ZANDVOORT, Netherlands — Formula 1 has said an emotional goodbye to one of the loudest, most colourful and most distinctive stops on its calendar, as Circuit Zandvoort staged its final scheduled Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday, August 23.
Packed grandstands, orange smoke, pounding music and tens of thousands of Max Verstappen supporters transformed the seaside circuit into one last enormous celebration — but behind the party was a reality that says much about the changing economics of Formula 1.
Zandvoort is not leaving because nobody wants to watch.
It is leaving despite its popularity.
The Dutch Grand Prix returned to Formula 1 in 2021 following a 36-year absence and quickly became one of the championship’s most recognizable events. Verstappen’s rise into a dominant world champion gave Dutch motorsport a global superstar, while his famous “Orange Army” turned race weekends into national sporting festivals.
Verstappen won the first three editions after the race’s comeback, all from pole position, making Zandvoort virtually synonymous with his extraordinary period of success at Red Bull.
But this weekend was different.
It was a farewell.
Why Is the Dutch Grand Prix Ending?
The decision had actually been made well before the final race.
In December 2024, Formula 1 announced that the Dutch Grand Prix promoter had agreed to extend its contract for only one additional season through 2026. F1 said the promoter itself had decided not to continue beyond that point, even though alternative arrangements had been discussed.
The biggest issue is money.
Unlike several modern Formula 1 races supported by governments or major public investment, Zandvoort operates largely as a privately financed event. That means organizers themselves carry much of the commercial risk associated with staging one of the world’s biggest sporting events.
Autosport reported that Formula 1 had been interested in keeping Zandvoort on the calendar, but organizers concluded that continuing indefinitely would expose them to too much financial uncertainty. The Dutch event has depended heavily on packed grandstands, major sponsors and sustained public enthusiasm to make its model work.
That makes Zandvoort’s departure particularly striking.
This was not a struggling race searching for an audience. It was an event famous for selling tickets, generating extraordinary atmosphere and attracting enormous attention whenever Verstappen appeared on track.
Yet popularity alone was not enough to guarantee its future.
Nearly Two Million Visitors Helped Build the Modern Zandvoort Era
Former Formula 1 driver and Dutch Grand Prix sporting director Jan Lammers described the revival as something that ultimately grew far beyond what organizers had originally imagined.
According to Lammers, nearly two million visitors attended during the modern Dutch Grand Prix era, turning the small North Sea resort into an international showcase filled with orange grandstands, music and race fans.
The municipality of Zandvoort confirmed that the August 21-23, 2026 race weekend would be the sixth consecutive Formula 1 edition since the championship returned, and officially described it as the final edition in the town.
For a circuit once considered too old-fashioned and geographically difficult for modern Formula 1, that comeback itself became one of the sport’s more unlikely success stories.
Verstappen: Zandvoort Will Be Missed
For Verstappen, the loss carries obvious personal significance.
The four-time world champion described Zandvoort as a circuit that is rewarding, challenging and distinctly old-school — the type of track whose character separates it from many newer Formula 1 venues.
Even without his nationality, Verstappen said he would still enjoy racing there. Being Dutch simply made the experience considerably more meaningful.
His record explains why.
Since Zandvoort returned, Verstappen became its defining driver. He won the first three comeback races and never finished outside the top two in his first five modern appearances at the venue.
His popularity also helped transform the race commercially, with the circuit becoming a sea of Red Bull colours and orange-clad supporters every season.
Drivers Loved What Made Zandvoort Different
Verstappen was not alone in regretting its disappearance.
McLaren driver Lando Norris praised both the circuit and its crowd, saying he preferred events where fans created a passionate atmosphere rather than races lacking the same intensity.
Norris won at Zandvoort from pole in 2024 and again claimed pole for the final 2026 edition after producing a lap he described as one of the finest of his career.
Lewis Hamilton also highlighted Zandvoort’s special character and the extraordinary atmosphere created by supporters, even though the seven-time champion never won a Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix at the circuit.
A Circuit With History Dating Back to 1952
Zandvoort’s Formula 1 history stretches much further back than the Verstappen era.
The circuit first hosted a world championship Dutch Grand Prix in 1952, only two years after Formula 1’s inaugural championship season.
The 2026 edition became the 36th Dutch Grand Prix held there.
Its 14-corner layout remains one of the shortest and most distinctive on the calendar, with famous sections including Tarzan corner and the heavily banked Hugenholtz turn.
The circuit’s narrow layout, elevation changes and location among the coastal dunes gave it something increasingly rare in modern Formula 1: a strong sense of place.
Drivers could immediately tell they were racing at Zandvoort.
Fans could too.
Zandvoort’s Exit Highlights a Bigger Formula 1 Question
Perhaps the most important part of Zandvoort’s farewell has little to do with nostalgia.
Its departure demonstrates how difficult it can be for privately financed European circuits to compete financially with venues backed by governments, tourism authorities or enormous state-funded development projects.
Motor Sport Magazine noted that race-hosting revenues across Formula 1 have climbed significantly since Zandvoort agreed to return, placing increasing pressure on promoters that must make events commercially sustainable without public underwriting.
That creates a difficult paradox.
Zandvoort delivered almost everything Formula 1 promoters are supposed to want: full grandstands, global television images, an iconic home driver, committed supporters and a recognizable race identity.
And yet organizers still decided that walking away was safer than continuing.
Formula 1 Moves On — But Zandvoort Leaves on Its Own Terms
The Dutch Grand Prix could eventually return. Motorsport calendars change constantly, and Formula 1 has repeatedly revived races once considered finished.
For now, however, there is no Dutch Grand Prix scheduled beyond 2026.
That makes Sunday’s farewell more than the end of another race weekend.
It closes one of the most successful chapters created by Verstappen’s rise — a period when a small seaside circuit, surrounded by dunes and a town better known for beaches than billion-dollar sporting events, became one of Formula 1’s loudest stages.
The orange grandstands will disappear from the calendar.
But Zandvoort leaves having proved something few expected when its comeback was first proposed:
Formula 1 could return to an old-school Dutch circuit and become bigger there than almost anyone imagined.
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