THE CIRCUIT
What’s the circuit like?
‘Really quick’, ‘pretty insane’, ‘crazy’ and ‘old-school’ were words used by the current crop of F1 drivers when asked to describe the Zandvoort track that many of them tackled in their junior category days. We’d also add ‘undulating’ to that list.
When was the track built?
Like Silverstone, Zandvoort was first opened in 1948, part of the wave of post-war motorsport enthusiasm that swept across Europe. Originally made up of a mixture of permanent track and public roads that snaked through the sand dunes of the Zandvoort resort town, the Dutch Automobile Racing Club – who initiated the plans for the circuit – brought in 1927 Le Mans winner Sammy Davis to consult on the layout for the original 4.2km track.
When was its first Grand Prix?
Formula 1 arrived in the Dutch dunes in 1952, with Alberto Ascari dominating the race as he led home a 1-2-3 for Ferrari. Formula 1 would go on to race on and off at the track until 1985. return to Zandvoort for 2020, after a 35-year hiatus.
SAFETY CAR
PROBABILITY:
VSC
PROBABILITY:
Trivia
Zandvoort’s final corner – named after Dutch motorsport legend Arie Luyendyk – features an 18-degree banking, almost double the numbers seen at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
FIRST GRAND PRIX:
1952
TRACK LENGTH:
4.259km
LAP RECORD:
1:11.097
Lewis Hamilton (2021)
Previous winners
2024 Lando Norris (McLaren)
2023 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2022 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2021 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Previous polesitters
2024 Lando Norris (McLaren)
2023 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2022 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2021 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
PIT STOP
TIME LOSS
23.0 S
(Including 2.5s stationary)
OVERTAKES COMPLETED IN 2024:
73
POLE RUN TO TURN 1 BRAKING POINT:
The Driver's Verdict
Jolyon Palmer
Former Renault F1 driver
I’ve only done this one on a bike! Zandvoort is actually a lovely circuit that has been adapted really well for modern F1. It’s still difficult to overtake on, as expected with an old design of track, but the banking makes a huge difference.
You don’t really appreciate the banking until you go around it at Turn 3. The theory is multiple lines, but everyone just bolts for the outside line and tries to get the exit right. And again, coming through the final corner as well, running the banking.
It is a nice, flowing track. You’ve got to have commitment, particularly in the middle sector, which is undulating, and you’ve got to just have it hooked up in the high speed sections. You don’t want to be having random snaps of oversteer, because it’s a punishing circuit as well...
Current Form
What can be expected going into the Grand Prix weekend?
The season resumes with things still very much all to play for in the Drivers' Championship. Just nine points now separate leader Oscar Piastri and team mate Lando Norris at the top of the standings, with Norris seemingly holding the momentum after winning three of the last four Grands Prix before the summer break.
Piastri, however, has six Grand Prix victories to his name this season – one more than Norris – and has displayed solid consistency throughout the campaign, being the only driver to have scored points at every round so far.
It will be fascinating to see who comes out on top in Zandvoort, a venue that Norris triumphed at back in 2024. However, McLaren have also voiced their concerns about the possibility of the squad's rivals posing more of a challenge in the second half of the campaign.
Both Ferrari and Mercedes appeared to have found more pace last time out in Hungary and, as the two sides vie for second place in the Teams' Championship, each will be keen to seal some valuable points as the season gets underway again.
Red Bull, meanwhile, faced a challenging weekend at the Hungaroring, with the RB21 struggling to match the team’s competitors. But one thing for certain is that Max Verstappen can never be counted out. Can he score a good result in front of his passionate home fans?
Elsewhere, the midfield battle remains as tight as ever. Williams’ previously comfortable advantage in fifth place looks to be under threat, with Aston Martin and Kick Sauber not far behind in sixth and seventh respectively. Amid such fine margins, any of these teams could make gains – or indeed losses – depending on how they fare at Zandvoort
Iconic Moment
1975 Dutch Grand Prix
James Hunt claimed 10 Grand Prix wins during an F1 career that spanned most of the 1970s, and the first of them was a piece of history not just for himself, but also the plucky Hesketh upstart team he represented.
In a 1975 encounter that started on a damp track but soon shifted to dry conditions, Hunt pitted after seven laps to change his wet tyres for slicks, but many others – including pole-sitting Ferrari driver Niki Lauda – initially stayed out.
Once the rest of the field had eventually pitted, Hunt found himself in the giddy heights of P1 – a position Lauda was desperate to reclaim. However, the inimitable Briton could not be stopped as he logged his maiden F1 win and the one-and-only triumph for Lord Hesketh’s operation.
It was a remarkable, feel-good underdog tale, with the mighty Ferrari toppled by a fledgling force, and it remains at the head of the list when it comes to iconic moments at the Dutch Grand Prix.
