Formula 1 will return to the sand dunes of the Dutch coast in 2026, with Circuit Zandvoort hosting the Dutch Grand Prix across the weekend of 21-23 August — and this time, the seaside classic gets the sprint treatment.

The Zandvoort weekend follows the sprint format, with track action beginning on Friday 21 August before the flat-out 100km dash takes centre stage on Saturday, setting up Sunday's 72-lap Grand Prix.

Weekend schedule

• Friday 21 August: Practice 1 and Sprint Qualifying
• Saturday 22 August: Sprint and Qualifying
• Sunday 23 August: Race

Circuit at a glance

• Circuit length: 4.259km
• Number of laps: 72
• Race distance: 306.587km
• First Grand Prix: 1952
• Fastest lap: 1:11.097 — Lewis Hamilton (2021)

A circuit born from post-war passion

Like Silverstone, Zandvoort first opened its gates in 1948, part of the wave of post-war motorsport enthusiasm that swept across Europe. The original layout was a mixture of permanent track and public roads snaking through the sand dunes of the Zandvoort resort town, with the Dutch Automobile Racing Club — who initiated the plans — bringing in 1927 Le Mans winner Sammy Davis to consult on the design of the original 4.2km track.

Formula 1 arrived in the Dutch dunes in 1952, when Alberto Ascari dominated to lead home a Ferrari 1-2-3. The championship raced on and off at the venue until 1985, before a 2019 announcement confirmed F1 would return after a 35-year hiatus. The Covid-19 pandemic stretched that wait to 36 years, with the comeback eventually taking place in 2021.

'Really quick', 'pretty insane', 'old-school'

Zandvoort has lost none of its bite despite being modernised for F1's return. The current crop of drivers — many of whom tackled the track in their junior categories — have described it in vivid terms:

'Really quick', 'pretty insane', 'crazy' and 'old-school' were words used by the current crop of F1 drivers when asked to describe the Zandvoort track.

The lap swoops and flows through the dunes, giving it a rollercoaster-like, undulating feel. As part of the modernisation, the banking angle at the famous Tarzan corner was increased to an Indianapolis Motor Speedway-trumping 18 degrees — yet Zandvoort remains a proper, challenging drivers' track.

Why go?

Few races on the calendar combine as many enticing features. The historic circuit famously featured in John Frankenheimer's film Grand Prix and has been the scene of countless great F1 moments — Gilles Villeneuve's three-wheeled lap among them. With Max Verstappen on the grid, the atmosphere is guaranteed to be electric, and most definitely orange-hued. Add in a beachside location just a 30-minute train ride from Amsterdam, and it is easy to see the appeal.

Where to watch

For those attending, the prime spots are the first turn at Tarzan or one of the banked corners — either Arie Luyendijkbocht, the final turn on the track, or Hugenholtzbocht. For F1's 2021 return, the latter was both widened and banked into a parabolic corner, allowing cars to run side by side, at the same speed, through it. Exciting, as the circuit's own guide puts it, is an understatement.