In two weeks, the Dutch GP 2025 is scheduled to take place. The organization previously received the ESG Award for the most sustainable F1 race on the calendar. In many ways, Zandvoort serves as a shining example for Formula 1, which has set a goal to be carbon neutral by 2030. This provides ample reason for a green conversation with Dimitri Bonthuis, sustainability manager of the Dutch GP.
– How important is sustainability for the Dutch GP?
Dimitri Bonthuis: “Sustainability fits very well with who we want to be and how we want to distinguish ourselves. Essentially, we as the Dutch GP have two core points: entertainment and sustainability. Of course, it’s extremely important to organize the event well, but you always want to distinguish yourself in a few aspects compared to others. For us, those are entertainment and sustainability. In that sense, the award from Formula One Management (FOM) was a wonderful confirmation that you are generally considered as the one who is most ahead in this regard.”
– Why has the Dutch GP chosen to distinguish itself in these two aspects?
“There is, of course, a strategic interest. If you look at the places where races are held from a Formula 1 perspective, there are naturally conditions attached. If it’s purely about finances, we can’t compete with others. In some countries, the events are fully funded by the government, we have to completely stand on our own two feet. That’s fine, but as a result, we have looked at: in what can we lead and in what area can we align with the mission that FOM has. We have developed a good sustainability strategy. That’s important for FOM, but certainly also for us as the Dutch GP. It’s nice that we are often set as an example.”
– Is the sustainability aspect also a requirement in the long term to remain on the calendar at all?
“In the Netherlands, we currently have the wind in our sails due to the enormous popularity of the sport. In other words, the Max-factor. But sustainability is, of course, much more important from a global perspective. If you don’t move along with that, you will have a problem at some point. That applies not only to us, but to everyone.”
“The carbon-neutral strategy of FOM has three pillars. It’s about the travel movements they make worldwide. That’s a huge challenge if you look at the current F1 calendar. Although great strides are being made in that area. The second pillar is the teams. How are the cars developed, how is work done in the factories, etc? And the third pillar is the organizers of the races.”
Discussing the Distinctive Sustainability Aspects of the Dutch GP
“The biggest difference lies in mobility. A staggering 98 percent of visitors arrive at the circuit in a sustainable manner. But this is the result of a comprehensive strategy. We have combined all our sustainability initiatives, our own ambitions, and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals into a coherent strategy that people feel they want to contribute to.”
“Our strategy is based on six pillars. If you take the first letter of each pillar, you get the word ‘PEOPLE’. Because sustainability is about people. We want to leave our planet in a better state for future generations, we want our event to mean something to people, and people stand for mobility. In other words, sustainability is for people, by people.”
Mobility: The ‘M’ in ‘PEOPLE’
“This was partly born out of necessity. Consider this, we are organizing the largest event in the Netherlands in what is essentially a dead-end street. That’s Zandvoort. While many people initially thought ‘This is impossible’, Roy Hirs, our mobility manager, came up with a brilliant solution.”
“We have made good arrangements with the Dutch Railways (NS) and set up a large-scale bicycle plan. Essentially, we are closing off Zandvoort and you can only get there by train or bicycle. With this, we have created a revolution. You know how people are, myself included: when you go somewhere, you prefer not to park in front of the door, but in the door. In Zandvoort, that’s simply not possible. At an event, typically 72 percent of the ecological footprint comes from the visitors, so we achieve a lot of gains here. No Grand Prix in the world is making such a huge leap as we are. And the best part is: we have everyone on board. Images of the cycling legion in orange have gone around the world. This year, we have 40,000 bicycle parking spaces on the boulevard. That’s the Netherlands in a nutshell.”
“A very large percentage of visitors come by train, but there are also a number of buses. These run on HVO100, or the best biofuel there is. This saves 85 percent on emissions. And with other transport providers, we also make the agreement: drive electric if possible. What ultimately remains at the bottom line is the two percent, who do not come to the circuit sustainably. And these are the officials, the teams, and the media. Plus people with a disability. Of the latter group, we have said: that’s not a problem, it’s explainable why we want these people to come near the circuit. I believe our model is unique in the world. Even the Olympic Games in Paris have looked at our approach, a nice compliment.”
The E of Energy
“Energy is also a factor with impact in terms of footprint. After all, you need power at an event. A lot of power, in fact. An example: behind each screen, there is usually a generator running. And behind that, a second backup generator is quietly running along. Because if the first one fails, you need power from the other generator immediately. Normally, you have generators spread all over the site. We said: if we put all those generators together and we lay cabling across the site, what effect would that have? And what turns out? It saves 10,000 liters of fuel per year. After all, if you put all the generators together, you simply need fewer, because they will never all fail at the same time.”
“The generators still consume a total of 110,000 liters of fuel, including the saving of 10,000 liters. That’s still a lot. However, these also run on HVO100 fuel, which again saves an extra 85 percent in terms of emissions. Because we need peak capacity over the weekend, we have been given a transformer house on our site after consultation with the municipality and network operator Alliander. This means we need 70,000 liters less fuel, because we use fewer generators and simply use green electricity. And it’s a permanent facility that we can use the rest of the year. And then we have solar panels on the site. If everything goes well, we will only need 20,000 liters of fuel, a sixth of what we originally consumed. And that is also improved fuel.”
“All in all, we have achieved a saving of 95 percent on energy emissions and in a way that, as we call it, forms an interesting business case. In other words: the investments we have made, we earn back on the other side with less fuel consumption, fewer generators, and fewer transport movements. Is there more profit to be made in this area? Difficult. We are here in a Natura 2000 area, which brings limitations. In that respect, one sustainability sometimes gets in the way of another.”
