The 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship resumes on-track action after the summer break this weekend at Circuit Zandvoort, home to the Dutch Grand Prix, the twelfth round of the year.
As the Formula One summer break comes to an end, the second half of the season gets underway this weekend in the Netherlands for the final Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort.
Round 12 of the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship will mark the permanent track's farewell to the Grand Prix in the series' modern era as well as the first F1 Sprint weekend in its history, the fifth of the season.
Located between the dunes on the Dutch North Sea coast, the classic old-school track layout spans 4.259km (2.646 miles) over 72 laps, boasting a rollercoaster nature.
The narrow circuit consists of 14 corners, 10 to the right and four to the left, a sequence that makes overtaking rare.
Also, its legendary banked corners at T3 and T14, where cars tackle 18 degrees of banking, tend to generate greater stress on the tires, as the banking increases vertical and lateral forces.
Formula One official tire supplier, Pirelli, is bringing the C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), and C4 (Soft) compounds to the land of four-time world champion Max Verstappen.
A Sprint weekend means just one practice session ahead of Sprint Qualifying on Friday; the Sprint race and Qualifying take place on Saturday, and the main race on Sunday.
Championship Standings
Mercedes arrives in Budapest as the leader of both the drivers' and constructors' championships with 219 and 379 points, respectively.
Kimi Antonelli holds a 50-point lead over Lewis Hamilton with Ferrari sitting 72 points behind the German team.
After 11 rounds, the young Italian driver has claimed six race victories and six pole positions.
Teammate George Russell is third in the drivers' overall standings with 160 points.
Reigning world champion Lando Norris took his first win of the season in Budapest with McLaren and is currently in fifth place with 128 points.
Neil Houldey, McLaren Technical Director, Applied Engineering, explains: “We head into the Zandvoort weekend after finishing the final race before the shutdown with a win and a strong performance, but we are very aware of how close the competition is and how important reliability will be."
Discussing the upgrades for the racing weekend, he adds: "We have also worked hard as a team on continued development, with some parts available this weekend, focusing on the rear side, to complete the package introduced in Hungary with a new rear wing and new rear brake ducts. But we know other teams will bring developments too."
History & Tradition
The original circuit became part of the pinnacle of motorsport in 1952, with Alberto Ascari taking victory for Scuderia Ferrari.
The last race was held in 1985 as the organizers decided to cease operations.
Niki Lauda crossed the finish line first, securing his last career victory at the wheel of the McLaren MP4/2B.
Over the years, he emerged victorious in the Netherlands on three occasions, one victory short of Jim Clark.
In 2021, following a 36-year hiatus, Formula One returned to Zandvoort, quickly becoming a favorite among drivers and fans as well.
As it will leave the series calendar in 2027, the Grand Prix's last edition promises to be one to be remembered as the lights go out on Sunday in the battle for valuable championship points.