A Dutch Grand Prix?

The town council of Zandvoort has decided to look into the feasibility of reviving the Dutch Grand Prix. This is no great surprise given the rise of Max Verstappen. Having a top F1 driver always makes it easier for promoters to raise money. Having said that, there are significant challenges that are facing such a project, not just raising the rights fee and revamping the circuit, but also finding ways for the town to deal with the kind of traffic that a Grand Prix would generate. The reality is that this will probably make it impossible to do. The track itself would require a great deal of work and new pits and there would likely be challenges from environmentalists as well. The last time the idea was raised, in the 1990s, the provincial government concluded that it would be easier to build a completely new track on the polders near Den Helder, at the northern tip of old Holland. Another option might be the government to help convert an old military base, of which there are several. Having said that, Zandvoort is a well known name and there is no doubt that a race would be good for the local economy. The track would be different for the old GP circuit, used from the 1950s until the mid-1980s, but it still retains a number of the celebrated corners of the original track. The circuit was bankrupted in the late 1980s and half the circuit land was sold. The money raised was used to create a circuit of a similar style but covering only half the area. The land that was sold became a golf course and a holiday camp, now owned by Center Parcs. There is a high earth bank between the circuit and the holiday camp. There is the option of trying to convince the crowd to use public transport to get to the race and the Zandvoort train station is a 20 minute walk to the track, with trains going directly to Haarlem and Amsterdam. There is no real room to extend the circuit facilities as it adjoins a national park.