Formula One: Dutch Grand Prix to return at Zandvoort next season after 35-year hiatus

The Dutch Grand Prix will return next season at Zandvoort after a 35-year absence, Formula One organisers 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 1 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 chequered 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.

Imagine the atmosphere in Zandvoort! 😀🙌#DutchGP 🇳🇱 #F1 pic.twitter.com/TVlQ32WlXs

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 14, 2019

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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” whilst 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 1 in Holland, mainly due to the enthusiastic support for the talented Max Verstappen, as seen from the sea of orange at so many races.”