By Adam Tate, Associate Editor
Circuit Park Zandvoort in the Netherlands last hosted a Grand Prix back in 1985, but the surging popularity of Dutch driver Max Verstappen has prompted the circuit to conduct a feasibility study on bringing Formula One back, according to Dutch newspaper Harleem Dagblad.
While a prominent feature on the F1 calendar from 1950 till 1985, the circuit fell on hard times when its owners CENAV went out of business in the mid eighties. The track sat vacant for a time before its original layout was changed for 1995. Curiously, despite the new circuit taking up far less space, the length actually increased from 2.642 to 2.676 miles.
The famous track among the sand dunes still regularly hosts F3, DTM, touring cars, historic Grand Prix cars and numerous track days throughout the year. The pit lane and other facilities would need to be updated to FIA Grade 1 standards in order to host a Grand Prix, but the track has potential if the budget can be found.
In 2015 Max ran demonstration laps at the circuit in a Toro Rosso alongside his famous father Jos who drove the last car of his F1 career, the Minardi PS03 in front of a massive crowd. Simply having Verstappen in the field may well bring in enough fans to more than offset the costs of returning F1 to a country where it has such a long, illustrious history.
