There’s always a bittersweet edge to a “last one,” and Formula 1’s paddock arrives in the Netherlands this weekend for exactly that kind of race.
The end of an era at a track built for one driver
Circuit Zandvoort will host the Dutch Grand Prix for what’s been confirmed as the final time after this season, closing out a run that returned the race to the calendar in 2021 largely on the strength of Max Verstappen’s popularity at home. The banked, narrow layout by the North Sea dunes became genuine motorsport theatre precisely because of how little room it left for error — and how loud three hundred thousand orange-shirted fans could get when their driver got it right.
A Sprint weekend to send it off
Organisers have built this farewell weekend around a first-ever Sprint format at Zandvoort, adding an extra qualifying session and a Saturday sprint race to a circuit that has never needed much extra incentive to sell out. It’s a fitting way to close the book: more track time, more jeopardy, and one more chance for the home crowd to see their driver attack the final corner at the limit.
What happens to the calendar next
Formula 1 has been open about wanting to rotate other European venues back into the schedule once Zandvoort steps aside, with Spa, Imola and a return to Germany or France all mentioned as candidates. For now, though, the weekend belongs to the Dutch fans who turned a dormant circuit back into one of the sport’s loudest stops.
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