With Super Friday, the Formula 1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix is making a statement again this year. The race weekend in Zandvoort is there for everyone and consists of three full days of top sport and entertainment. Meanwhile, the Formula 1 drivers who arrived today are preparing for what is to come. Max Verstappen, after the summer break, is eagerly waiting. “I’m looking forward to it again. It’s still nice to have a home Grand Prix.”
‘Traditionally’, Friday is the day when you and your family can fully enjoy all that the Formula 1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix has to offer. The Opening Show in the Fanzone, where the drivers of Red Bull, Aston Martin, McLaren, VCARB, Williams and Stake, among others, are interviewed on stage on Friday and the Snollebollekes set the tone for a convivial atmosphere nice and early, does not lie.
Next on the program are the training sessions for the women’s F1 Academy and Formula 1 teams. In between, visitors are treated to the Dutch GP Trackshow in the Arena and on the Main Straight.
Investment
The closing in the Fanzone is one that many a festival would envy. After the Dutch hour with Yves Berendse, Xander de Buisonjé and Wolter Kroes as a warm-up, it’s time for the Dutch GP Closing Party. The kick-off will be hosted by DI-RECT and none other than DJ Armin van Buuren will spin the roof off until 9:30 p.m. with a spectacular and unparalleled drone show as visual accompaniment.
This year there is extra investment in the Super Friday, a day that at many other Grand Prixs hardly attracts any crowds. But in Zandvoort even then the grandstands and the Fanzone fill up.
“We have put in a lot of work to keep our reputation as far as it concerns and present by far the biggest show ever shown at a Gand Prix,” said director Robert van Overdijk. “In many ways the Dutch Grand Prix is already a shining example to others and I expect other organizers to put more work into this as well.”
The drivers are also a more emphatic part of this at Zandvoort. The Q&A on a large stage in the Fanzone is a good example.
The drivers of the ten Formula 1 teams reported to the circuit one by one today. Naturally, there was a lot of attention “home driver” Max Verstappen. The Formula 1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix this weekend is his 200th race in Formula 1.
He has already won 61 of them.
When asked if he sees himself driving another 200, his answer at the press conference was clear: no. But with that answer, his farewell cannot yet be announced, he also said. Verstappen, who is under contract with Red Bull until 2028. “I’m not thinking about a new contract at the moment, nor am I looking further ahead.
Everything is still open.”
After three previous wins at Zandvoort, the leader in the F1 standings is expected to have to fight harder than ever on Sunday to keep the streak intact.
“You won’t hear me say we are going to win again. If you look at how the season has gone so far, others can also win here. I’m focusing on a clean weekend and then we’ll see. We are still working on improving the car. If we succeed in that, we will make it a little easier on ourselves. It was nice not to think about Formula 1 for a while during the summer break, but now I’m looking forward to it again.”
It has not escaped Verstappen’s notice that there is talk of the Grand Prix’s continued existence beyond 2025. “I love this circuit. It’s nice to have a home Grand Prix, only the decision is not up to me. But for sure I will be very happy to keep coming here as long as there is a Formula One race.”
High visit
Today the “king” of the Olympic Games in Paris paid a visit to the Dutch Grand Prix. On a golden bike, Harrie Lavreysen hurtled through the sharp Hugenholtz curve on the Zandvoort circuit. With in his wheel Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, an avid amateur cyclist. The two sports heroes exchanged some experiences at that meeting.
The Dutch cycling phenomenon was impressed by the attention Formula 1 attracts. “My father is a big fan and I do try to watch as much as possible myself, but I hadn’t been here before. When it’s full soon, it will be very impressive,” said the track cyclist, before joining Leclerc in an uphill sprint. For his part, Leclerc was impressed with Lavreysen’s performance in Paris and the three gold medals he took home.
Steep
Of course, the Hugenholtz bend was not chosen for the encounter by chance. Turn number three on the circuit has the contours of a cycling track, on which a dominant Lavreysen has been keeping house and amassing his fame for several years. “But this here is not so steep,” observed the three-time Olympic champion of Paris, who had also brought his medals with him to Zandvoort. “The cycling track has a 45-degree angle at the steepest part. You can’t stand there, because you’ll slide down. You have to go through it at least 30 kilometers per hour.”
On Sunday, Lavreysen will come to see for himself how Leclerc and the others tear through that corner with a maximum angle of 18 degrees in their cars. “That and the whole Grand Prix is really something to look forward to,” the Olympic hero gloated.
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