General
Analysis | Dutch Grand Prix organisers let Verstappen fans down
- Ludo van Denderen
Options to continue were plentiful, according to the director of the Dutch Grand Prix. However, he and his team decided to pull the plug on the Netherlands' most popular sporting event after the 2026 season. A stab in the back to all Dutch Max Verstappen fans, perhaps to the Dutchman himself, and a decision that would not have been necessary at all.
Max Verstappen is by far the most popular sportsman in the Netherlands. A global superstar, who is usually only seen outside the Netherlands. That was until 'Zandvoort' brought him to the Netherlands, putting the Dutch Grand Prix back on the calendar. All praise for this, as a tremendous amount of hard work has gone into making the Dutch Grand Prix the country's sporting event.
The Dutch Grand Prix has to do without government subsidies, unlike most races. First of all, that is already a strange situation because, apparently, the national and local governments do not recognise that organising the Dutch Grand Prix generates more than it costs, but that is another story. Even without subsidies from the national government, sponsors are lining up to finance the event, director Robert van Overdijk told Dutch broadcaster NOS. Moreover, the demand for tickets is also huge for next season.
Fear for the future
It is all the more unnecessary to quit. Not because F1 no longer wanted to give Zandvoort a contract, not because Verstappen's popularity is waning, or because no more tickets are being sold. No, because the organisation fears that at some point there will be less interest in the Grand Prix, although there is no indication of that at all at the moment.
It is quite logical that entrepreneurs - because that is what the organisers of the Dutch Grand Prix are - want to minimise the risk of a financial debacle. Rotating with other Grands Prix, so that the race would be held every other year, would have greatly reduced that risk. Yet Zandvoort has no appetite for that either, not knowing what the situation will be in 2027 and 2028.
Will Max Verstappen still be competing in F1 at all then? Unless the organisers know something the rest of the world does not, the answer to that question is simply 'yes'. So would no sponsors be willing to attach their names to the event, if only in 2028 (when Verstappen's association with Red Bull expires)? Of course not.
Gone really is gone
And suppose Verstappen is driving a not-so-competitive car by then. Or in the unlikely scenario, he is no longer active in the sport. Formula 1 is booming all over the world. Even in Qatar, the grandstands are packed, with tourists from all over the world coming to see F1. Would a Dutch Grand Prix without (a competitive) Verstappen mean no one would show up? Certainly not.
Stopping the Dutch Grand Prix was a decision as regrettable as it was unnecessary because there were plenty of chances to at least have the race on the calendar in 2028. And let's face it, gone really is gone. There is now so much demand for hosting an F1 race that Zandvoort will be out of the question in a renewed attempt at a later date.
And the big losers? Those are the Dutch fans, who can now watch Formula 1 only further from home again.
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy
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