The Formula 1 and the FIA unveiled the calendar for 2026 on Tuesday. The most significant changes? The disappearance of the Emilia-Romagna GP and the introduction of the Spanish GP in Madrid. Dutch fans also learned when the – for now – final edition of the Dutch GP will be held; the Zandvoort circuit published an emotional message on its official channels shortly afterwards.
The final edition of the Dutch GP at Zandvoort is scheduled for the weekend of August 21 to 23, 2026. Moreover, for the first time in the history of the Dutch event, a sprint race will be organized. After 2026, the Zandvoort circuit, which returned to the calendar in 2021, will no longer host Formula 1 races. The organization had previously decided to pull the plug on the event itself. Financial uncertainties about the race’s future led the managers to want to stop on their own terms.
‘The memory lives on’
Robert van Overdijk, the director of the Dutch GP and also the general director of the Zandvoort Circuit, responded to the announcement of the new Formula 1 calendar as follows: “The Dutch Grand Prix has grown into a strong international event with broad appreciation from fans, teams, and drivers. In 2026, we will close a unique chapter in Dutch sports history.”
Jan Lammers, former Formula 1 driver and sports director of the Dutch Grand Prix, also posted an emotional response: “We have created something that no one can take away from us. The Dutch Grand Prix is more than a race – it’s a cultural phenomenon, an orange experience, a business card from the Netherlands to the world. In 2026, we will close the door ourselves. But what we have built will live on in the memory of millions of fans.”
