21 - 23 August 2026
Dutch GRAND PRIX ROUND 14
Circuit Zandvoort
- FP1Fri 21 Aug10:3011:30
- Sprint QualiFri 21 Aug14:3015:30
- SprintSat 22 Aug10:0011:00
- QualifyingSat 22 Aug14:0015:00
- RaceSun 23 Aug13:0015:00
SECTORS
TURNS
FIRST GP
1952
LAPS
72
CIRCUIT LENGTH
4.259
DISTANCE
306.587
Oh we do like to be beside the seaside…
They say good things come to those who wait, and after more than 35 years, the iconic Circuit Zandvoort returned to the Formula 1 calendar in 2021.
Having hosted 30 Grands Prix – the first in 1952 – it’s steeped in F1 history. Many of the sport’s greats have tasted success on this legendary ribbon of asphalt near Amsterdam, and five drivers have done so behind the wheel of a McLaren: James Hunt (1976), Alain Prost (1984), Niki Lauda (1985), Lando Norris (2024) and Oscar Piastri (2025).
Niki’s win, his last in the sport, is remembered as one of the finest at the circuit. Niki fought his way into the lead from 10th on the grid and held off team-mate Alain for victory. Alain did, however, set the official race lap record, although his lap time of 1m16.538s has been broken since F1 returned in 2021.
At 4.3 km, Zandvoort ranks among the shorter tracks on the F1 calendar and its short pit lane encourages teams to adopt multiple-stop strategies. It’s one of the most popular races of the year and is just a stone’s throw away from lush, sandy beaches. This is a proper ‘old-school’ track renowned for its fast, sweeping, banked and narrow turns – the kind drivers relish – such as the Tarzan hairpin and Scheivlak. As Lando puts it: “There’s not a lot of room for error. Sometimes it can bite you, but it’s cool to be on edge.”
Naturally, the Dutch track has undergone a revamp to bring it up to current Grand Prix standards, but have no fear, it’s not been sanitised as a result. One of the most notable changes has been an increase in the angle of the banking of the final corner to a daunting 18 degrees – approximately double that of the banking at Indianapolis, which hosted the United States Grand Prix between 2000 and 2007.
Battling the banking 🧗
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Fans will rightly point to Zandvoort’s famous banking as the circuit’s defining feature, but before we get onto that, there are many other notable sections of this high-octane 14-corner circuit.
Starting with the run down to Turn 1, better known as Tarzan. Tarzan is a sweeping 180-degree hairpin that takes cars left and then right through Gerlach and straight into the circuit’s next notable corner: Hugenholtbocht, a banked hairpin. All three turns provide overtaking opportunities at the start of the lap.
Overtaking outside of that section can be tricky, admittedly, given the track’s narrow nature, but it’s a thrill ride nonetheless, with cars taken up and down in a rollercoaster-like nature through twists and turns.
It’s also interesting from a strategic perspective, as the short pit lane gives teams the choice of multiple pit stops.
Ohh, and of course, there’s the banking… The renowned final corner is 18 degrees - roughly double that of the banking at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway - which allows a car to maintain higher speeds while cornering and makes for a stunning sight.
Stuck for conversation with your F1-loving friends? Spark up a discussion with our F1 icebreaker…
Niki Lauda’s Dutch Grand Prix win in 1985 was his final victory in Formula 1. In the same race, his teammate Alain Prost set a new lap record of 1m16.538s, which stood until the race returned in 2021 after a 30-year hiatus.
Looking back on 2025
