10 Fast Facts for Zandvoort

We can't wait to get back going again this weekend, set to shake off any cobwebs from the summer break. There aren't many places better to get a party restarted than at Circuit Zandvoort.

Found on the North Sea coast, this 4.259km venue is one of the most unique on the calendar. Swooping through the sand dunes, drivers will hardly get a second to rest around this undulating, old-school race track.

With that, we’ve put together 10 statistics about the circuit and also the Netherlands to whet the appetite.

Come Sunday, we’ll be set for 72 laps of this undulating venue. That’s the second-highest number of racing laps of any circuit on the calendar, with only Monaco’s total of 78 keeping it from the top spot. Tucking in neatly behind on 71 you’ll find the Red Bull Ring, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez and Interlagos.

Being situated on the North Sea coast, Zandvoort is almost as close to some UK households as Silverstone. For example, those living in Lowestoft on England's east coast are 117 miles from the main entrance of the racetrack, whilst they're 120 miles from the home of British motorsport.

That represents the latitude that Circuit Zandvoort is found on, making it the most northerly circuit we visit on the entire calendar. Silverstone had held that title for a considerable time during the Dutch GP's exile.

Alan Jones' 1979 victory at Zandvoort was the fourth consecutive victory for Williams that season – and the fourth-ever win for the team. The Australian finished over 20 seconds ahead of P2 and lapped every car that didn’t make the podium in an utterly dominant display.

With just 14 corners, Zandvoort sure does pack a punch within each of those twists and turns. Only three circuits on the current calendar feature fewer turns than Zandvoort: Circuit Gilles Villeneuve with 13, Monza with 11 and Red Bull Ring with 10. Whilst Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and the Hungaroring also boast 14.

Arie Luyendyk, the astonishing final corner named in tribute to the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, features a banking of 18 degrees. That’s roughly twice the angle of all four corners found at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Zandvoort first held a round of the World Championship in 1952 and was an almost continuous annual stop for the F1 fraternity up until holding its final race in 1985. When it returned in 2021 it was on a circuit with a totally revised second half of the lap, yet the current layout of 4.259km is almost precisely the same length as the old circuit’s 4.252km.

As F1-obsessed as the Dutch have become in recent years, the Netherlands famously have more bicycles (over 22 million) than humans (17 million). The Dutch are said to cycle an average of 2.9 kilometres per day, which adds up to around 1,000 kilometres per year!

There will be little point in translating these facts into Dutch as over 90% of the population of the Netherlands speak English as a second language. Overall, 94% of Dutch people speak at least two languages, far beyond the EU average of 54%.

The Dutch are the tallest people in the world, averaging 176cm overall, while men average 182.6 cm – just 3.4cm shorter than Alex Albon. Heading to the race this weekend? Get there early to make sure you're not stuck behind someone taller!