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Goodbye Zandvoort: A windblown seaside circuit from another era, said farewell to Formula One and the Dutch Grand Prix today with a party of pride, celebration and sadness.
The track in the North Sea coastal dunes, with an Orange Army of tens of thousands of Max Verstappen fans packing the grandstands and partying in the streets late into the evening, has hosted one of the liveliest races on the calendar since it returned in 2021 after a 36-year absence.
The farewell has been some time in the planning, local organisers announcing in 2024 that they would go out on a high in 2026 when the contract ended after weighing up the financial risks. “It’s definitely going to be missed, for sure,” said the four-time world champion Verstappen, the home hero who won the first three editions from pole position and sent Red Bull shirts flying off the shelves while beer sales soared.
“It’s always been really fun to drive. Even if I would not be Dutch, you know, to drive here would have been always amazing. And, of course, for me being Dutch, it made it that extra bit special.”
Zandvoort first hosted a round of the championship in 1952, two years after the first season, and this year’s race is the 36th Dutch Grand Prix. The narrow and twisty track, with 14 corners, is the second shortest after Monaco and features evocative corners such as Tarzan, which according to lore was the nickname of a local man who exchanged his vegetable garden for the naming rights, and the banked Hugenholtz.
“It’s a cool layout. It’s definitely very rewarding if you get it right … it’s proper old-school driving. It’s definitely one of the best tracks on the calendar compared to some tracks that we go to now that … I’m not going to name names, but they lack a bit of character,” said Verstappen.
McLaren’s world champion Lando Norris, who has a Belgian mother and can also count on strong local support and who won from pole in 2024, said he was disappointed to see the circuit go with its throbbing techno beat and high-energy DJs. “I like just the event itself, the fans. Although most of them are here for one driver, it’s still always just a fun event, good atmosphere, good passion, and that’s what you want,” said Norris, on pole again this year.
“I prefer going to smaller races where the fans are more exciting and the event is better than a different place where you just have less of that. So, this is definitely up there and a lot better than a lot of the races we have on the calendar even currently.
“It’s a shame, but it’s also not our choice. I think if it was a driver’s choice, we would probably like to keep it in.”
Zandvoort is a rare circuit as one that has never seen a Lewis Hamilton Formula One victory but the seven-time world champion has fond memories from success in his junior career. “It’s just such an incredible circuit,” said the Ferrari driver. “Great crowd, obviously. Very special, particularly for Max as he has the incredible support through the weekend, but they really create the atmosphere.” Reuters
Preamble
Formula One is back after its summer break and what a race to return to with the Dutch Grand Prix. With the GP not renewed beyond this year, the Orange Army will be in full voice supporting Max Verstappen on home soil for possibly the final time in his career.
Lando Norris is aiming for another F1 win as he heads into today’s race on pole position with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli close behind.
McLaren’s Norris found some unexpected extra pace in qualifying to snatch top spot ahead of the Mercedes pair of Russell and the standings leader, Antonelli.
Russell won Saturday’s sprint at Zandvoort but Antonelli still increased his standings lead to 53 points despite placing fourth. That was because his closest challenger, Lewis Hamilton, could only manage seventh in the sprint. A troubled day continued for Hamilton as he qualified fifth for the grand prix. Antonelli has a 56-point advantage over Russell, with gaps of 79 points to Leclerc and 90 to Norris.
Join me for the Dutch GP as the lights go out at 2pm BST/3pm local time.
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