap.

His start in the Netherlands was also sluggish, allowing Verstappen to cruise past him with apparent ease.

Norris himself alluded to this before racing started this weekend, saying he had "not performed at the level I need to perform at if I want to fight for a championship."

The constructors' championship is closer, McLaren snapping hard at the feet of Red Bull, whose second driver Sergio Perez has failed to score consistently.

K.AbuTaha--SF-PST