Max Verstappen takes responsibility for big Dutch GP crash after misjudgment

Max Verstappen has explained how he was "caught out" during his huge accident during the Dutch Grand Prix after an error in reading the track conditions.

On the opening lap at Zandvoort, Verstappen smashed into the concrete wall on the outside of the track after spinning in the banked final corner, and spun across the track and had a secondary impact, albeit at lower speed.

He was uninjured in the accident, which he simply attributed to a mistake in reading the track conditions, which were damp following a morning of rain showers, and a downpour just before the start of the race.

"I think the start was just a consequence of what was happening on the right [of the grid]", Verstappen told media, including RacingNews365.

"It is okay, it can happen, and then I got caught out in that corner; it was still quite wet, and as soon as I saw the dry patch coming, I was like: 'now you can accelerate,' and clearly that didn't work, so it was a bit too early.

"It was a decent hit, but it was okay. I asked if I could not go to the medical centre, and they were like it was still below the thresholds. 

"I don't know [if the 250kw restriction for rain conditions would have helped], probably not, but we were just down on grip and balance.

"It was a disappointing weekend; we just couldn't really fight with the guys ahead, that is the most disappointing part. 

"Of course, I wish I could have done a little bit more in the race, but looking at the pace we were showing, I don't think it was really possible, and hopefully in Monza, we can be a little more competitive."