Assen is much more ready to welcome Formula 1 back to Holland than former venue Zandvoort, circuit boss Arjan Bos has claimed as the country looks to return to the calendar or the first time in over three decades.
The Dutch Grand Prix is high on the list of priority races for F1 bosses with the emergence of Max Verstappen since 2015 leading to a huge boom in interest in his homeland. Many European races now contain one predominantly orange area of fans backing the 20-year-old and the Belgian race at Spa has seen record attendances as a result.
Commercial Director Sean Bratches has held talks with officials in Amsterdam and Rotterdam over a potential street race but both have turned the idea down, leaving the historic circuit at Zandvoort and the host of Moto GP’s Dutch round at Assen as the most likely options.
“We are almost 100 percent ready for F1,” Bos told De Telegraaf newspaper, citing a positive report by the FIA into the racetrack’s suitability.
“Of course, I wish Zandvoort every success, and I think it’s admirable how (owner) Bernhard van Oranje is sticking his neck out but Assen is well beyond Zandvoort.”
Van Oranje has previously said a feasibility study is being conducted into whether the circuit could be renovated to meet the safety standards required to host F1 and hoped a race in 2020 could be achievable.