The N for Nature
“The N stands for Nature and recycling. We are the only circuit on the calendar that has a noise restriction after seven in the evening. Actually, that’s quite nice, because it creates clarity. We have looked at all kinds of possible initiatives we can take in terms of nature conservation. For instance, we are very conscious about litter and have so-called clean teams walking around, keeping the dunes and the boulevard clean. In that respect, the first year of the GP was very special. The day after the race, we went out with the management team and the board to clean up the boulevard, assuming there might be a lot of rubbish. Well, we walked around with our litter pickers but there was nothing at all. After a quarter of an hour, we went into the dunes and found a cigarette butt that had probably been there for six years. So, what we have seen is that our approach works very well.”
“What also has a positive impact on nature is that there is effectively less racing. In a span of six weeks, there is only three days of racing because the construction takes four weeks and the dismantling two weeks. Previously, there was almost something happening on the circuit every day during the summer period.”
“Another aspect is that we do not separate waste. That usually doesn’t work at a large event. What we do instead is make good agreements with our waste processor to ensure that everything is separated one hundred percent after collection. And we explain this with stickers on the waste bins to prevent people from asking questions and to show that we are consciously dealing with it. Furthermore, we are very much involved with recycling. After the first year, for example, we had bags made for our volunteers from the advertising banners. For the second year, we couldn’t do that anymore. After all, they already had a bag. So then the supplier developed a protocol to be able to make advertising boards from the banners. The nice thing is that in this sense we have become a kind of testing ground for many parties.”
“Yet another aspect of recycling is that we don’t want food to be wasted. The leftover food from the VIP areas and the teams is collected and goes to the food bank in Haarlem on the Monday after the GP, which in turn distributes it. So, the food that is eaten here on Sunday by VIPs is on the table on Tuesday at less fortunate families in Haarlem and Zandvoort and the surrounding area. I think that’s a beautiful thought.”
The S for Social Impact
“We want everyone in the Netherlands to be able to enjoy Formula 1, and for that reason, we have identified a variety of target groups. For instance, we have set up a deck with 200 spaces for wheelchair users in front of our main grandstand, arguably the best spot on the circuit. The deck itself is not particularly special, but the facilities around it are. For example, we have a shower cabin in case someone has an accident. We also have a tent with height-adjustable care beds where people can receive treatment. Additionally, we have a sensory-reduced space, just ten meters from the circuit. Here, you can sit with noise-cancelling headphones, without hearing anything. For people with autism who can only handle stimuli for a certain period, such a cabin can be a solution.”
“For people who have difficulty walking, we have golf carts available, and at a nearby campsite in Bloemendaal, we have built a care hotel with 25 beds and all the necessary facilities to optimally accommodate this group. We transport these people to the circuit with our shuttle service. Everyone within our organization is very proud that we do these kinds of things. Fundamentally, this is the group that yields the least, but for whom we have to make the most effort. But we do this willingly, as we believe it is part of our social responsibility.”
“We also receive many requests on behalf of people who are ill and in the final stages of their lives. Because all our facilities are in order, this gives us the space to fulfill some of these wishes every day. And we want to remain accessible to people with a small budget. For example, we work together with the Linda Foundation, which selects fifty families that we provide with free tickets, as well as free food and drink at the circuit.”
The E for Economic Impact
“As the organization of the Dutch GP, we naturally receive a lot of money, but we also spend a lot. We try to ensure that the economic impact lands as much as possible in the immediate vicinity of the circuit. This has two advantages. We help the local and regional economy, and it results in fewer transport movements, which is good for the environment.”
“We see it as a mission: with every choice that is made, we first look at what is available in the immediate vicinity. And the immediate vicinity can also be the Netherlands, but the closer to home, the better. We look at transport movements and the way suppliers manufacture their products sustainably. We really monitor all movements of what comes in at the gate in terms of transport.”
The N for New Initiatives
“Of course, we are open to new initiatives. Last year, we considered installing a hydrogen generator on our premises. However, due to space constraints and safety considerations, this did not proceed. At least, not on the circuit. One was installed at the media center outside the circuit for non-accredited journalists, where there was sufficient space.”
“Looking to the future, one of our current initiatives is to have all teams connect to our power supply. Currently, they bring their own generators. We have indicated to FOM that we would prefer to see this change for the sake of sustainability.”
Summarizing, are there other circuits on the calendar that do as much in the field of sustainability as the Dutch GP?
“Well, I must give a diplomatic answer. In our region, sustainability is a significant theme, while in other regions, environmental awareness is sometimes less pronounced. Progress is being made everywhere, but there is a difference between doing something because you have to and doing it because you truly believe in it. Within all levels of our organization, there is an intrinsic motivation to do this well. That’s why we are often used as a reference by FOM and other GPs. We are very open in sharing our knowledge and experience with other circuits.”
From a competitive standpoint, is that wise? After all, the number of spots on the calendar is limited.
“Ultimately, sustainability is a transcendent goal. It’s important for the world. I don’t think you should want to compete on this, but rather lead the way.”
There was a lot of wrangling with environmental movements in the run-up to the first Dutch GP. More than forty lawsuits were filed. How do people from this perspective view everything you do in the field of sustainability?
“There are still protests. Every year, there is a bike ride by Extinction Rebellion. Everyone is allowed to protest, we live in a free country. But we hope there will be appreciation for everything we do in this area. Yes, of course, the most sustainable thing is not to organize events, but that wouldn’t make life any more enjoyable. We are doing everything we can to help achieve Formula 1’s goal of being climate neutral by 2030.”
Finally, what are you personally most proud of?
“I am most proud of everything we do socially for people with physical disabilities, including the wish ambulances. We do a lot of good with that.”
