Formula One: Dutch Grand Prix Returns Next Season After 35-Year Absence

14th May 2019

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

Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing third place to the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on May 12, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. PHOTO/AFP
Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing third place to the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on May 12, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. PHOTO/AFP
SUMMARY
  • The Dutch Grand Prix will return next season at Zandvoort after a 35-year absence, Formula One organisers announced on Tuesday
  • 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 venue

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

PARIS, France- 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.

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

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."