In 2026, Circuit Zandvoort will host the last Dutch GP. After five spectacular race weekends and as many performances by home hero Max Verstappen, the event has grown into one of the highlights of the sports year and a world-famous folk festival. While we count down to the finale of the Dutch GP, we also look back at the previous editions. We go back to 2021: the year Formula 1 returned to the Netherlands.
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Actually, the Dutch GP was supposed to make its comeback on the F1 calendar in 2020, but the corona pandemic threw a wrench in the works. The promised Orange festival was postponed by a year and in 2021 the F1 circus finally returned to the Netherlands. For Max Verstappen, that was perfect timing. In the corona-affected 2020 season, Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes were unbeatable, but in 2021 the Dutchman was finally able to challenge the Brit in his Red Bull.
The heated title battle got a new setting in Zandvoort at the beginning of September. Hamilton ventured into the lion’s den and Verstappen made the most of his first home race. In qualifying, he immediately struck and took pole position; his rival was only 0.038 seconds behind. On the narrow circuit, where starting position is crucial, that proved to be an important advantage.
Race progression GP Netherlands 2021
When the lights went out at 3:00 PM, F1 cars finally raced again over Zandvoort. All twenty drivers got through the first lap without incident, with Verstappen – who got off the line excellently – maintaining the lead. Moreover, he immediately opened a gap to Hamilton. The latter was the first to dive into the pit lane after twenty laps, but the tire change did not go smoothly. A lap later Verstappen followed, maintaining his lead but ending up behind Valtteri Bottas. The Finn, however, lost a lot of pace on his old tires and was easily caught on the straight.
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After 39 laps, Hamilton tried to force something again with a pit stop, but Red Bull reacted immediately and called Verstappen in as well. The Dutchman then steadily extended his lead, upon which Mercedes seemed to give up in the final phase. Both drivers got a set of soft tires fitted at the last moment; Hamilton thus took the extra World Championship point for the fastest lap. A meager consolation, because Verstappen treated the ecstatic Orange fans to a dominant home victory and took the lead in the world championship.
“As you can already hear, it’s incredible to win here,” an ecstatic Verstappen responded afterwards. The deafening cheers of his home supporters drowned out every sound. “Expectations before the weekend were very high and it’s not easy to meet them. I’m very happy with the victory and the fact that I’m leading the championship again. It’s simply a great day, also with all the crowd here. Incredible.”
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Read everything about the GP Netherlands in Zandvoort here
