Nice and busy in the fan zone during the interview with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez (photo: Ole Rethans/Dutch GP)
After a stormy start and quite a bit of rain at the beginning of the afternoon, it became pleasantly summery warm as the day progressed, so that there were ultimately ideal conditions for Friday, also known as Super Friday, during the F1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix. The large audience could enjoy free practice sessions of Formula 1, the F1 Academy and the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, plus an extensive entertainment program with artists and performances by drivers and team bosses in the fan zone. Once again, AUTOSPORT.NL captured the necessary impressions.
Text: René de Boer (from Zandvoort, X: @renedeboer)
Photos: Towing/R. de Boer, Ole Rethans/Dutch DP (1)
Along the boulevard, the bicycle racks that were still empty in the morning were ready.
The National Motorsport Monument at the entrance to the circuit.
A chance meeting with Julien, a fanatic motorsport and football fan from Pau in the southwest of France, who visits numerous international motorsport events every year and had made the trip to Zandvoort again this year. “Although I find the supporting programme without Formula 2 or Formula 3 a bit meagre, especially with the entrance fees, which are high”, he said honestly.
People on tennis umpire chairs with megaphones ensure that the flow of visitors is properly managed.
In the F1 Academy paddock we met Sander Dorsman, the driving force behind MP Motorsport, together with GP Elite (in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup) one of the two Dutch teams active at Zandvoort this weekend. “It’s a shame that we are not driving here with Formula 2 and Formula 3, and not next year either. We are really disappointed about that, because we could have done something extra for our sponsors here,” says Dorsman.
Nina Gademan from Wijster in Drenthe is regularly active in the British Formula 4 championship this season, but received a ‘wild card’ for participation in the F1 Academy this weekend. Her car is, like all ‘wild card’ participations in the season, run by the Italian team Prema Racing.
