Orange smoke settles: A look at Zandvoort’s short-lived return to F1

Time’s up for one of the few remaining old-school tracks on the F1 calendar announced on wednesday He The Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort will end after the 2026 seasonThus, F1 will once again leave the dusty dunes of Zandvoort after only six years of returning to the historic seaside circuit.

This disastrous decision will be painful to accept for many Dutch fans, who are renowned for their great support of the home hero. max verstappen, Following the four-time world champion In every corner of the world in their distinctive orange attire. This small town with a population of only 17,500 zandvoortIts mysterious track was a legendary track on the F1 calendar between 1950 and 1985. The tight and unique undulating circuit saw many of the sport’s greats win during their prime, including. Alberto Ascari, Jim Clark, nikki lauda, Alain ProstAnd jackie stewart among others. After a 35-year hiatus, a newly renovated Zandvoort returned to the F1 schedule in 2020, beating off a rival bid from the historic home of the Dutch MotoGP, Assen, to host the country’s first race since 1985.

After the 2020 race was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, F1 came back to life at Zandvoort the following year. Just under 200,000 fans gathered at the sand-filled venue to watch Red Bull’s Verstappen take victory in a completely dominant performance. Verstappen, the first Dutchman to win his home Grand Prix, was more than 20 seconds ahead of the Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton The checkered flag fell once again in the second half of their first championship-winning campaign.

2022 was an equally simple affair for Verstappen, who charged from pole to win his fourth consecutive race. It was hardly an all-time classic F1 fans will look back fondly on for years to come, but as always, Dutch fans made the most of the weekend with over 300,000 people in attendance.

A year later and this time on the weekend the largely drama-free outing took place in front of another sellout crowd for two years in a row. claren’s oscar piastri Unique collided with the barrier on the turn three banking, after which Alpha Tauri’s Daniel Ricciardo While trying to escape his countryman, he also got stuck in the TECPRO barrier. Unfortunately for Honey Badger, the impact of the steering wheel broke the metacarpal of his hand, ruling him out of the next five races. Newbie stepped in his place Liam Lawson Which proved to be not only his debut, but also a trial run that eventually became his permanent seat.

However, Verstappen continued where he left off a year earlier, qualifying second on pole, half a second ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris. The race itself was not simple. After the lights went out at Zandvoort, the skies opened up almost immediately, drenching the circuit and leading to a madness towards the pits. Williams’ logan sergeant Found the barrier early, ahead of the Alfa Romeo duo zhou guanyu And valtteri bottasAlso Alpha Tauri yuki tsunoda Late in the race everyone was aquaplaning after the rain became vicious once again. Verstappen’s historic ninth consecutive win keeps him on track to ultimately set a new F1 record next week, becoming the first driver to take 10 consecutive wins. The race also saw some world class driving from the likes of Aston Martin fernando alonso In the second, while the alpine pierre gasly Took an unexpected third place.

2024 was fast approaching and the locals were facing another somewhat exhausting race. Verstappen once again took the lead in qualifying, before Norris became the first Briton to win at the circuit since McLaren. james hunt In 1976.

Far from the bright lights offered at newer venues like Las Vegas, Zandvoort’s old-timey charm and banked twists are ultimately not enough to save it, as money continues to pour into the game from the pockets of celebrities around the world. Following in the footsteps of other vintage tracks like Hockenheim and the Nurburgring, die-hard Dutch fans have just two more years to enjoy this beloved track until its orange smoke fades forever into the mist of the North Sea .