In 2023, for the first time in a long time, we will see two Dutch drivers together on the Formula 1 grid with Max Verstappen and Nyck de Vries. What is the history of (two) Dutch drivers in the king class of motorsport?

It had been a long time coming after his race debut in Italy, but during the weekend before the Japanese Grand Prix, AlphaTauri announced that De Vries will be Yuki Tsunoda's teammate from 2023. For the first time since 2005, two Dutch drivers will again be seen on the grid at the same time. With Verstappen's success in F1 and the chance for De Vries to score points at AlphaTauri, it will not be difficult for the duo to become the most successful Dutch pair on the F1 grid.

First Dutch duo in 1952

The year 1952 was the first time we saw two Dutch drivers together on the grid. Dutch F1 pioneers Jan Flinterman and Dries van der Lof competed in the 1952 Dutch Grand Prix at the same time. The two drivers were not only the first Dutch duo, but also the very first Dutch drivers on the F1 grid at all. Flinterman and Van der Lof needed to drum up more spectators at their home circuit for the Dutch Grand Prix. However, it remained just that one race for both drivers. Ten years later, a Dutch driver could be seen on the grid again for the first time, but Ben Pon also stuck to one race.

Several Dutch drivers followed, with little success

Carel Godin de Beaufort was the first Dutchman to be active in F1 between 1958 and 1964. He was the first Dutch driver to also participate in the sport full-time. De Beaufort managed to finish in the points four times in his career with sixth position. De Beaufort was succeeded by Gijs van Lennep, who is best known for his two victories at Le Mans. In 1971, he won the series together with Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko. In the same year, he also made his F1 debut with Surtees. He eventually competed in eight Grands Prix, his best result being twice a sixth-place finish. In his final year in the sport, Roelof Wunderink also participated in a number of F1 races, but the two compatriots did not compete at the same Grand Prix.

Boy Hayje, Michael Bleekemolen and Huub Rothengatter were the next three Dutch drivers to compete in the king class of motorsport, but without success. Bleekemolen only participated in one race, where he did not even manage to cross the finish line. Rothengatter did not score any points in his three seasons in F1. Later, he did make a name for himself as Jos Verstappen's manager.

Most successful Dutch driver

Between 1979 and 1992, Jan Lammers was active in F1 for several seasons with different teams. The driver never finished in the points, but he did manage to finish fourth in qualifying at the 1980 Long Beach Grand Prix. Unfortunately, his car quit on the opening lap. Lammers did not have great success in F1, but then the Dutchman did not really have the material to achieve good performances.

Jos Verstappen, father of, was active as an F1 driver for several years. Between 1994 and 2003, Verstappen senior drove several seasons for different teams such as Benneton, Simtek, Tyrrell and Minardi. The Dutchman competed in 107 Grands Prix and appeared on the podium twice in his debut year. In total, he picked up 17 World Cup points in his career. This made Verstappen senior the most successful Dutch F1 driver for a long time. Now, son Max Verstappen is following in his footsteps. During his time in F1, Verstappen senior never faced a compatriot on the grid.

First rival Dutchmen in F1: Albers and Doornbos

After Verstappen senior, Dutch drivers soon returned to the F1 grid. Christijan Albers made his debut in F1 in 2005 with Minardi. He picked up points in his first year with a fifth-place finish in the United States (only six drivers appeared at the start), but it was also immediately the last points finish for the Dutchman. In July 2007, Albers was eventually fired by his team when his personal sponsor could not meet financial obligations. Robert Doornbos was active as a third driver and reserve driver at Jordan, Minardi and Red Bull Racing between 2004 and 2007. In the second half of 2006 and 2007, the Dutchman also participated in several F1 races. In total, he started 11 times, but his best result was in 2007 with a twelfth position.

In 2005, Minardi's team had two Dutch drivers with Doornbos and Albers. The duo was also known as 'Double Dutch'. The compatriots did not get along well during their time at Minardi and often expressed their displeasure to the media. To this day, the two men still cannot get along. It was one of the few times that two Dutchmen were active together in F1, and certainly the only time the compatriots rivaled each other.

Last Dutch driver before Verstappen's debut

Before Verstappen made his debut in the king class, Giedo van der Garde was the last active Dutch driver in F1. The Viaplay analyst was active as a full-time driver with Caterham F1 in 2013, but van der Garde did not score any points and there was no continuation of his story in the sport. He did impress with a third place in Q1 of qualifying at Spa.

So, apart from Verstappen, the Dutch drivers have not been very competitive. As a Dutch duo on the grid, the two-time world champion and De Vries could make history. With his second title in his pocket, Verstappen is likely to be competitive in 2023 as well. De Vries will be very dependent on the AlphaTauri car, but the 27-year-old driver can at least impress by challenging and maybe even beating teammate Tsunoda. With a reasonably good car, the Dutchman will also be able to fight for points in the midfield.

There will be no real rivalry between the two drivers. De Vries will first have to convince Helmut Marko and Red Bull Racing of his talent in the sister team before the Dutchman might make the move to Red Bull's top team in the future. In any case, the two compatriots are on their way to becoming the most successful Dutch duo in F1.