Forty minutes from Amsterdam, a racing circuit winds through the dunes a few hundred metres from the North Sea. It was built after the war partly on roads laid by the occupying army, it has banked corners that would not look out of place in America, and on a weekday you can drive it.
Circuit Zandvoort
Zandvoort, 35 kilometres west of Amsterdam
Built on the occupier's roads
During the war the German army laid communication roads through the dunes north of Zandvoort. After the liberation the village used parts of them for something more cheerful: a racing circuit. The first race, the Prijs van Zandvoort, was held on 7 August 1948. The track became the home of the Dutch Grand Prix, which ran there from the early 1950s until 1985, with a few gaps.
Sports cars lined up in the pit lane at Zandvoort
The comeback
After a 36-year absence Formula 1 returned in 2021, to a rebuilt circuit with a feature no other track on the calendar had: steeply banked corners. Turn 3, the Hugenholtzbocht, is banked at 19 degrees and the final turn at 18. The Grand Prix layout is 4.259 kilometres with 14 turns, starting with the Tarzanbocht, the hairpin at the end of the main straight. The promoter's contract with Formula 1 ran until 2026, and the August 2026 race was announced as the last Dutch Grand Prix for now.
Coaching from the passenger seat
Driving it yourself
When there is no race, the circuit is a place to drive. The programme we arrange gives guests the track with a former professional driver as coach: first as a passenger to learn the lines, then behind the wheel of a sports car. Around it we build a skid and handling course, a race simulator challenge and time to recover in a lounge overlooking the track. For groups who like a contest, laps can be timed and turned into a team competition with a podium.
Sports cars ready for a driving day
Because the circuit sits right behind the beach, the day continues easily: dinner at a beach pavilion, a walk through the dunes, or a helicopter back to Amsterdam for guests who want to see the coast from above.
A lounge at the circuit between driving sessions
Practical
Distance: about 40 minutes by car or coach from central Amsterdam.
Who drives: guests with a valid driving licence; passenger rides for everyone else.
Format: half day or full day, from a small leadership team to a large group in rotations.
Track availability depends on the circuit's calendar, which is busy in summer; book early.
Sources
Wikipedia, Circuit Zandvoort (opening in 1948, wartime roads, layout, banking, Grand Prix years, end of the F1 contract in 2026).
RacingNews365 and Mercedes-AMG F1, Dutch Grand Prix 2021 and 2026.
Endless Minds programme description F1 Driver Experience.
From our F1 Driver Experience programme
Partner in this story
Circuit Zandvoort
Zandvoort, 35 kilometres west of Amsterdam
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