After a 36-year hiatus, the Zandvoort Circuit in the Netherlands returned to the F1 calendar in 2021. It just had to be a Max Verstappen win, and it was. The orange army erupted in cheers as Verstappen crossed the chequered flag that evening, with chants of ‘Max! Max! Super Max!’, as it indeed was a day of double Dutch glory.

That win in 2021 kick-started the Verstappen era, as he would go on to take the lead of the championship in that very race, winning it that year and the next three seasons as well. This year, the race is different. The Orange Army awaits the lion, but he’s bruised. The emotions are at an all-time high, as Zandvoort prepares another farewell from the Formula One calendar.

This time, no one really knows when the iconic track will return, but all signs point towards this being Max Verstappen’s last home race. ‘For my last home race, Dankjewel Zandvoort’ were the words captioned under Max’s last Instagram post, as he thanked his home crowd with a special helmet built for the occasion on display.

This season itself has been a nightmare for Super Max. With zero wins in the last eleven races, Max stands 6th in the championship, which is his worst points position since joining Red Bull in 2016. The four-time World Champion may quite well be on his way towards a winless season, as the Dutch anthem that neutrals had almost started getting tired of is now a rarity.

One could almost feel nostalgic when they heard the Netherlands singing their anthem during the Fifa World Cup, wondering how that old trumpet was an everyday thing back in the day. The glories of the past made it seem as though he would win it every time. Now, in what may be his last home race, he may never win it again in his lifetime.

The RB22, despite showing improvement, has had issues that have been severe enough to prompt rumours about the Dutchman leaving Red Bull Racing. The upgraded rear wing (yes, the one like Ferrari) was a glimmer of hope, until it became the very reason for Red Bull’s headaches. The rotating rear wing would simply not close well enough.

The sudden loss of downforce has already shoved Verstappen into the wall, once in the qualifying session of the Austrian Grand Prix, and the other time costing him a podium at Silverstone. The series of mechanical issues have crippled Verstappen’s season. At Monaco, a track renowned for no overtakes and boring racing, Max’s phenomenal qualifying lap put him in second place on the start, all of which was ruined by the engine failing at lights out.

Complaints about horrible regulations and an almost dangerously bad car have been more frequent than ever, so much so that the summer break was filled with rumours of Max shifting to Mercedes or McLaren next season. That can be scrapped off completely, as he goes into this race with a new contract that confirms his place in that Red Bull until 2030.

It’s ironic how Red Bull had built the best engine, but also a car that was overweight by around 13 kilos. Upgrades over the season have brought it down to 6 kilos, but the weight issue has not ended. However, when the car has worked, which it hasn’t for the most part, Max has been immaculate in extracting the most out of it with podiums in 3 of his last 4 races.

When he crashed out in Austria, he was 2nd in the qualifying session with a purple middle sector. And in Britain, he was 4 laps away from another 3rd-place finish before he found himself in the wall. It goes to show how unlucky he has been of late, but perhaps the emotions and the support of the Orange Army and the entire Verstappen fanbase could really give the Red Bull its wings. With social media flooded with cheers for Verstappen, it remains to be seen if the Dutch Grand Prix will end with a simply lovely from the T-Rex.