Cheers to the fans who have made Zandvoort so special

Blog by Joanna Price, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer

There are few things quite as exciting as arriving at a Formula 1 circuit. The atmosphere, the electricity and the sounds are second to none. But arriving at Zandvoort for the start of the final Heineken® Dutch Grand Prix? That was very special.

There’s many reasons why the race is one of the most exciting on the calendar. The track is distinctive - with the dramatic banking at Hugenholtzbocht and Arie Luyendijkbocht making for some incredible action - the seaside setting gives it a very different atmosphere from most F1 circuits and yet compared to some others on the calendar it feels intimate, compact and close to the action.

But what makes Zandvoort truly unique is the fans. There’s something about seeing the sea of orange and feeling the energy build around the track that makes this race unlike any other.

Since F1 returned to the Netherlands in 2021, the circuit has become a place where fans have come together over their shared passion, creating memories and - often - new friends.

Spend just a little time in the crowd and you’ll see it. People who have never met before start talking together about their favourite driver, or the most iconic Zandvoort moments. Someone cheers an overtake with the person standing next to them. Fans arrive in separate groups and leave together, with stories they’ll be recounting for years.

I’m very proud that Heineken® has been central to that story for the past five years. From our Pitwall Bar in 2022 to launching Player 0.0 in 2025 and last year creating Café de Pitstraat that created a meeting place for all fans.

This year we wanted to say thank you to the fans, giving them a chance to raise a glass to one final lap of the Zandvoort circuit - with a Heineken® 0.0 of course. It was a fitting way to celebrate everything that has made the Heineken® Dutch Grand Prix so special – the racing, the atmosphere and, above all, the people.

We may be saying farewell - for now - to Zandvoort but we know the connections between fans will live on. And for HEINEKEN, so will our passion for bringing fans together around the sports they love. Formula 1® continues to move forward, and we are excited to see where the next chapter takes us.

Cheers to the fans who made it a truly special weekend!