Last Sunday in Zandvoort, I briefly thought Charles Leclerc was going to pull off a Villeneuve. That he, like the legendary racer, would drive his heavily damaged Ferrari around the circuit on three wheels. But no, he got out and climbed up the dune. He sat there for a long time. I know why.
After a few laps, he realized how beautiful it is to watch racing cars whizzing by from the dunes. I think he even reserved tickets for next year, as it will be the last time. It’s such a shame that Zandvoort is disappearing from the calendar.
To get the vintage Zandvoort feeling, I spent all day Friday in the dunes. Wonderful! There’s nothing like it. Trudging up and down sandy paths, sitting in the grass, sand on your bottom, sand on your hands, sand between the sandwiches you’ve managed to sneak past security, prickly marram grass. And all the while, those cars.
I stood – as a child I dreamed of this – in the Tarzan corner. You could see them being thrown out of the Arie Luyendijk corner, onto the straight, 300+, braking, turning, avoiding the dirt, and onwards. I stood at the top of the Scheivlak. It’s beautiful how they sail down through that bend, while the three cranes hover above the asphalt like patient vultures. But the best spot was at the exit of Slotemaker. They come nice and close there. That’s where you feel Formula 1.
The little noise there is still resonates through your guts, and you feel the turbulence around you as they race up to the Scheivlak. It’s too soon for next year, but if Zandvoort returns to the Formula 1 calendar in a few years, because Max Verstappen is winning everything again at Aston Martin or Mercedes, then please, more dune seats. Charles Leclerc agrees with me.
