The holidays are over, but Round 12 takes Formula One back to the seaside for the final Dutch Grand Prix.
Zandvoort will stage a sprint for the first time, leaving teams one hour of practice before competitive running begins. Rain is possible on Friday and Saturday, raising the stakes on a narrow track where mistakes will make all the difference.
This will be the last race at Zandvoort. The privately run event receives no government subsidy and its organisers say three days of sold-out grandstands are needed to turn a profit. “Stopping on a high note is the best option for us,” said circuit director Robert van Overdijk. F1 had offered ways for the race to continue, but the offer was declined. Portugal joins the calendar in 2027 and 2028.
Zandvoort's 4.259km circuit is wedged between the dunes and North Sea, where wind can coat the asphalt with sand and reduce grip. Overtaking remains difficult despite the steep banking introduced ahead of F1's return, and curiously, every winner since 2021 has started from pole.
Will the same be true again this year? The title race is now taking shape. Kimi Antonelli's advantage is substantial, but can George Russell or even Lewis Hamilton pose a threat? Meanwhile, Max Verstappen has finally made a commitment to Red Bull quieten the rumour mill.
Here are the best storylines going into this race weekend.
Verstappen renews Red Bull contract
On Thursday, Verstappen extended his Red Bull contract to the end of 2030, adding two years to a deal originally due to expire in 2028, ahead of his home race. “To continue this journey with the same team that I have been with my whole career is really special and something I have always wanted to do," he said.
Considering how often this topic has been discussed, it’s safe to say this was unexpected. The Dutchman is winless after 11 rounds, sixth in the championship and 110 points adrift. He has not taken a pole all year and Red Bull sit fourth in the constructors' championship.
His previous deal contained performance clauses, with reports stating he could leave if he was outside the championship's top two over the summer period. This led to continued media claims of exploratory talks between his manager, Raymond Vermeulen, and McLaren chief executive Zak Brown, while Mercedes had also long been linked with him.
The Red Bull team that Verstappen has chosen to stay with bears little resemblance to the team that carried him to four world titles, starting with the key figures who once surrounded him.
Adrian Newey has gone to Aston Martin. Christian Horner was replaced by Laurent Mekies last year. Helmut Marko stepped down ahead of this season after 20 years. Most importantly, the team's race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, will join McLaren in 2028.
Verstappen has called the 2026 cars “Formula E on steroids” and complained in Hungary that his RB22 was “completely broken aerodynamically” before finishing second the next day. Perhaps this is why so many are surprised at the news. The extension is less an endorsement of the present than a bet on Red Bull's reinvention.
Antonelli still the man to beat
“At Mercedes, I think they’ve already found the next Max Verstappen. So maybe they don’t need the real one right now,” said Guenther Steiner, former Haas team principal, on the Up To Speed podcast.
Antonelli leads the championship and is favourite to win again this weekend , despite turning only 20 this coming Tuesday.
With six wins and six poles from 11 races, the Italian teenager has made it abundantly clear that Mercedes were right to put their trust in him. He has established a 50-point lead in the championship, but is it enough? Twelve rounds remain, with sprints here and in Singapore, leaving 316 points available.
Mercedes' concern is reliability. Antonelli has already lost points because of failures in Barcelona and Silverstone, while teammate Russell retired from the lead in Canada. The Italian press has described the W17 as perfect in Antonelli's hands but “fragile, like crystal”.
What makes it all the more concerning for Mercedes, who won the first six races, is that three of the past five races have been won by their rivals. Their challengers are catching up and McLaren, in particular, look ready for a fight. Lando Norris took pole and victory in Hungary after a major McLaren floor upgrade and sits 91 points back.
Hadjar to miss race
Red Bull have confirmed Isack Hadjar will miss Zandvoort with a wrist injury, and Sky Sports reports he fractured it during boxing drills.
Hadjar sits eighth after seven straight top-six finishes, the best run of his career; and this injury will disrupt momentum he has been building. His maiden podium came here last season and helped him earn promotion to Red Bull.
Racing Bull’s Liam Lawson will replace him after being brutally dropped by the senior team two races into 2025. The Kiwi driver will now have the opportunity to exorcise his demons.
Interestingly, Lawson made his F1 debut at Zandvoort in 2023 as a substitute for the injured Daniel Ricciardo. Yuki Tsunoda, meanwhile, returned from reserve duty to take Lawson's Racing Bulls car.
Summer changes
Cadillac’s Graeme Lowdon, who built the operation from its foundations, was dismissed this month and replaced by Marcin Budkowski as team principal.
Chief executive Dan Towriss insisted results were not behind the decision, instead saying, “There's a very narrow window of opportunity, when you look at what we're building and an opportunity to build something new and innovative.” He was equally clear that the decision was his and not mutual.
Budkowski, whose career has taken him through the FIA and several F1 teams, takes charge at Zandvoort with reliability among the most immediate concerns. Towriss, meanwhile, says he is “very confident” Sergio Perez will remain in 2027.
In other news, Williams secured Alex Albon for 2027 and the following day, Carlos Sainz signed a new multi-year deal, despite the team sliding from fifth last season to ninth.
As for Fernando Alonso, who turned 45 during the break, he has yet to decide whether to race on in 2027. Honda's upgraded power unit is due to make its race debut at Zandvoort, although Alonso has stressed that no single development will determine his future and has played down speculation about a move elsewhere.
