Motorsport Week discusses whether last weekend’s Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix was an indicator of tracks such as Zandvoort having a good case to remain on the calendar.
Last weekend saw the Dutch GP hold an F1 race for the penultimate time.The Zandvoort circuit is due to take in its final F1 calendar appearance next year, with banners across the coastal track already advertising next year’s Grand Prix as “the final lap”.
Dwindling attendances through higher costs and a possible peak in Verstappen-mania are all likely causes for its culling from the schedule, with tickets for this year’s race said to have neared a sellout, but not completely.
Motorsport Week has already discussed the loss of so called ‘heritage’ circuits this year – the case in point being Imola, which has been replaced for next year by the new ‘Madring’ street circuit in Madrid.
Max Verstappen warned about such circuits being pulled from the calendar at the time, and in Zandvoort, when asked by Motorsport Week, if he is sad to see his home race go, he was naturally disappointed but philosophical, with one key request.
“As long as we don’t add another street circuit, then I’m happy,” he quipped.
“Of course, it’s a shame, but what can you do about it? I’m already very proud that I’ve had a home Grand Prix for a few years.
“We’re just going to make the best out of it, enjoy it a bit more. Even when F1 is not here, it’s still a great track to drive in any car. So, for sure, I’ll be back. But yeah, let’s see. I have no idea how the calendar will look in two years’ time. So, we’ll have to wait and see.”
Does Holland have a one-driver problem like Germany?
Zandvoort returned to the F1 calendar in 2021 after a 36-year gap. Renovated and made safer, it was a nostalgia trip for previous generations of F1 fans. The unique location, accompanied by sand dunes, a fast middle sector and rollercoaster-like gradient changes, was a big selling point, and it coincided with the very start of Verstappen’s ascent to the top of the tree, his first title win coming just a few months later.
After that, it was always going to stay on the calendar and got an addition to its identity in the form of the orange-clad Verstappen super fans who descended onto Zandvoort in their droves, making it seem almost like a hostile football away day-like atmosphere for anyone who dared to support another driver.
But it appears that Holland has a very similar approach to F1 in the way Germany has. Popularity drained away slowly once Michael Schumacher bade a farewell to F1, and not even Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg could truly replicate the partisan carnival that Schumacher could provide.
Schumacher was, of course, Germany’s first World Champion, and still jointly the most successful of all-time in terms of title wins. It seemed that there would be no other driver that could quite match that level of worship.
Perhaps, with the financial implications, Verstappen is having the same problem. He, too, was his country’s first ever World Champion, and with all other Dutch drivers in other series of racing, the novelty is wearing off.The appetite for Verstappen will still remain, of course, but once he retires, the chances of Zandvoort returning are even less.
What could replace the Dutch GP on the F1 calendar?
But Verstappen continues to make the pertinent point that has been made before: Is F1 going to secure a deal with a new circuit, potentially on a street, to replace it, further losing touch with its past?
Motorsport Week also recently discussed the potential return of the Portuguese Grand Prix, which made a brief return in 2020 and 2021 at Portimao, the circuit that hosted the event on those two occasions. Not only is the race itself laden with history, the Istanbul Park owners have also floated the idea of pushing to get itself back on the calendar.
Comparatively a newer circuit, making its debut in 2005, it too lost its place on the calendar, but remains a favourite with drivers who remember it, and with fans who enjoyed its sweeping, flowing, fast and fun layout.
Malaysian bigwigs recently admitted that it made a mistake in relinquishing its place on the calendar, with the Sepang circuit also suffering with rising costs and smaller crowds. But, again, it was another circuit that was loved by both fans and drivers, and its layout also still would provide plenty of on-track action despite this current crop of humungous cars, something that Zandvoort and Imola have struggled with.
However, one thing that objectively sets Zandvoort and Imola apart, is that there is a bigger potential and scope for chaos to ensue, and this year’s race proved it.
From the first lap, there was action aplenty. Verstappen took Lando Norris at the start and got a wiggle on as he completed the manoeuvre. Then came the awesome duel between Charles Leclerc and George Russell, offset by the Monegasque’s retirement when punted off by Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Earlier in the race, his Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton went off at the same corner, also retiring from the Grand Prix. Three Safety Car periods resulted in further action, as further back, the likes of Oliver Bearman, Lance Stroll and Alex Albon, all starting from lowly grid positions, were able to move up the order to complete unlikely points finishes.
It was, without question, one of the races of the year so far. Its finale in 2026 will find difficulty in reproducing a race of such fraught and constant carnage, but if Zandvoort is to teach us anything, it’s that its unique charm, location and unwavering ability to produce some barely-matched entertainment and saying farewell will be hard.
READ MORE – How a Zandvoort quirk almost cost Oliver Bearman points from the pit lane in F1 Dutch GP
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