Circuit Zandvoort, due to sponsorship reasons often called CM.com Circuit Zandvoort, and previously known as Circuit Park Zandvoort, is a race track located to the north of Zandvoort, the Netherlands. Plans for races in the region emerged before World War II, however it took until after the war for a permanent race track to be constructed. 1927 Le Mans winner S. C. H. “Sammy” Davis was asked to be an advisor regarding the track layout in 1946, though the layout was already partially decided due to the inclusion of existing roads. The first race at the circuit took place in 1948, and in 1952 Zandvoort officially joined the F1 calendar. With a few exceptions, Zandvoort remained on the calendar until 1985. The circuit was supposed to return to the F1 calendar in 2020 after an absence of nearly 20 years, however the Grand Prix was cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, Zandvoort made its return in 2021.

Circuit Zandvoort (Photo via @haasf1team on Instagram)

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Track distance: 4.259 km / 2.646 miles
• DRS zones: 2
• Corners: 14
• Elevation: 8.7 metres
• Laps: 72
• Race lap record: 1:11.097 Lewis Hamilton (2021)
• Direction: clockwise

According to F1.com, Zandvoort configuration for this year is as follows:

PREVIOUS TYRE COMPOUNDS

• Selected compounds in 2023: C3 (soft) C2 (medium) C1 (hard)
• Selected compounds in 2022: C3 (soft) C2 (medium) C1 (hard)

The most successful driver at the track is Jim Clark, who recorded 4 wins at the circuit. Ferrari is the most successful constructor with a total of 8 wins.  Zandvoort’s pole position record is shared between René Arnoux and Max Verstappen, who have both scored 3. Almost 50% of the races at Zandvoort have been won from pole position.

Circuit Zandvoort (Photo via @mclaren on Instagram)

The track is often described by racing drivers as “really quick”, “pretty insane”, and “old school”. It is known to be a proper challenging track for racing drivers, and its swooping and flowing nature through the dunes create a rollercoaster feel. For this reason, the word most often used to describe Zandvoort is “undulating”.

PREVIOUS WINNERS

• 2023 Max Verstappen
• 2022 Max Verstappen
• 2021 Max Verstappen
• 1985 Niki Lauda
• 1984 Alain Prost