Lewis Hamilton says he is hoping to enjoy a "good battle" with title rival Max Verstappen throughout the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, after no racing laps were completed last time out in Belgium. Due to heavy rainfall throughout Sunday at Spa-Francorchamps, drivers were restricted to two laps behind the Safety Car before the race was called off, with half points awarded to the top 10 finishers – Verstappen taking victory ahead of George Russell and Hamilton. Hamilton still leads Verstappen in the standings heading into this weekend's event at Zandvoort, albeit by a reduced margin of three points, and he is keen for their fight to continue in normal conditions. "I hope firstly that it's dry," said Hamilton in an interview with Dutch broadcaster Ziggo. "I mean, the Red Bull is going to be fast here, that's for sure. Max is on his home track, so he's gonna have a boost from his fans . "I hope we can have a good battle, at least in qualifying, but in the race, I hope we can still have a good battle." As F1 returns to Zandvoort for the first time since 1985, Hamilton added of his expectations: "No one's driven on this track in a Formula 1 car, apart from Max, but obviously he was just doing reconnaissance laps . "I think it's gonna be a massive challenge for all of us." Hamilton reckons Zandvoort will be a similar experience to Monaco, given the tight and twisty nature of the 4.259-kilometre track, which has been refurbished in recent years and features revised, banked sections. Asked for his general thoughts on the circuit, and whether the banked corners are too dangerous, Hamilton commented: "No, it's amazing. They should put more banking in more tracks. "They just don't build tracks like they used to. It's an old-school circuit. I don't think there'll be a huge amount of overtaking here, but like in Monaco, it's the thrill of driving the track. "You have real run-off areas – gravel. You can't go wide anywhere. It's a real, real track."
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