Dutch Grand Prix 2026 calendar and circuit facts

Formula 1’s 2026 Dutch Grand Prix is scheduled for Circuit Zandvoort from 21 to 23 August, with a sprint weekend on the calendar.

• 21 August: Practice 1, Sprint Qualifying
• 22 August: Sprint, Qualifying
• 23 August: Race

No results are available for the sessions at the time of publication.

Circuit data

Circuit Length: 4.259 km
First Grand Prix: 1952
Number of Laps: 72
Fastest lap time: 1:11.097 Lewis Hamilton (2021)
Race Distance: 306.587 km

History of Zandvoort

Like Silverstone, Zandvoort was first opened in 1948, part of the wave of post-war motorsport enthusiasm that swept across Europe. Originally made up of a mixture of permanent track and public roads that snaked through the sand dunes of the Zandvoort resort town, the Dutch Automobile Racing Club – who initiated the plans for the circuit – brought in 1927 Le Mans winner Sammy Davis to consult on the layout for the original 4.2 km track.

Formula 1 arrived in the Dutch dunes in 1952, with Alberto Ascari dominating the race as he led home a 1-2-3 for Ferrari. Formula 1 would go on to race on and off at the track until 1985 – before, in 2019, the announcement came that the championship would return to Zandvoort for 2020, after a 35-year hiatus. The Covid-19 pandemic meant that became 36 years and a 2021 date.

What the circuit is like

‘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 that many of them tackled in their junior category days. The Zandvoort track swoops and flows through the sand dunes, creating a rollercoaster-like feel to the lap.

While the circuit was modernised in time for F1’s most recent return – including increasing the banking angle at the famous Tarzan corner to an Indianapolis Motor Speedway-trumping 18 degrees – Zandvoort remains a proper, challenging drivers’ track.

Why go

Zandvoort combines historic appeal with atmosphere and location. The circuit famously featured in John Frankenheimer’s Grand Prix, and was the scene of many great F1 moments over the years, including Gilles Villeneuve’s three-wheeled lap.

With Max Verstappen on the grid the atmosphere is always guaranteed to be electric, and most definitely orange-hued. The venue sits on the beachside, just a 30-minute train ride outside of Amsterdam.

Best places to watch

The recommended viewing spots are the first turn at Tarzan, or one of the banked corners, either at Arie Luyendijkbocht – the final turn on the track – or Hugenholtzbocht. For F1’s 2021 return, the latter corner was both widened and banked into a parabolic corner, to allow cars to run side by side, and at the same speed, through it.