The Uralkali Haas F1 team is heading to the sea, with Circuit Zandvoort ending a 36-year hiatus for the Dutch Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Circuit Zandvoort can trace its history back to the late 1930s when the coastal sand dunes in the north of the municipality were selected for a racing circuit, although construction was delayed until the mid-1940s due to World War II. The flowing and hilly route became a mainstay of the Formula 1 calendar, but fell off schedule after 1985 and was shortened, allowing for housing development nearby, with route activity significantly reduced.
But in recent years the track’s popularity has risen again and with the advent of Max Verstappen it has returned to Formula 1 circles. In 2019 it was confirmed that the Dutch Grand Prix will return to the championship in May 2020. The old-school 4.259km Circuit Zandvoort has undergone a complete re-profiling, including a revamp of its facilities, with the expanded aria. a significant 18-degree bench was added to Luyendijk Bocht, who leads the drivers onto the pit straight.
The pandemic has postponed the event’s return for 16 months, but after the longest time between consecutive national Grand Prix in history – 36 years – Formula 1 is ready to return to Circuit Zandvoort, with the Uralkali Haas F1 team aiming to put the VF-21 through its paces.
Circuit Zandvoort may not have been on the Formula 1 schedule since 1985, but the youngsters of the Uralkali Haas F1 Team, Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher, both tried the track before their modifications in Formula 3. Mazepin secured a top 10 placement, while Schumacher won a trophy – Weg zum Krone 2018.
Last weekend, Formula 1 released its latest update on the rest of the 2021 schedule. Please think about the planned route to the season finale in Abu Dhabi on December 12th and the input from the team to ensure a practicable schedule, taking into account staff and logistics.
Günther Steiner: “I think that under the conditions of this pandemic it is still a great achievement to go from 23 to 22 events because it is far from over and nobody expected that this would drag on for so long. I think there is now a good plan for the season with the existing events. Change the schedule a little, we still have time to do. Of course it’s more short-time work, but we got used to it in the last year, so no problem back and forth. If the team has one less event, they won’t complain. “
The Dutch Grand Prix is a welcome addition to the Formula 1 program. Enjoy a return to historic racetracks with an F1 legacy, alongside the Formula 1 push to new venues like Jeddah and Miami, etc.
GS: “I think going to Zandvoort is a cool place to go. I always say that it’s also interesting to swap events a little bit. Now we’re going back to Zandvoort for a couple of years and maybe to one The other historical events come back because they updated the track. Bringing new events like Jeddah is also fantastic because you see something new – you can get to know new countries and some new circuits. “
On routes like the Red Bull Ring and Spa-Francorchamps, we saw a sea of orange from all Max Verstappen fans. Now there is a Dutch Grand Prix – what atmosphere do you expect in Zandvoort thanks to the “Max Factor” and how great is it to see such a passion for drivers in this sport?
GS: “I think that’s all a racing driver could want – to have a fan base like Max, that’s fantastic. Now a race has been brought to his home country, it’s very nice, even when the fans travel to Austria and Fun en masse! I think he has a huge following even without the Dutch Grand Prix, but there will be an orange sea at Zandvoort. “
What you know about Circuit Zandvoort and the current generation of Formula 1 cars – what do you think we can expect in terms of the action on track when the Dutch Grand Prix kicks off?
GS: “I haven’t been to Zandvoort for a while. I know they changed the big corners, they bet on them. It’s a pretty short stretch. Let’s see – I have no expectations, but I’m sure of it It’s going to be fine. They’ve done a lot of work – a year more than they expected due to the pandemic – so I’m sure it will be a good event. “
This is the second race in the season’s second triple header. What do you think are the benefits of having a triple header in a season with a record number of races planned and in your rookie year?
Nikita Mazepin: “The advantages are of course driving and gaining experience. It can get very repetitive and frustrating at times, but when you go to tracks like Spa, Zandvoort and Monza, which are all different – some of which I know very well and some of which I don’t – you can gain a lot of experience. I’ve never driven a Formula 1 car on these tracks so there are great opportunities to improve as a driver. “
This will be the first Dutch Grand Prix in 36 years, but you drove during the FIA Formula 3 European Championship in Zandvoort in 2016 and 2017 – how will the current specification of Formula 1 cars handle the legendary banked turns at Zandvoort ?
NM: “I enjoy driving this crazy route, because it cannot be compared to any other route on the calendar, and in some places it tips over. I’m interested in what it feels like in a very fast Formula 1 car. “
It’s a race with a lot of anticipation and excitement for the paddock and the fans. Part of this excitement will probably be due to Max Verstappen’s first appearance in front of his fans on home soil. Your home race in Sochi is only a few weeks away – what additional expectations or motivations does that give a driver?
NM: “A home race is something very special. Not every Formula 1 driver has a home race so I’m very lucky to be one of them through difficult sessions, but at the same time it increases the pressure to want to do the best possible job and sometimes things don’t go that way on a race weekend, how you like it.”
This is the second race in the season’s second triple header. You said on the first triple header that it is beneficial to spend so much time with the team, not only to work together on the track, but also to spend time away from it. In your opinion, what are the advantages of a triple header?
Mick Schumacher: “I think the advantage of a triple header is, as I said, that you can spend time with the team on and off the track, but you also have to adapt to other situations in a very short time. Things like the last one This week may have been difficult for us, this week will not necessarily be difficult for us, we always have to readjust ourselves and start from scratch, and that trains us for the future when we learn to adapt to situations Starting the weekend with a difficult car, in a short time – maybe in FP2 or FP3 – we will have a car that is where we want it to be. “
This will be the first Dutch Grand Prix in 36 years, but you have already competed in junior categories at Zandvoort and, most importantly, finished third in the 2018 FIA Formula 3 European Championship. How will the current specification of Formula 1 cars cope with the legendary banked curves at Zandvoort?
MS: “To be honest, I have no idea what it’s going to be like! You can drive in the simulator, you can do a lot of preparation, but the truth is nothing is like the truth like it’s going to be a real one out there Car. It will be very important this weekend to be open about things to see how the car is behaving in places. I know the track from Formula 3. The track has changed in several places – especially this one Steep coast curve in the last part of the route, which should allow us to open the DRS earlier and then we have turn 3, which is now also very elevated the car as we want it to be. “
It’s a race with a lot of anticipation and excitement for the paddock and the fans. Part of this excitement will probably be due to Max Verstappen’s first appearance in front of his fans on home soil. There is currently no race on the calendar in Germany – what additional expectation or motivation does that bring a driver and how much would you like to drive a Formula 1 car on home soil for the first time?
MS: “I know what it feels like to drive on home soil and personally I would like to drive in front of a home crowd in Germany. I think it gives you a little extra push, but also extra pressure, so it’s like this how you are Convert this print into motivation and zest for action. It will be nice for Max – you will see lots of orange t-shirts. “
