Zandvoort Track Preview

therookiereporters
8 minutes ago
2 min read

As F1 makes its return to the track in the Netherlands, let's learn some more about the iconic banked tarmac by the beach before it leaves the Formula One Calendar.

Track Facts

Zandvoort’s first Grand Prix was held in 1952 and gave us petrol heads racing action across the 306.587km race distance, equivalent to the 72 laps we experience now. Lewis Hamilton currently holds the fastest lap record at 1:11.097s around the 4.259km stretch of tarmac but could we see a new record set with these new regulations?

2025 Recap

In 2025 we certainly had an action packed Dutch Grand Prix. Oscar Piastri was our last winner and took gold in a very dominant fashion, having led every lap. Home hero Max Verstappen was P2 while his current teammate, Isack Hadjar, clinched his first silverware with Red Bull’s sister team. The start of the chaos came on lap 23 with 7 time world champion Lewis Hamilton crashing his Ferrari.

Next to damage their cars were Sainz and Lawson. The pair had a midfield tussle that ended in broken bodywork and took them out of points contention. We then saw Ferrari get a double DNF as Charles Leclerc was spun into a wall by Antonelli who then received a 10 second time penalty for the incident. Finally it was Lando Norris who was cursed with an internal gremlin in his McLaren. He was chasing down Piastri for the lead and the championship before a severe chassis-side oil leak ended his campaign, leaving him 34 points behind his teammate.

2026 Expectations

What can we expect for the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix? Well, to put it simply: anything can happen after the F1 summer break. Team and drivers will have enjoyed their time to decompress, but will have also been working diligently in the background to try and get an edge on their competitors with practice and new upgrades. As represented by the first half of the season, Mercedes is the one to watch. Their dominance this season has been admired - after a period of few podiums following 2021 to 2024, the turnaround they’ve made and clear understanding of the new regulations shows just how much they have improved.

Ferrari will be hot on their heels with the team being second in the championship and Hamilton chasing Antonelli for the WDC. Another team to look out for is McLaren. The reigning champions had a troubled start to the season but finished the first half of the year on a high with podium finishes and some pole positions, so could we see them battle for the win in Zandvoort?

Weekend Schedule

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