Initially primed for 2020, the Coronavirus set back the Netherlands’ return to Formula 1, for the first time since 1985, by a year.
By then, the sand dunes of Zandvoort lit up in orange and became a cathedral, with Max Verstappen its other-worldly figure.
His character, success and greatness are why Formula 1 has returned every year since, although it will drop off the calendar after next year’s event. The fans are animated, the noise is felt by the waves of the North Sea, and the track has become his playground.
Four races have been contested, here, since 2021. On three occasions the Dutchman scored a pole position in front of his home crowd. And on each of those occasions, he converted them into race victory.
The only race that he did not win, since Zandvoort’s return, was last year’s race. However, he maintained a statistic whereby he led after the first lap, stretching back to that blazing sunny day in 2021.
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Verstappen’s varied trio of home wins
In 2021, Verstappen had to overcome a DRS problem to better the Mercedes pair, of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, to take pole position. And on a day where the two leading cars were evenly matched, Red Bull held all the cards on strategy, until Hamilton’s tired out.
A mega move from @Max33Verstappen - and from this moment the writing was on the wall for his rivals as he powered to a comfortable win 👌🏆#DutchGP 🇳🇱 #F1 pic.twitter.com/BtRrugzJNU
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 5, 2021
In 2022, Mercedes had an even better chance of winning, after their superior tyre management was set to dethrone the Red Bull’s one-stopping strategy. But a late-race safety car closed the gap, and Verstappen marvelled with an inch-perfect pass for the lead, at the restart.
And in 2023, the world champion had relinquished the lead to his teammate, Sergio Perez, after he judged the rainfall quicker and took the lead. But a slew of devastating laps allowed the home favourite to strangle back the lead, and from there he would be in a league of one.
The other Zandvoort win
As mentioned previously, both Verstappen and Charles Leclerc looked on stunned as Lando Norris and his McLaren destroyed everything that was in its way, with a commanding victory. As the Papaya team started to seize control, with its speed, even a wheel-spinning start could not thwart the Brit from passing the Red Bull driver and winning by over 20 seconds.
At a track that McLaren are poised to excel at in 2025, the combination of Zandvoort’s wide corner speed range, including its banked turns, marked it as the dominant car of last year’s race.
Another Zandvoort Zenith
With a commanding fourth-place finish, in 2021; a podium in 2023; and leader of the midfield, in 2025; Pierre Gasly has come to love this circuit.
Though his rostrum finish was a result of sharp strategic execution, his pace in both 2021 and ’24 was devastating.
Considering that Alpine have only scored points with him, during the 2025 season, how reliant will they be upon his good Holland form, this weekend?
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