Dutch F1 Grand Prix returns at 'iconic' Zandvoort next season

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The Dutch Grand Prix will return next season at Zandvoort after a 35-year absence, Formula One organizers announced on Tuesday.

A deal to stage the race at the historic seaside resort circuit near Amsterdam has been signed for at least three years.

"I am pleased to see that Zandvoort will be part of the proposed calendar... and thankful for the hard work of Formula One to bring the sport back to the Netherlands," Jean Todt, president of the sport's ruling body the FIA, said.

Red Bull's Dutch driver Max Verstappen, born 12 years after Niki Lauda took the last checkered flag in a McLaren in 1985, hailed the prospect of lining up in his home race.

"It's just an iconic, historic track," Verstappen said in a team statement.

Formula One's chief executive Chase Carey (R) and sporting director Jan Lammers hold the billboard they signed together to confirm the return of the Dutch Grand Prix at the circuit of Zandvoort, Netherlands, May 14, 2019. /VCG Photo

Formula One chief executive Chase Carey said the return of racing to the Netherlands was in line with their twin policy of "respecting the sport's historic roots in Europe" while also looking for new venues.

"Next season, therefore, we will have a brand new street race that will be held in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, as well the return to Zandvoort, after an absence of 35 years," Casey said.

"In recent years, we've seen a resurgence of interest in Formula One in Holland, mainly due to the enthusiastic support for the talented Max Verstappen, as seen from the sea of orange at so many races."

Zandvoort will now be modernized to bring it up to the Formula One world championship standards.

If none of the existing venues drop out the addition of Hanoi and Zandvoort would mean a record 23-race season in 2020.

Red Bull's Dutch driver Max Verstappen celebrates his third position at the Formula One Grand Prix in Barcelona, Spain, May 12, 2019. /VCG Photo

But five races in Britain, Germany, Italy, Mexico and Spain are out of contract next year, with reports that two or even three of these groups could be ditched.

A deal to continue the Italian Grand Prix at Monza until 2024 is waiting to be signed and Silverstone say they are close to securing a new contract.

Verstappen's emergence as one of Formula One's brightest stars has led to his orange-clad Dutch fans becoming a colorful feature of race weekends.

"We saw it here in Spain with (Fernando) Alonso when he was at his peak, we see the amount of Dutch fans around the world, it just seems to be growing and growing," Verstappen's Red Bull boss Christian Horner said at the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend.

"I think a Dutch Grand Prix, with the popularity of Verstappen, is going to be immense. I think that's positive for Formula One," he added.

Dutch fans cheer for Max Verstappen during the Formula One Grand Prix in Spielberg, Austria, July 1, 2018. /VCG Photo

Verstappen, who holds the unofficial track record at Zandvoort when he sliced three seconds off the former fastest lap at a Formula One trial, knows the circuit well from his Formula Three days.

"I compare the track a little bit with Suzuka because it's designed by the same person," he said.

"I've done a few laps and donuts in a Formula One car there too and the track was actually pretty challenging because you have a few banked corners, some places are very narrow and there's no runoff."

Source(s): AFP