No surprise about Zandvoort F1 departure: 'Verstappen was a temporary hype'.
The Grand Prix of the Netherlands will take place two more times at Circuit Zandvoort. After 2026, the pinnacle of motorsport will definitively say goodbye to Max Verstappen's home race. Does this surprise F1 analysts? Not if it's up to Ralf Schumacher, at least.
28 Aug 2025
Kevin Doldersum
GPblog.com

"Yes, it's a pity, but that's just the way it is. Fair is fair: Max Verstappen has become a lot calmer over the years. This is because the fans get used to it and because he doesn't win as much anymore," judges the German analyst in the Backstage Boxengasse.”

The underlying cause is clear, according to Schumacher: "This means that a hype like this is always only temporary. You also notice this in the revenue from the sponsorship." The worries about the profitability of the Grand Prix at Zandvoort led to the organization deciding to say goodbye to Formula 1 after 2026.

Schumacher came up with a fitting statement for those who might criticize this decision. "We mustn't forget that we have to look at ourselves before we criticize others. If I want to sell my bike and a nice person offers me 200 euros, but someone else comes with an offer of 400 euros, you know yourself what you would choose. And that's just Formula 1," he said somewhat frustrated.

'Verstappen was a temporary hype';

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/no-su...temporary-hype


Zandvoort deluged by thunderstorm as Dutch GP weather fears grow
The weather forecast earlier this week indicated rain would strike Zandvoort over the race weekend. Those predictions have already come true in a big way.
28 Aug 2025
RacingNews365

Large pools of water collected throughout the paddock, whilst an access tunnel underneath the circuit was completely flooded. The downpour rendered the tunnel impassable on foot, forcing organisers to use golf karts to transport people from one side of the track to the other.

The heavy shower will undoubtedly raise concerns about what is to come over the remainder of the weekend. While a degree of rain can often add an element of unpredictability to a grand prix, too much could threaten its running altogether, as was painfully demonstrated at the 2021 Belgian event.

‘Zandvoort deluged by thunderstorm’;

https://racingnews365.com/dutch-gp-p...hits-zandvoort


Bring Inters: Zandvoort’s Weather Could Detonate Dutch GP
Aug 28, 2025
Alex Albuquerque
Fastest Lap

Friday – Practice
FP1 (12:30 local): Overcast and cool, with the first raindrops threatening. The FIA forecast pegs the chance of rain at around 40%, air temperature near 18°C. Not much grip to start with, so any early running matters.
FP2 (16:00): That’s when the tap could really turn. An 80% chance of rain, with 5–10mm expected before potential thunderstorms roll in Friday evening. Teams may split programs: bank dry laps early if there’s a window, then pivot to intermediate and full-wet data. If you’ve brought new bits, you might not learn much.

Saturday – Final practice and qualifying
FP3 (11:30): Still unsettled. Another 80% chance of rain in the morning with gusts around 15–25 kph. It’s one of those sessions where the clock is as important as the car — catching the driest five minutes could determine your read on tyres for qualifying.
Qualifying (15:00): The outlook eases but doesn’t clear. Showers remain a threat at around 40%, with air temp nudging 19°C. If it’s stop-start wet, we’ll see that familiar Zandvoort tension: brave early laps on the crossover, or wait for the track to come to you? Either way, traffic management will be everything on a narrow, evolving surface.

Sunday - – Race
Grand Prix (15:00 local; 14:00 UK): A soggy morning should wash away most of the rubber laid down, resetting the surface for the main event. The afternoon trend looks kinder, with conditions improving as the race approaches, but there’s still a 40% chance of rain during the Grand Prix itself. Air temperature around 20°C.

‘Zandvoort’s Weather Could Detonate Dutch GP’;

https://fastestlap.com/news/bring-in...nate-dutch-gp/


Verstappen’s private jet makes a stop in another country on the eve of Dutch GP
26 Aug 2025
Tobia Elia
Cas van de Kleut
GPblog.com

This week, Max Verstappen and his fellow Formula 1 drivers are preparing for the Dutch Grand Prix after a four-week break. On Tuesday afternoon, his private jet made a stop in England, as revealed by the X account VerstappenJet. Before heading to the Netherlands, Verstappen’s aircraft was picked up on radar over England. The Red Bull Racing driver landed near Milton Keynes, home to the team’s factory. It seems likely that a quick visit there was the reason for the detour just days before the Dutch Grand Prix.

