The Dutch GP Watchlist
Get the inside track with five things you need to know as Formula 1 returns from summer break at Zandvoort
Published
18 AUG 2026
Est. reading time
3 min
Atlassian Williams F1 Team is heading to the Netherlands for the twelfth round of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Everyone is back from summer break and we're heading straight to the beach, with Circuit Zandvoort hosting Formula 1's return and the start of the second half.
It's a vintage venue that made its World Championship debut in 1952, but it was a return to the calendar in 2021 that brought its flowing, undulating corners back into the limelight.
Here are five things to watch out for at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Last dance on the dunes
Make sure to savour every lap this weekend, because this is the final Dutch Grand Prix – for the foreseeable, at least.
Zandvoort returned to the calendar in 2021 after a 35-year absence and quickly became renowned for its sea of orange-clad fans, but this year's race brings the venue's second spell in Formula 1 to a close.
The seaside circuit is determined to go out with a bang, though, hosting its first ever Sprint weekend as part of the farewell edition.
That means extra competitive action across all three days, and one final chance to soak up one of the best atmospheres on the calendar.
Heading North
And we're not talking about the province of North Holland, within which Zandvoort is situated.
The Dutch Grand Prix is Formula 1's most northerly race, just shading out Silverstone, which held that crown throughout Zandvoort's 35-year hiatus from the calendar.
Being situated right on the coast, you might think it's also F1's lowest-altitude race, but you'd be mistaken. It misses out on that title by a considerable margin, with next month's Azerbaijan GP actually situated below sea level at -28m, compared to Zandvoort's +7m.
Round 12 and Round 4
It's not just Formula 1 that returns this weekend, as F1 Academy also features on the Zandvoort billing for its fourth round of the season.
Jade Jacquet will be back on track in her rookie campaign, and the Williams Driver Academy racer will be targeting her first points of the year on a circuit F1 Academy knows well – Zandvoort is the only venue to have featured in all four seasons of the series.
Jade will be on track for free practice on Friday, before qualifying and the Reverse Grid Race on Saturday and the Feature Race on Sunday morning.
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Rain on the radar
We're yet to see any wet running from this generation of Formula 1 cars, but that could be about to change.
The forecast is evolving all the time, but at the time of writing, thundery showers are expected on Friday, with further showers possible throughout Saturday before conditions brighten for Sunday's Grand Prix.
Temperatures are set to hover around a mild 18°C (64.4°F) all weekend, with the North Sea breeze never far away on this exposed stretch of coastline.
With the Sprint format meaning just one practice session before the competitive action begins, any rain could throw a real curveball into proceedings, and give us our first glimpse of how the 2026 cars handle a wet track.
Alan Jones' Hat-Trick
Williams' first Formula 1 world champion Alan Jones won the 1979 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort to cap his only run of three consecutive race victories in a stellar career.
Alan found his first taste of success for Williams one month earlier at the Hockenheimring, leading a 1-2 finish for the team ahead of Clay Regazzoni in the sister FW07.
Austria came two weeks later, where Alan triumphed with a mighty 36-second gap, before taking a third successive victory at Zandvoort, lapping every driver that wasn't on the podium.
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