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Comedy legend Steve Carell provided some light relief during another day of Max Verstappen domination at the Dutch Grand Prix.
In one of the more entertaining races of the season, which was spiced up by a couple of heavy showers and a red flag, Verstappen still led the way, romping to a ninth successive victory in front of more than 100,000 of his countrymen and women.
The build-up to the race, as usual, saw some celebrity spotting, with Sky Sports catching a word with Carell, who had cut into a family holiday to attend the Zandvoort race. As presenter Natalie Pinkham kicked off the chat by asking if it was his first grand prix, which it was, Carrell pointed out “wow, that camera’s close!” as the operator zoomed in on him.
He branded the carnival atmosphere “electric” and “everything you could have anticipated and much, much more”. He added: “We’re on a family vacation and thought this would be a good place to see our first F1 [race].”
READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton completely 'lost it' on team radio in 'biggest f*** up' rant at Dutch GP
Having been spotted mingling with Verstappen’s employers, Carrell jokingly described himself as an “honourary member of the Red Bull team”.
“You have to root for the hometown boy or you’re an idiot,” he said before commenting on what he is expecting from the Las Vegas Grand Prix later in the year.
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Carell’s appearance brightened the mood of fans, with one saying: “The highlight of this race is Steve Carell in the paddock!”
A second said: “He’s just a naturally funny person.” Another added: “Showing the ‘stars’ how it’s done on the grid.”
A fourth quipped: “The most entertaining thing that will happen today.”
In the race, pole-sitter Verstappen found himself down in 13th place after seven drivers – including Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez – took advantage of a sudden first-lap downpour to move on to wet tyres.
The Dutchman regained the lead on lap 13 of 72 only for the race to be red-flagged with just eight laps to run after Zhou Guanyu crashed out following a second heavy shower. A 43-minute suspension followed as the tyre barrier at the opening corner was repaired.
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Verstappen then beat Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso in a six-lap dash to the chequered flag to match Vettel’s streak, set in 2013. Perez finished third but was demoted a place after he was hit with a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane, allowing Alpine’s Pierre Gasly to take the final spot on the podium.
Carlos Sainz finished fifth, holding off Lewis Hamilton, with Lando Norris seventh. George Russell was forced to retire his Mercedes following a late contact with Norris’ McLaren.
- Lewis Hamilton
- Max Verstappen
- Mercedes
- Family
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