It is anything but self-evident that Formula 1 will return to Zandvoort every year after 2025. There are so many countries interested in organizing a Grand Prix that the question is whether the seaside resort can compete with, for example, Morocco or South Africa. Until 2025 there is no danger for Zandvoort. It has been contractually agreed that the event will be held three more times on the circuit in the dunes.
“There are many pirates on the coast worldwide,” says Robert van Overdijk, director of the Dutch Grand Prix and Circuit Zandvoort in a conversation with Motorsport.com . “It is therefore not self-evident that Zandvoort will remain on the calendar every year after 2025.”
The FOM (Formula One Management, the organization that compiles the race calendar) has been spreading the races across several continents for some time now. Because that is where the most money can be raised, the F1 circus will visit three cities in the United States this season (Austin, Las Vegas, Miami). Due to the potential for fans, it is expected that there will also be racing in Africa within the next few years.
“Zandvoort may rotate with Spa”
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Van Overdijk: “If you think logically, that can only be at the expense of one continent: Europe. A decision still has to be made, of course, but you hear rumors that the number of races in Europe has to be reduced.” What is possible is that Zandvoort will rotate with other European cities such as Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. “If it comes to that, we will think creatively about that solution,” says Van Overdijk.
Bahrain
Van Overdijk is currently in Bahrain, where the Formula 1 season starts on Sunday. Once again he received compliments for the way Zandvoort organized the Grand Prix in 2021 and last year. “It’s nice to hear that we’ve really built something beautiful,” he says. “But it’s about money. And in the end you as a village of Zandvoort and the Netherlands fight against world cities.”
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