Zandvoort bows out after 'final lap' Dutch GP party

ZANDVOORT, Netherlands, Aug 23 : Zandvoort, a windblown seaside circuit from another era, said farewell to Formula One and the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday with a 'Final Lap' party of pride, celebration and sadness.

The track in the North Sea coastal dunes, with an 'Orange Army' of tens of thousands of Max Verstappen fans packing the grandstands and partying in the streets late into the evening, has hosted one of the liveliest races on the calendar since it returned in 2021 after a 36-year absence.

The farewell has been some time in the planning, local organisers announcing in 2024 that they would go out on a high in 2026 when the contract ended after weighing up the financial risks.

"It's definitely going to be missed, for sure," said four-time world champion Verstappen, the home hero who won the first three editions from pole position and sent Red Bull shirts flying off the shelves while beer sales soared.

"It's always been really fun to drive. Even if I would not be Dutch, you know, to drive here would have been always amazing. And, of course, for me being Dutch, it made it that extra bit special."

TARZAN'S VEGETABLE GARDEN

Zandvoort first hosted a round of the championship in 1952, two years after the first season, and this year's race is the 36th Dutch Grand Prix.

The narrow and twisty track, with 14 corners, is the second shortest after Monaco and features evocative corners such as Tarzan, which according to lore was the nickname of a local man who exchanged his vegetable garden for the naming rights, and the banked Hugenholtz.

"It's a cool layout. It's definitely very rewarding if you get it right... it's proper old-school driving. It's definitely one of the best tracks on the calendar compared to some tracks that we go to