F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Will partners come together to secure Dutch GP funding?

A concerted effort may soon be underway in the Netherlands to try and secure the funding necessary to put the country back on the F1 map in the future.

Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported last week that Liberty Media is open to a return to the calendar of the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort.

Holland also has a selection of major companies involved with F1, such as Heineken, Shell, Randstad, Jumbo, Exact or broadcaster Ziggo.

However, bringing everyone together to provide the necessary funding for an event would represent a potentially massive barrier to overcome.

Zandvoort circuit owner Prince Bernard van Oranje, who is spearheading efforts to bring F1 back to the country, believes Heineken could be instrumental in the realisation of the project.

"As a worldwide sponsor of Formula 1, Heineken would love it if after all these years an F1 race would be held in the Netherlands," John-Paul Schuirink, the beer company's worldwide director of communication, told Algemeen Dagblad.

"We would certainly welcome a Formula 1 race in the Netherlands."

And an insider of the Dutch brewery giant added: "Heineken is a Dutch company, Zandvoort is the beach of Amsterdam and we already sponsor Formula 1.

"It is logical that we would also be in Zandvoort."

Another potential candidate that could possible help support a Dutch GP bid is Shell. The oil giant, and Ferrari partner, announced in June a three-year sponsorship deal with Zandvoort. Could it possibly extend its commercial involvement with Grand Prix racing in the future?

"Shell has been actively involved in motorsport for decades," said spokesman Tim Kezer.  "Our products are tested here under extreme conditions."

Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo, a personal sponsor of Max Verstappen, revealed that it would not sponsor a Dutch GP effort, but Exact Software, another Verstappen backer would be willing to get involved despite its limited resources.

"We are not a multinational like Heineken, but we want to see if there is something that we can do," said spokesperson Jelle Zuidema.

The last Dutch Grand Prix took place in 1985 at Zandvoort and was won by Ferrari's Niki Lauda.

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Steiner warns of ‘outliers’ and epic failures in F1 new era

Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner is bracing for fireworks when Formula 1 kicks off…

14 mins ago

Team boss Verstappen? He’d always run a clear No.1

Max Verstappen has never been shy with his opinions, and his latest take on team…

2 hours ago

Adrian Newey, the man who can see air

There are many in Formula 1 - beginning with Aston Martin team owner Lawrence Stroll…

3 hours ago

Gasly backs Alpine’s long game: ‘Much brighter days are coming’

After a 2025 season defined by growing pains and technical pivots, Pierre Gasly is finally…

3 hours ago

McLaren’s blink-and-you-miss-it other big win in 2025

In the theater of Formula 1, where fortunes are won and lost in the blink…

5 hours ago

Verstappen expands GT ambitions with Mercedes-AMG partnership

Max Verstappen’s GT outfit – Verstappen Racing – has confirmed its headline-grabbing partnership with Mercedes-AMG…

6 hours ago