This outstanding Verstappen streak ends after Austrian Grand Prix heartbreak for the Red Bull driver

After qualifying in P7 as he could not complete his final flying lap in Q3 because of the yellow flags caused by Pierre Gasly's spin, Sunday did not go so much better for the defending world champion.

At his team's home Grand Prix, into Turn 3 of Lap 1, young driver Kimi Antonelli locked up, and crashed into Verstappen. Both drivers' cars involved in the incident stopped on the track, causing a Safety Car.

It has been some time the Dutchman couldn't finish a Grand Prix in Formula 1. The last time that did not happen was 462 (!) days before.

That happened at the 2024 Australian Grand Prix, where he had to retire his Red Bull car because of an issue with his brakes. That means up until the Austrian Grand Prix, he crossed the finish line on every occasion.

With this result, Verstappen is now 61 points behind Oscar Piastri in the F1 drivers' standings.

After the incident, the Dutchman remained calm, and explained he is not angry with Antonelli.

In the end, the Mercedes driver did receive a penalty by the stewards. Together with two penalty points, he also received a three-place grid penalty for the next Grand Prix he participates in.