Scheduled last year and then postponed due to the pandemic, the Dutch Grand Prix is back on the calendar after 36 years of absence. Show expected this Sunday.
Brand new asphalt, inclined bends, fast circuit, the little world of Formula 1 has an appointment with one of the most unique Grand Prix of the year. This weekend, the Zandvoort circuit will return to the calendar for the first time since 1985. A return delayed by one year due to the pandemic but no less anticipated by the 20 pilots called to discover this long circuit of just over 4 kilometers. All except the local of the stage Max Verstappen, who had been able to carry out a reconnaissance of the route during a promotional run in March 2020.
«The track has been changed slightly since the last time I ran there“, However tempers the Dutch driver, called to shine for his very first Grand Prix at home. But everyone will be looking to beat “Mad Max”, who will regain the championship lead if he wins after his 12.5 points “offered” by the FIA last Sunday. And it’s a whole microcosm that hopes for a spectacle that is far more exciting than the parody of the Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps last weekend. The nature coupled with the novelty of the route gives birth to an exciting promise for Sunday. “The thousands of spectators, teams and drivers have very high expectations and I am sure they will all be surprised and amazed ”, promises Jan Lammers, the director of the Dutch Grand Prix.
Inclined turns
The on-board camera in the Safety Car gives a glimpse of what awaits the paddock for this first outing on the circuit of this coastal village located west of Amsterdam. A region of North Holland where the 30 km / h limit signs have been replaced by the 33 of Max Verstappen, who hopes to shine and win in front of his Orange Army. One thing is certain, the party will be beautiful, where a much better weather than in Spa awaits the pilots, ready to inaugurate the black asphalt of this unique track where the late Niki Lauda was the last to triumph in front of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna for an ultimate five-star podium in 1985.
The main characteristics of this updated track while keeping an “old school” soul are located in its inclined turns. These two welcome features were illustrated with humor by F1 presenter Will Buxton, who had fun rolling up and down a bend. “Under the strict control of the FIA, we were able to design a circuit with extreme geometry so that the drivers could experience what they have never felt on a Formula 1 circuit.“, Predicts Jarno Zaffeli, main architect of this modernized route.
Qualifications essential on a narrow track
In addition to these unprecedented “banking” curves posted at turns 3 and 14, the approximately 70,000 authorized spectators (gauge 2/3 full) will be able to revel in the intensity of a route unanimously judged to be very fast. Vivacity and skill will make the difference. The vast majority of pilots, like Kimi Räikkönen, called upon to discover a last track before leaving, will therefore discover a circuit that is to say the least pleasant. Esteban Ocon (Alpine), who was able to survey it in the DTM championship in 2016, also has fond memories: “It’s a beautiful track with superb rhythmic sequences, says the winner of the last Hungarian GP, quoted by the specialized site nextgen-auto.com The turns follow each other quickly and we don’t have time to get bored behind the wheel. The two inclined curves are a lot of fun so I can’t wait to negotiate them with a Formula 1.»
His compatriot Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri) is planning a weekend “similar to Monaco in some aspects“, where the “qualifications will be decisive“. And for good reason, the whole paddock, which was still able to discover the route on the simulator, agrees that it will be very difficult to overtake there due to the narrowness of the track. A circuit where, moreover, there are no unnecessary clearances on the sides of the track as in Spa, allowing the drivers to flirt with the limits of reasonableness. Add to that the wind from the North Sea and you have a tasty cocktail for the 13e round of the season. Guaranteed show?
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