King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands will be present at the Dutch Grand Prix, which will be held in Zandvoort, to present the trophy to the winner. This will be his first official visit to a sporting event in the country to hand out awards.
Since the return of the Grand Prix to the Formula 1 agenda in 2021, the King and Queen Máxima have regularly attended the event, although their previous appearances have been in private.
In 2024, the management of Formula 1 and the organizers of the Dutch GP agreed to extend the contract by one year, thus ensuring the continuity of the event during the 2026 season. However, the private promoter has decided not to seek a long-term agreement or participate in a rotation system with other European circuits, which will mean that Zandvoort will disappear from the calendar in 2027.
Robert van Overdijk, director of the Grand Prix, explained that as a private company, they must find a balance between the opportunities to continue hosting the event and other responsibilities. ‘We have decided to say goodbye in style with two incredible editions of the Dutch GP in 2025 and 2026,’ he added.
Since its return, the local driver and four-time champion, Max Verstappen, has achieved three consecutive victories from 2021 to 2023. The drivers from McLaren, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, have obtained wins in 2024 and 2025 respectively.
The Dutch Grand Prix of 2026 will take place in Zandvoort from August 21 to 23 and will feature a sprint race weekend format, with drivers having only one hour of practice before the competitive sessions.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
