Circuit Zandvoort

Circuit Zandvoort is a 4.259 km motorsport circuit in the dunes north of the town of Zandvoort in the Netherlands, close to the North Sea coast and about 35 km west of Amsterdam. It is run clockwise and has 14 corners. Until 2017 it was known as Circuit Park Zandvoort. The permanent track was built after the Second World War on connecting roads laid by the German occupying army. In 1946 Sammy Davis, the 1927 Le Mans winner, was brought in as a design adviser, and the existing roads fixed part of the layout. The first race took place on 7 August 1948.

Zandvoort staged its first World Championship round in 1952, run to Formula Two regulations, as was the 1953 race. Alberto Ascari won both for Ferrari. There was no Grand Prix in 1954, 1956 or 1957, and 1955 brought the first Drivers' Championship race at Zandvoort run to Formula One regulations. From 1958 to 1985 the Dutch Grand Prix was on the calendar every year except 1972. The lap length grew from 4.193 km (until 1971) to 4.226 km (from 1972) and 4.252 km (from 1980).

Mainly because of noise for local residents, the southern section of the track was abandoned. A compact club circuit of 2.526 km was created, and the freed land was used for a bungalow park and facilities for local clubs. The circuit was later extended again to 4.307 km, a length it kept until 2019. For the return of Formula One, Jarno Zaffelli reworked the track and added banking to turns 3 and 14, while the layout stayed essentially the same. The race planned for 2020 was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Formula One came back on 5 September 2021. In 2026 the collaboration with Formula One came to an end.

The track is characterised by quick, flowing corners such as Scheivlak. At the end of the start/finish straight lies the Tarzanbocht hairpin, where the banking lets drivers overtake on either the outside or the inside. The elevation difference is 8.9 m. Turn 3 is banked at 19 degrees and turns 13 and 14 at 18 degrees.