The Final Lap: Zandvoort Says Goodbye to Formula 1
Aug
Formula 1 has said goodbye to Zandvoort before. In 1985, Niki Lauda held off Alain Prost by two tenths of a second to take the 25th and final win of his career, with a young Ayrton Senna third on the podium. Nobody in the dunes that afternoon knew it would be 36 years before a Grand Prix car came back.
This time everybody knows. The 2026 Formula 1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix, running 21–23 August, is the last one. The circuit is not being demolished, and the racing is not stopping — but Formula 1 is leaving Dutch soil, and the promoters have branded the farewell exactly what it is: The Final Lap.
Verstappen arrives with nothing to defend and everything to chase
The modern Dutch Grand Prix exists because of Max Verstappen. Orange smoke, a sold-out grandstand on the banking, a national holiday in everything but name. And for five years he delivered: victory in 2021, a dominant win in 2022, another in the rain-hit 2023 thriller, then second place in both 2024 and 2025. Five starts at home, five podiums. He has never finished off the podium at Zandvoort.
He returns for the last one-sixth in the championship, 110 points behind Kimi Antonelli, with four podiums to his name in a difficult 2026. The title is gone. What is left is the record book — and Zandvoort’s is about to be closed permanently.
Three records, one weekend, no second chances
- Wins: Verstappen has three. Jim Clark has four — the outright Zandvoort record. A win on Sunday ties it forever.
- Podiums: Verstappen has five. Clark and Niki Lauda share the record with six. Any rostrum finish puts him level with both.
- Poles: Verstappen has three, level with René Arnoux. One more and the record is his alone, permanently.
There is a neatness to it that F1 rarely arranges on purpose: the man who brought the Dutch Grand Prix back has one afternoon to match the man who won the last one before it disappeared.
A sprint weekend makes it harder — and better
Zandvoort is one of six sprint events on the 2026 calendar, alongside China, Miami, Canada, Great Britain and Singapore. That means a single practice session before qualifying, a Saturday sprint, and no margin for a team still learning its car. On a circuit this narrow — where overtaking is largely confined to the banked final corner and the run to Turn 1 — Saturday will effectively decide Sunday.
Verstappen has marked the occasion with a one-off Delftware-inspired helmet, captioned: “For my last home race. Dankjewel Zandvoort.” He has also been clear that the circuit itself lives on. “The track’s still there,” he said, “and I’m sure I will do more laps around there.”
The championship picture going in
| Pos | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 219 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 169 |
| 3 | George Russell | Mercedes | 160 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 138 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 128 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 109 |
Antonelli goes into the second half of the season with a 50-point cushion and a Mercedes that has adapted to the new regulations better than anyone expected. Hamilton, second in the standings in his Ferrari, is chasing a milestone of his own. Norris took the win in Hungary and heads to a circuit where McLaren has historically found lap time in the high-speed sections.
What we’re watching
- Whether Red Bull brings a final aero package worth a front row for the farewell.
- Whether Mercedes protects Antonelli’s lead or lets both cars race at a track that rewards commitment through Turn 3.
- The Saturday sprint as a form guide — and as a chance to ruin someone’s Sunday.
- The crowd. Whatever happens on track, the last Dutch Grand Prix will sound like nothing else this season.
Official Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix information. In 1985, Zandvoort’s goodbye was accidental. This one has a date on it. That is the difference — and it is why, whatever the championship says, Sunday afternoon in the dunes is the race of the season.
Dutch GPRelated: McLaren 2026 championship analysis
