Dutch GP returns to Zandvoort

May 15, 2019 06:00 am

The Dutch Grand Prix will return next season at Zandvoort after a 35-year absence, Formula One organisers announced yesterday.

A deal to stage the race at the historic seaside resort circuit near Amsterdam has been signed for at least three years.

Red Bull's Dutch driver Max Verstappen, born 12 years after Niki Lauda took the last chequered flag in a McLaren in 1985, hailed the prospect of lining up in his home race.

"It's just an iconic, historic track," Verstappen said in a team statement.

Formula One chief executive Chase Carey said the return of racing to Holland was in line with their twin policies of "respecting the sport's historic roots in Europe" whilst also looking for new venues.

If none of the existing venues drop out, the addition of Hanoi and Zandvoort would mean a record 23-race season in 2020. - REUTERS