Zandvoort F1 began for the last time on Sunday at 15.00, and Max Verstappen had to start the farewell race from seventh place on a track that was still changing underfoot. Rain had stopped shortly before the start, leaving the circuit drying at first and then turning a little wetter again as the weather shifted.
That is why so many eyes were on Verstappen as the final Grand Prix van Zandvoort got underway after five editions. He had arrived at the circuit saying he felt better physically, though he was still coughing a little, and he made clear that a podium would require a lot. “I’m a little better today,” he said in effect, adding that he still had a bit of a cough but felt physically better, which was a relief. He also said he would try to move forward, even if that would not be easy.
For readers searching this race now, the reason is simple: this is the last Formula 1 visit to Zandvoort for now, and the opening lap came with the kind of uncertainty the circuit can produce. The KNMI had expected a dry race, but the sky had other ideas. Rain cleared shortly before the start, the surface began to dry, and then more moisture returned, making the first phase of the race less straightforward than the forecast suggested.
Verstappen’s position made the start even more delicate. He lined up behind Lando Norris, who was on pole, while his teammate missed the race because of a wrist injury. That left Verstappen as the main Dutch focus in a race that also drew Koning Willem-Alexander, koningin Máxima and prinses Alexia to the circuit. The king stood on the grid when the Wilhelmus was played and was due to present the prize to the winner after the race.
The friction in Zandvoort was always going to be more than the weather. Overtaking is traditionally difficult there, which makes seventh place a serious challenge rather than a small setback, especially in the last Grand Prix van Zandvoort after five editions. Verstappen said a podium would take “quite a bit” to happen, and he was right to sound cautious: the race had barely begun, the track was still evolving, and his route forward depended on creating chances where the circuit usually gives very few.
What comes next is no longer about another Zandvoort weekend. The final result would decide who received the prize from the king, but the bigger fact was already fixed at the start line: after five editions, the Dutch GP at Zandvoort had reached its last lap on the calendar for now, with Verstappen starting from P7 and the weather refusing to stay still.
