Jim Vermeulen, the former director of Circuit Zandvoort, understands that there will be no more Dutch Grand Prix after 2026. Yet he himself would have liked to see it differently. He himself had chosen rotation, so that the Grand Prix could be organized every two or three years.
In 1985, the last Dutch Grand Prix was held for a long time. Formula 1 engines could not be heard on the Zandvoort circuit for years, until this changed in 2021. Due to the success of Max Verstappen, the Formula 1 circus was able to return to the little country and it was time for the Dutch Grand Prix again.
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Verstappen won the Dutch Grand Prix in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
After enormous successes, it will be time for the last edition in 2026. “Stopping at the peak is the best option for us at the moment,” explained Robert van Overdijk, director of the Dutch Grand Prix. The former director of the circuit, Jim Vermeulen, tells the story Motorsport.com that he is disappointed with this decision. “I think it’s a shame,” he admits.
If Vermeulen had still been director of the circuit, he would have made a different choice, he explains. “I think I would have chosen rotation myself, once every two or three years,” says Vermeulen. Most matters for the Grand Prix have already been arranged. ‘The infrastructure is there. And if you organize it once every two or three years, you will definitely be full.’
Zandvoort as an example
The former director is impressed by Zandvoort’s success. ‘I recently saw some figures. They have still earned a lot,” Vermeulen compliments, but he knows that there are still major risks. ‘But yes, if a race goes wrong for whatever reason, due to whatever situation in the world, then you can easily lose 50 million. As an organization, you cannot simply build up such a buffer.’
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The atmosphere in Zandvoort is unique.
Vermeulen thinks it is a shame that the Dutch Grand Prix is ending. “But I can follow their reasoning,” he says. In addition, the run-up to the Grand Prix is long, which also means less profit. ‘Zandvoort obviously needs a long lead time,’ Vermeulen explains. ‘The circuit is closed for two months prior to the race, because all kinds of trucks have to drive over the track to build those temporary grandstands.’ Organizing the Grand Prix simply costs a lot of time and money.
2026 will therefore be the last year for the Dutch Grand Prix for the time being, but the organization can be proud of what they have done, according to Vermeulen. “It’s incredible what they’ve achieved,” he says, full of praise. ‘Zandvoort is used by Formula 1 as an example for other circuits. And the whole atmosphere in Zandvoort has remained unique, just like the fact that there is a train station just two kilometers away. They really did a more than fantastic job.’
