Racing
© Morio
Formula 1 returns from its summer break this weekend for a farewell at Zandvoort, where the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix will be the circuit’s final race on the calendar before it drops off in 2027.
That gives Max Verstappen one last Formula 1 home race at a venue that became inseparable from his rise and from the orange-clad crowds that transformed the event after its return. Zandvoort came back to the championship in 2021 after a 36-year absence from 1986 to 2020, with its planned 2020 revival lost to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since then, the Dutch Grand Prix has become one of the sport’s most distinctive modern events. Circuit Zandvoort CEO Robert van Overdijk said Formula One Management has often used it as an example in regular meetings with promoters, and the race built that reputation by turning a difficult site into a successful major event. Organisers overcame concerns about the circuit’s two-road access by pushing fans toward bicycles and trains, while concerts helped stagger departures after the race.
The weekend’s significance goes beyond nostalgia because the event is ending despite strong support. Reports around the race say Zandvoort is one of the few Formula 1 venues without government backing and has had to stand on its own financially. Organisers were able to rely on major sponsors and daily sellouts, but chose to stop after 2026 rather than risk interest falling away.
Verstappen said he intends to absorb the occasion. Max Verstappen, Red Bull driver, said in the build-up to the weekend: “It’s my home Grand Prix, so for sure I’m going to enjoy it a lot.” He added: “I mean, I just want to enjoy it with the fans.”
He also made clear that the circuit itself will still matter to him after Formula 1 leaves. “The track is not going to disappear,” Verstappen said, noting that other categories will continue to race there and that he will still be able to enjoy driving at Zandvoort even without a grand prix.
The timing sharpens the sense of loss for Formula 1 as well as for Dutch fans. Formula One Management had wanted the race to continue, but this sprint weekend is set to close out the modern Zandvoort comeback with a sellout crowd expected at one of the calendar’s few old-school European tracks.
For Verstappen, it is also a final chance to add to a record of three wins at Zandvoort since the event returned, giving the home favorite one more shot at delivering the result this venue was built to celebrate.