After being canceled in 1985, it seemed unlikely that the Zandvoort circuit would return to the Formula 1 calendar. However, the race was resumed in 2021 and began to attract large crowds. According to Bernie Ecclestone, former head of the category, the return of the Dutch GP to the calendar had a protagonist off the track: Max Verstappen.
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The Dutch Red Bull driver played a decisive role in this process. Since his first victory in Formula 1 in 2016, the driver helped put the Netherlands back in the spotlight within the category. Five years later, when F1 returned to Zandvoort, Verstappen won the race and, in the same season, won his first world title. Today, he has four championships in the category.
Bernie Ecclestone directly attributed the success of the Dutch GP’s return to the driver, calling Verstappen the “real reason” for Formula 1’s historic return to Zandvoort. The influence of the four-time world champion was also highlighted by Robert van Overdijk, director of the Zandvoort circuit, during the Viaplay documentary Dutch GP: Against All Odds:
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“As far as timing goes, everything fell into place. It all starts with the fact that you have a hero.”
Next, Van Overdijk reinforced that Verstappen’s rise was decisive in convincing Formula 1 to negotiate the race’s return to the country: “Everything can be traced back to that. If that rising hero wasn’t there, we would never have sat at the table with Formula 1.”
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