F1 racing director Charlie Whiting thinks that Assen, home of the legendary Dutch TT in the MotoGP, could become an F1-worthy track with only minor changes.
Some of MotoGP's most prominent names like Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi have urged Assen to stay away from F1, but rumours of a Dutch Grand Prix making a comeback are gaining some traction again after a 33-year period since the F1 last visited the Netherlands.
Assen has never hosted the F1, but Zandvoort has, a beachside circuit in the west of the country.
Whiting already visited Assen in January to inspect the TT circuit. It currently has a grade 2 licence - only circuits with a grade 1 licence can host an F1 race.
“From my perspective with minor modifications it would be a nice track for Formula 1,” Whiting said to Crash.net.
“I believe the location is good as well but that is all I know I don’t know whether there are any commercial negotiations going on.”
How about Zandvoort, then? Could the old venue potentially host an F1-race again, or is it too old now?
“For Zandvoort we haven’t done any simulations on so it is a little premature to say,” Whiting continued.
“I think it would be a great track but I am not sure without doing simulations how much work would be necessary.
"I would say of the two at present, Assen would need very little work.”
Ever since Max Verstappen has risen to prominence, the idea of having a Dutch Grand Prix has sprung into life. At Spa Francorchamps in Belgium, over a hundred thousand Dutch fans turn up, and even in Austria, which is a good 10-hour drive from the Netherlands, Verstappen had two special stands with over twenty thousand Dutch fans manning them.