Liberty commercial chief Sean Bratches has reaffirmed a desire to take Formula 1 back to Holland, capitalising on the popularity of Max Verstappen.
It’s far from a new story with efforts to host the first race since 1985 known to have been underway for a while, however, following the recent news of Vietnam’s inclusion in 2020, it is another example of the owners’ ambition.
Holland has been named along with the Asian country as one of three possible new destinations in two years time, with the street race in Miami pushed back in the wake of local opposition.
“We are very interested in racing in Holland,” Bratches told Reuters.
“We are having productive conversations there and I am cautiously optimistic we can do something to surprise and delight fans in that territory and take advantage of the Max factor.”
The 21-year-old has reinvigorated his homeland’s passion for F1 and around the world with most circuits now seeing grandstand sections filled with orange.
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A key question, however, is where would the sport go in Holland with Zandvoort the historic home but Assen considered a more suitable facility… or maybe not.
“I think there’s great potential there [at Zandvoort],” FIA race director Charlie Whiting said following a recent inspection.
“A few things need to be changed, and there’s a great willingness to change, but I think it’s rather too early to be talking about that. They’re coming back to us with some proposals.
“We’ll see purely from a circuit point of view, nothing to do with the commercial elements of it, but from a circuit safety point of view, I think it [a race] could be done,” he added.
“There would be a nice long straight good enough to use DRS well, and you’d maintain the historic elements of the circuit as well. I think it would be a very nice circuit.”
European Formula 3 is the highest category of open-wheel racing to currently race at Zandvoort and the 2014 champion Esteban Ocon shared his view on the possibility.
“I don’t know about the outside of the track but it’s a very cool track, very cool layout,” he said. “It would be awesome to race there in F1, mega-quick.
“I don’t think it is the latest generation [of circuit]. I don’t mind, I’m happy to race there if we go but it’s down to the FIA to decide if it’s possible or not.”