‘Landed near Milton Keynes, home to the team’s factory’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/verst...ve-of-dutch-gp


Key Fred Vasseur Ferrari ally is ‘under pressure’ amid ‘deteriorating’ relationships at Lewis Hamilton’s team
28 Aug 2025
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer

Ferrari will hope to come out of the summer break at the 2025 F1 Dutch Grand Prix able to record a strong end to the year, but they are enduring turmoil in Maranello. The pride of Italy travel to Zandvoort this weekend for round 15 of the 24 due in the 2025 F1 season. But while Ferrari sit in second place in the F1 constructors’ championship before the Dutch GP, they trail McLaren by 299 points and are still without a Grand Prix win this season.

Ferrari chassis technical director Diego Tondi is now ‘under pressure’. Now, RMC Motori reports that Ferrari’s rear suspension upgrade is the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ in Maranello, having cost them €1m (£862k) to design. Ferrari are pointing the finger at their chassis technical director Diego Tondi, as well, and he is now ‘under pressure’.

Ferrari think Tondi, who has worked for the Scuderia since 2007 and took his current role in September 2024, is ‘unable to react’, which has led to ‘deteriorating personal relationships’. Two key figures even left Ferrari during the summer break as they were ‘at odds’ with Tondi. Ferrari think Tondi, who has worked for the Scuderia since 2007 and took his current role in September 2024, is ‘unable to react’, which has led to ‘deteriorating personal relationships’. Two key figures even left Ferrari during the summer break as they were ‘at odds’ with Tondi.

‘Deteriorating relationships’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/key...amiltons-team/


McLaren set to match very special record at Zandvoort this weekend
28 Aug 2025
Tobia Elia
Estéban den Toom
GPblog.com

McLaren could match a very special record at Zandvoort during the Dutch Grand Prix. For that to happen, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will need a bit of luck and every ounce of performance from their car. And of course, Max Verstappen can’t be the one to ruin the party on Sunday—otherwise, the record will have to wait.

If Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri secure another one-two finish—regardless of the order—McLaren will draw level with Mercedes and Ferrari. The record stands at five consecutive one-two finishes. Ferrari first set the benchmark early in Formula 1 history, all the way back in 1952. For sixty years it remained out of reach for every other team in the sport’s top category, until Ferrari themselves matched it again in 2002.

It wasn’t until 2014 that Mercedes had their turn, with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg finishing first and second in five straight races to equal Ferrari’s record. Mercedes even had the chance to claim the record outright, but fell just short. This Sunday, McLaren could once again draw level with that milestone—and if they succeed, the opportunity to break the record would come at Monza, with the Italian Grand Prix set for early September.

‘One-two finish record’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/mclar...t-in-formula-1


Leclerc highlights one unique Zandvoort trait when thinking about Dutch GP
28 Aug 2025
Tobia Elia
GPblog.com

The highly anticipated Dutch Grand Prix, the fifteenth round of the season after the summer break, is just around the corner. Charles Leclerc spoke about his connection to Zandvoort and the first thing that comes to mind when he thinks about the Dutch race.

Several drivers have spoken highly of the Dutch circuit, but what exactly connects Leclerc to Zandvoort? ''At the Dutch Grand Prix, the first thing that comes to my mind is the orange army,'' the Ferrari driver stated. ''It's really nice to see so much passion and to be completely honest, there's always so much respect also for all the teams and all the drivers. And I think that's what we all enjoy at the Dutch Grand Prix, mostly because there's respect as well.''

Hamilton, on the other hand, focused more on the characteristics of the circuit, which he considers unique in the F1 calendar: “It's got lots of imperfections. I think the undulations really give it a huge amount of character as well. A lot of tracks are built on flats, whereas it's built in a time where they didn't have that technology and it's aged. There's bumps from like things on the ground all over the hills moving so that just creates for me one of the best tracks that we get to race on.''

‘Unique Zandvoort trait(s)’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/general/le...about-dutch-gp