Zandvoort to stage final Dutch Grand Prix this weekend as Formula 1 says farewell
Formula 1 is saying farewell to the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend as Zandvoort hosts its final race before being dropped from the calendar. The seaside venue has been defined by persistent orange smoke and sell-out crowds since its return to the schedule in 2021.
The Dutch Grand Prix was first held as a World Championship event in 1952 and returned to the F1 calendar in 2021 after a 36-year absence. Orange smoke has hung in the air of the track since that return, with sell-out crowds overwhelmingly supporting Red Bull's Max Verstappen. Despite its popularity, organisers say they have not been able to make the event work financially and have decided not to continue hosting F1.
Historic images from Zandvoort include Jim Clark, Graham Hill and Bruce McLaren leading the field away at the start in 1963. Jim Clark is pictured in his Lotus in 1965 on the way to the third of his record four victories at Zandvoort. A photograph from 1969 shows a brave photographer standing on the inside of the first corner, Tarzan, at the start of the race.
The circuit has also been the scene of fatal accidents: British drivers Piers Courage and Roger Williamson died in 1970 and 1973 respectively. An image shows Sally Courage reading a novel on the day she would lose her husband. These moments are included in the gallery of images reflecting the track's history.
James Hunt recorded his first Formula 1 victory at the 1975 Dutch Grand Prix, the only win for the privateer Hesketh team, who raced in a patriotic red, white and blue and were associated with a 'work hard, play hard' approach. A team photograph identifies, from left, Lord Alexander Hesketh, Hunt, team manager Anthony 'Bubbles' Horsley and designer Harvey Postlethwaite. In 1977, Niki Lauda, the eventual winner, is pictured side by side with Mario Andretti, while another image shows Hunt and Andretti tangling for the lead that year with Hunt eliminated on the spot.
Gilles Villeneuve features in several notable images: in 1979 his left rear wheel is barely hanging on after a puncture-induced spin, he reached the pits but the resulting damage ended his race, and footage of him wrestling with the car is described as one of the most replayed moments of his career. Villeneuve is also shown spinning off at Tarzan in 1981. In 1982 spectators run for cover as René Arnoux crashes at Tarzan when a wheel came off his Renault on the approach to the corner; he was unhurt.
Niki Lauda is pictured leading McLaren team-mate Alain Prost in 1985, an image the gallery notes was Lauda's final F1 victory and preceded a 36-year hiatus for the Dutch Grand Prix. On the event's return in 2021, Dutch fans greeted Red Bull's Max Verstappen with orange flares and Verstappen would win that race on the way to his first world championship title. The gallery records Verstappen winning the first three races at Zandvoort following its return, including the 2022 race, and highlights the sand dunes alongside the track as offering a viewing experience compared with golf's Open Championship.
More recent images include Logan Sargeant jumping out of his smoking Williams after crashing in final practice in 2024, an incident that caused extensive damage which meant he was unable to take part in qualifying and led to him being dropped by Williams the following week. After retiring from the 2025 race, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc sat on a sand dune waiting for a lift back to the pits and borrowed a photographer's mobile phone to pass the time.
Organisers have decided they cannot continue hosting Formula 1 because they have not been able to make the event work financially, and this weekend's race will be Zandvoort's final Dutch Grand Prix before it drops off the Formula 1 calendar.