ZANDVOORT, Netherlands, Aug 23 (Reuters) – Zandvoort, a windblown seaside circuit from another era, said farewell to Formula One and the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday with a ‘Final Lap’ 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 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.”
TARZAN’S VEGETABLE GARDEN
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 the Briton, 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-times 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.”
A SEA OF ORANGE
Jan Lammers, former racer and sporting director of the grand prix who grew up in Zandvoort with cars providing the soundtrack to his childhood, recalled how some had thought bringing Formula One back to the circuit was a crazy idea. But it worked.
“Hundreds of thousands of fans. A sea of orange. From the first train arriving in the morning until long after the final car had crossed the finish line. What happened here became bigger than even we could have imagined,” he wrote in an open letter on Sunday.
“Zandvoort became more than a race. It became an image seen around the world. Orange grandstands. The dunes. The sea. The anticipation whenever Max took to the track,” said Lammers.
“A small country brought one of the biggest sporting events in the world back to a place where many thought it could no longer be done. Almost two million visitors later, we know otherwise.”
(Reporting by Alan BaldwinEditing by Christian Radnedge)
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