Rewind: When Formula One cars last raced in the Netherlands 36 years ago

The Dutch Grand Prix will make its first appearance in Formula One after a gap of 36 years. The race is expected to see massive support for Max Verstappen, who is trailing reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton by a small margin. After the fracas in Spa Francorchamps that saw the Belgian Grand Prix ending with just two laps behind the safety car, organisers will be hoping that the weather in the Zandvoort Circuit remains good.

The circuit of Zandvoort is very picturesque, located next to the beach. In more ways, F1 now has another innovation in that it will be a race that is very close to a beach. But, the construction of Zandvoort is itself steeped in the folklore of the Second World War. The Mayor of Zandvoort convinced the Germans to allow them to construct a straight road through the dunes down which the Germans could hold impressive parades once victory had been achieved. This was later linked to other roads which were used to access coastal defense positions. After the war, some of these roads were widened, linked together and a racing circuit was designed.

Verstappen will have his Orange Brigade behind him for the F1 race. But, 36 years ago, it was a different thing altogether.

The previous Dutch Grand Prix in 1985

Racing in the Dutch Grand Prix began around the late 40s but it was not part of the F1 championship at that time. The first time the Dutch Grand Prix was part of the F1 calendar, it was won by Alberto Ascari, after whom the Ascari Chicane is named in Monza, Italy. Towards the 60s and for the next two decades, it became part of the F1 calendar. Jack Brabham of Australia won two races but Jim Clark established a different level of dominance, winning four consecutive races. After that, Nicki Lauda, James Hunt, and Jackie Stewart all won there.

Alain Prost of France had won in 1981 and he was going to repeat it in 1985. But, the circumstances of this win would be totally different. In the previous year, Prost’s rival Aryton Senna was handed one-race suspension at the very venue after he had conducted some contract negotiations in the hope of leaving his current team. In 1985, this would be the last time the Dutch Grand Prix would be held.

Before the race, there was drama as Patrick Tambay of the Renault team suffered a huge crash at 330kmph. Although he was not harmed, he had to take the help of the spare car. Nelson Piquet, who had struggled the whole year, managed to take the pole position which would be his only one in that year.

A thriller at the Dutch Grand Prix

However, Piquet stalled his Brabham at the start and was given a push-start. The Brazilian ended almost a lap behind the leaders. He eventually finished eighth. But, the real action was between Nicki Lauda and Alain Prost at the front.

Both Lauda and Prost had diced for the lead over the final twelve laps of the race. The teammates were given no specific team orders and both battled it out in grand style.

Lauda took his 25th and final Grand Prix win in his McLaren-TAG. His teammate Alain Prost finished second, only 0.232 seconds behind; Ayrton Senna continued his late-season charge by finishing third in his Lotus. But, such was the dominance of Lauda and Prost that he finished 48 seconds behind. Senna finished just ahead of Prost’s Drivers’ Championship rival Michele Alboreto in the Ferrari.

It was also the last Grand Prix for West German Stefan Bellof. He was killed the following week at the 1000 km of Spa World Sportscar race. Entering the left kink of Eau Rouge, Bellof moved to the left of Jacky Ickx in an attempt to set up a pass for the immediate right-hand Raidillon corner up the hill. Bellof’s right front came into contact with Ickx’s left rear. Both drivers spun into the barriers. Ickx’s car hit the wall on the right rear side, while Bellof’s car went straight into the barriers, breaking through and hitting a secondary wall. Bellof was pronounced dead of massive internal injuries after he had reached the track hospital.

Dutch Grand Prix of 2021

The Dutch Grand Prix is part of a jam-packed calendar after a mid-season break in F1 in August. The 2021 F1 season is part of a massive 23-Grand Prix calendar and the Dutch Grand Prix is one significant inclusion. It was supposed to be held in 2020 but due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was canceled.

Verstappen and Hamilton are locked in a tight race in 2021. The Dutch Grand Prix will probably determine what way the championship goes. Verstappen is aiming to continue the ‘lucky’ win that he had in Spa. For Hamilton, he will be gunning for his record 100^th F1 win which will put him in a bracket of immortals.