Close-up of shadow patterns on an orange racetrack curb — Audi Revolut F1 Team circuit detail at Zandvoort

20 August 2026

Zandvoort’s Last Party.

Audi Revolut F1® Team’s first appearance at the Dutch Grand Prix will also mark the track’s last outing on the Formula 1 calendar. A circuit that blends legacy with a party atmosphere – this is Zandvoort.

For the latest generation of Formula 1® fan, Zandvoort still feels like a relatively new addition to the calendar, having returned only five years ago. But the track’s long-standing history with the sport extends back much further than that.

Since re-joining the calendar in 2021, Zandvoort has taken on a life of its own, with the enthusiastic crowd bringing the energy and creating an unrivalled electric atmosphere across all three days of the race weekend. The party will reach fever pitch for one final time in 2026 as the track prepares for its final appearance on the schedule.

Close-up of the Dutch national flag waving against a blue sky — Audi Revolut F1 Team Dutch Grand Prix pride

Zandvoort’s Origins

Zandvoort’s first stint on the calendar provided somewhat of a more sedate experience for fans trackside, where the focus was purely on the track. During its 30 appearances on the World Championship calendar between 1952 and 1985, Zandvoort played host to the top stars of the era, with the likes of Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart and Niki Lauda all securing wins amongst the sand dunes.

Black-and-white photo of mechanics prepping a vintage race car in the garage — Audi Revolut F1 Team pit crew energy

Strange But True: Zandvoort

Aerial view of a packed Dutch beach with umbrellas and sunbathers — Audi Revolut F1 Team Zandvoort race weekend setting

Monday Racing

The Dutch Grand Prix is one of few World Championship races to have taken place outside of a weekend. In 1958, 1960 and 1961, the race was held on a Monday. It coincided with Whit Monday – a public holiday in the Netherlands.

Vintage race car number 26 exiting a garage beneath a "Sea of Orange" sign — Audi Revolut F1 Team Dutch GP fan culture

A 100% Finish Rate

The 1961 Dutch Grand Prix saw every driver who started the race cross the finish line. A remarkable feat in an era of poor reliability. It would be 44 years until another Grand Prix had a 100% finish rate.

Vintage race car number 68 driven at speed with helmeted driver — Audi Revolut F1 Team classic motorsport spirit

Birthday Victory

In his title winning year, James Hunt won the 1976 Dutch Grand Prix on his 29th birthday. It is one of only two times a Formula 1 race has been won by a driver celebrating their birthday, the other being Jean Alesi at the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix.

Elevated view across the main straight and pit lane at Circuit Zandvoort, with grandstands, paddock buildings and the surrounding coastal town.

Sand Gets Everywhere

In 1963, stormy weather and strong winds saw sand from the dunes blown onto the circuit, while in 1969 Prince Bernhard of Holland’s arrival to the track by helicopter caused a minor sandstorm.

Vintage open-wheel race car with driver in a green helmet on track — Audi Revolut F1 Team historic racing heritage

Three Cars on the Front Row

A sight that was common in the early years of Formula 1, the 1973 Dutch Grand Prix was the very last time that three drivers occupied spots on the front row of the grid. Every race since has featured the now-standard two-by-two grid formation.

The Interim

The 1985 Dutch Grand Prix marked Lauda’s final F1® victory and it was also to mark the end of Zandvoort’s first stint on the F1® calendar. The circuit owner went out of business and half of the land on which the track stood was sold. Renovations began a few years later, with work undertaken to shorten the track and allow the venue to host local racing categories.

At the turn of the millennium, the circuit underwent a major upgrade which returned it to the international motorsport scene once more. Fast forward to 2018, when national interest in motorsport was at an all-time high amid Max Verstappen’s rise to the top of the field in Formula 1, and formal conversations between Zandvoort and Formula 1 began, with the hope of reinstating the Dutch Grand Prix as a fixture on the calendar.

Zandvoort circuit dune fencing with 150m marker board — track detail ahead of the Audi Revolut F1 Team Dutch GP

A Revival

In 2021, after a few further alterations to the track, Zandvoort was back. The 2021 Dutch Grand Prix set a new record of 36 years between two World Championship Grands Prix at a circuit. The race’s revival was hugely popular. Originally slated to return in May 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic thwarted plans, there were over a million applications for tickets.

Much of the Dutch crowd will arrive at Zandvoort uniformly wearing the orange t-shirts which have become synonymous with the event. The so-called “Oranje Army” may be out in force to support their local superstar, but the knowledgeable crowd have an appreciation for the rest of the grid too.

Friday at Zandvoort is known as “Super Friday” and attracts one of the largest Friday turnouts of the year. The on-stage interviews in the fan zone, of which Nico and Gabi will be a part on Friday, are some of the best-attended on the calendar.

Orange Army fans and flares in the grandstand crowd — Audi Revolut F1 Team supporters at the Dutch GP

The Party Goes On

If you’re in search of a quiet weekend, the Dutch Grand Prix weekend almost certainly is not for you. Dutch DJs and artists – this year including Afrojack, Snelle and Yves Berendse – are on hand throughout the festivities, with European dance music blaring through the grandstand loudspeakers across the circuit.

With this being Zandvoort’s curtain-closing race weekend, the revelry will be heightened in 2026. Regular F1® attendee and superstar Dutch producer Martin Garrix is set to provide the soundtrack to race day, keeping the atmosphere alive long after the on-track action ends. Zandvoort is all set to go out on a high. Audi Revolut F1® Team is ready to join the party.

Festival stage with streamers and lights at night, "Zomervreugde" sign — Audi Revolut F1 Team Dutch GP race week party

Zandvoort marks the start

of a stacked second half of the Formula 1® season, with 12 race weekends scheduled before Audi Revolut F1® Team’s maiden season concludes in early December.

With momentum building, it’s full focus ahead.

To the rac