Circuit Zandvoort, Racing Circuit

Circuit Zandvoort is a 4.259 km motorsport track laid out among the coastal sand dunes north of the seaside town of Zandvoort, around 35 km west of Amsterdam near the North Sea. Its origins trace to a 1939 street race, and the permanent circuit opened on 7 August 1948, partly using communications roads built by the occupying German army during the war; the 1927 Le Mans winner Sammy Davis advised on the layout rather than John Hugenholtz, as is sometimes claimed. The track quickly became known for fast, sweeping corners through the dunes, most famously the cambered Tarzanbocht hairpin at the end of the main straight, which offers overtaking on both the inside and the outside. It hosted the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix regularly from 1952 until 1985, before noise restrictions and financial collapse forced the circuit to shrink to a short interim layout of just 2.526 km in 1989. A return to international Grand Prix standard came in 2001 with a redesigned 4.307 km course, and the rise of Max Verstappen prompted a further FIA Grade 1 upgrade for Formula One's return. The headline changes, designed by Jarno Zaffelli, added steep banking at the Hugenholtzbocht (turn 3, banked around 19 degrees) and the Arie Luyendijkbocht (turn 14, banked around 18 degrees) to allow flat-out, multi-line racing. After a COVID-enforced delay, the Dutch Grand Prix returned in 2021, won by Verstappen on his way to the title, with the partnership set to end in 2026. Beyond Formula One the circuit has hosted DTM, GT World Challenge Europe, ADAC GT Masters and the long-running Masters of Formula 3. The current Grand Prix layout runs to 14 turns over its dune-side lap.

Operated by: Circuit Zandvoort BV