Verstappen boosts Zandvoort's F1 prospects, says new owner

New Zandvoort owner Prince Bernhard of Orange-Nassau thinks Max Verstappen’s rise to prominence could boost prospects of a comeback for the Dutch Grand Prix.

Zandvoort started hosting racing events in 1948 and was added to the F1 calendar in 1952. It was a permanent fixture between 1958 and 1985 - bar one year due to renovation works. Local politicians were recently given the green light to investigate a potential comeback of the iconic track.

Speaking to GPUpdate.net, Prince Bernhard, who belongs to the Dutch royal family, admits a return of a grand prix in the Netherlands would not happen overnight but adds that Verstappen would be the perfect ambassador to help carry the project forward.

"The local government started talks about [a Dutch Grand Prix] at the end of last year," Prince Bernhard said. "Those are projects for the very long term, obviously. But the more success Max [Verstappen] has, the easier those talks could get.

"He's extremely important for motorsport in the Netherlands. You see it everywhere, it's busy at indoor karting tracks and lots of people are suddenly getting their racing licence.

"Every sport needs a hero and we couldn't wish ourselves a better hero at the moment."

Prince Bernhard appreciates that hosting an F1 event again would be an operational challenge for Zandvoort, which is surrounded by dunes, but the new owner is confident tailored solutions can be found to bring back F1 racing in the region.

"The advantage of Zandvoort is that we have a train station," he added. "So we could use trains, or buses from Haarlem.

"Of course it's true we have a logistic challenge here on sunny days [with tourists on nearby beaches], but I don't know any festivals where you haven't [problems].

"It's the same at Spa or the Nürburgring. Maybe we will just have to come up with creative things and bring people to the track via hovercrafts over the sea! There's a solution for every problem."

Although Zandvoort fell off the F1 radar 30 years ago, the venue is still used for other motor racing categories like Blancpain, while also remaining the home of the famous Masters of Formula 3.

Triple world champion Niki Lauda claimed his 25th and final F1 win at the 1985 Dutch Grand Prix, ahead of McLaren team-mate Alain Prost and Lotus' Ayrton Senna (see picture).

Technical analysis - Shanghai

Scene at the Chinese Grand Prix

Chinese Grand Prix - Quotes of the week

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