Assen Opts Out of Dutch GP Rescue After 2026 Finale
Dec.5 - Assen, another Dutch circuit, is not going to step up to rescue the Dutch F1 GP.
Formula 1 and Zandvoort jointly announced on Wednesday that the 2026 edition at the venue - to be a sprint race for the first time - will be the last Dutch F1 GP for now.
"I'm shocked," motor racing personality Tom Coronel told the Dutch magazine Formule 1.
"I think it's really strange - it's just not right. It's successful, it's full, and it's the biggest orange party there is. Obviously it's about money as usual, but I still find it strange," he added.
"I guess that's what you get when the state doesn't cooperate. So I do understand that if it is just not profitable, you cannot continue to take the losses. What I just don't understand is that the money can't come from anywhere else.
"Grands prix are organised all over the world - so why not at Zandvoort?"
One early theory was that, to capitalise on Max Verstappen's immense popularity, another Dutch track - the well-known MotoGP venue TT Circuit Assen - could be shaping up to launch a bid to join the F1 calendar.
"We are not thinking about it at all," a spokesperson for the Assen circuit told Algemeen Dagblad newspaper.
"This is also fresh news for us, but at the moment it does not play any role in our strategic considerations. Organising a grand prix is no small task," the official added.
"A lot of money is involved, and a considerable business risk is being taken. For motorsport in the Netherlands, we find it a great pity that it is stopping in Zandvoort after six years. But the organization has made a very conscious decision based on experience.
"We also have respect for that. We can be proud of what has been achieved and how it all went."
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