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Does Zandvoort need spectacle in its first GP? We go all-in'

Does Zandvoort need spectacle in its first GP? We go all-in'

03-09-2021 06:00

GPblog.com

All eyes will be on the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend which is finally back on the calendar after 36 years. The first reactions of the drivers are that overtaking will be very difficult and that overtaking is what makes a Grand Prix spectacular. Jan Lammers doesn't think Circuit Zandvoort has yet to prove itself as an F1 circuit.

"I don't think we have to prove ourselves to the FOM anymore. They have expressed their enthusiasm about our organisation in every possible way. We have a very innovative approach and they use that as blueprints for other organisers of Grands Prix. In that respect the cooperation with FOM, without having driven a single metre, is already really fantastic", the sporting director of Circuit Zandvoort reveals in conversation with GPblog.

Confidence in FOM

Circuits like Baku and Paul-Ricard came under heavy criticism after the first year for not providing enough action. However, both organisers have had a race full of spectacle this year. Although Zandvoort still has to prove itself as a suitable F1 circuit where overtaking is possible, Lammers expects Zandvoort to be one of the FOM's favorites.

"I hope we can confirm that confidence this weekend". So the first reactions of the drivers are that overtaking is difficult, but they also like the quality of the track and the 'old-school' feeling of the track. "I think the quality is going to be quite impressive. We had of course hoped that we could have put on a festival in addition to the racing, but unfortunately that's not allowed."

Alternative Festival in Zandvoort

Coronavirus regulations in the Netherlands do not allow a festival alongside the race, but Lammers explains that they have found a solution to this. "We are going to give artists a stage in a place, isolated from the public, so they can entertain the public via a live stream."

Lammers estimates that they will also have to rely on the action alongside the circuit. In that, the organiser wants to be an example to the rest of the Grand Prix organisers, for this season and upcoming seasons. "We want to show what we are capable of as the Netherlands. We really want to be an example for other organisers as well."

Going all-in for the Dutch GP

"We are really going all-in to show what we can do and we just want 90 million people around the world to respond with enthusiasm later on to what they have seen," Lammers concludes. The Dutch Grand Prix is on the calendar for the next three years at least, but according to Lammers Zandvoort is one of the favourites with Formula One Management and so he will be hoping for a longer stay in F1, even after 2023.