Racing
© Jonathan Borba
TT Circuit Assen has played down claims that Formula 1 is already certain to return to the Netherlands there after Zandvoort’s exit, saying the project remains only a possibility because the circuit still needs FIA Grade 1 approval, upgrades and a separate promoter to fund and organize any race.
The pushback came after sports marketing figure Chris Woerts said on Dutch TV programme Vandaag Inside that Formula 1 was “100% certain” to come to Assen within two to three years. Lee van Dam, a sports promoter closely involved in race activities at TT Circuit Assen, gave a much more cautious assessment to RacingNews365, saying: “That will certainly take a few more years.” He later added: “Whether that is in two, three or more years, nobody can say at this moment.”
The main obstacle is regulatory. Van Dam said Assen does not currently hold the FIA Grade 1 licence required to host a Formula 1 grand prix. Before it could even be considered for a reserve slot, a one-off race or a place in a rotation system, the circuit would need an FIA inspection and whatever modifications follow from that process.
Assen has already started that groundwork. Circuit management said it requested a Grade 1 licence from the FIA earlier this year, but stressed that this does not mean a race is on the way. Circuit director Mark van Aalderen said preparing the venue and staging a grand prix are “two different issues,” explaining that the track can work on meeting the standard now, but “it will be necessary that another party organize and finance an event of this type, and that is not happening at this moment.”
The renewed interest follows the confirmed end of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. Van Dam said Assen had already tried to bring Formula 1 to the circuit in 2018 and 2019, but lost out because “Zandvoort simply had the better credentials.” With that chapter closing, he said Assen is again looking seriously at whether it can keep Formula 1 on Dutch soil.
He stopped well short of calling it a done deal, even while describing the opening as real. “The chance is admittedly significant, because many people want to keep Formula 1 in the Netherlands and we believe it is possible, but we are not there yet,” van Dam said. “You should definitely keep some reservation about it.”
What strengthens Assen’s case, in Van Dam’s view, is the response from Liberty Media after senior figures attended the Assen TT. He said they saw “how well the organisation operates and how a weekend with 250,000 visitors is managed,” which gave them confidence that Formula 1 could be in safe hands operationally at the venue.
If an opportunity does open, Van Dam said much of the event structure is already in place. A foundation called Formule 1 Assen is set to co-organize, with the TT Circuit acting as the operational partner, leaving Assen trying to make sure it is ready if Formula 1 does seek a new Dutch home after Zandvoort.