Broken trophies, Kubica’s comeback and F1 debuts – 7 memorable Dutch GP moments from Zandvoort

The Dutch Grand Prix will host its final race this weekend, but Zandvoort has provided us with plenty of big storylines since it re-joined the calendar in 2021. From race debuts, first career podiums and incredible comebacks, here are seven notable moments from our most recent trips to the Netherlands.

After originally being planned to return in the 2020 season, but delayed due to the Covid pandemic, Zandvoort came back to the calendar in 2021 for the first time in 36 years. The unique circuit is steeped in F1 history and sits next to the town’s beachfront, while also being a 25-minute train ride from Amsterdam.

From the banking at Turn 3 to its beachside location, there are plenty of factors that make this such a special old-school circuit in F1’s modern history.

Verstappen’s podium streak

As the championship’s only Dutch national on the current grid, the orange army will undoubtedly be out in force around Zandvoort to support Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen this weekend. As well as winning the first three races there since its return to the schedule, Verstappen has also stood on the podium across all of the previous five events.

The noise from the grandstands was incredible as Verstappen converted pole position into victory for the first time in 2021, something he did the following two years too in total domination. In fact, his first-place finish here in 2023 helped Verstappen equal the most consecutive wins recorded by a single driver, joint with Sebastian Vettel on nine — something the Dutchman bettered in the next race when he became the first Formula 1 driver to achieve 10 wins in a row at the 2023 Italian Grand Prix.

Kubica returns to racing

One storyline that is often forgotten about amongst the busy 2021 Formula 1 season was the return of Robert Kubica at Alfa Romeo for two race weekends. The Polish driver, who acted as a Reserve Driver for the team, was promoted to a race seat after Kimi Raikkonen tested positive for Covid-19 on the Saturday morning of the Dutch Grand Prix.

Jumping into the cockpit from Free Practice 3, the driver who first made his F1 debut at the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix was back racing at one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar – even more remarkable as Kubica was left with limited movement in his right arm from his rallying accident several years ago.

That same weekend, his Alfa Romeo team mate Antonio Giovinazzi – who is now a 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, like Kubica – managed his joint-best F1 qualifying performance when he started seventh on the grid.

Piastri’s first career Grand Chelem

Achieving a Grand Chelem – or Grand Slam as it is commonly referred to – is no easy task in the competitive world of Formula 1. Securing the win, leading all laps, gaining pole position and the fastest lap over one weekend is a feat only managed by 28 drivers across the World Championship’s history, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri putting his name on that list at Zandvoort last season.

He became the third-youngest driver to complete a Grand Slam aged 24 years, four months and 25 days old – until Kimi Antonelli smashed that record in Monaco earlier this season at just 19 years of age to push Piastri down the list. The Australian also earned McLaren their first Grand Slam since the 1998 Monaco Grand Prix.

McLaren have won the last two years at Zandvoort, as Lando Norris also ended Verstappen’s reign here in 2024 to take his second career victory. Can they make it three in a row this weekend?

Liam Lawson makes his debut

Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson made a rather unexpected Grand Prix debut here in 2023, after Daniel Ricciardo broke a bone in his hand after hitting the wall in Free Practice 2. Ricciardo found himself in a scenario where his compatriot Oscar Piastri had crashed ahead of him, and in a move that he described as “hit [Piastri] or hit the wall”, the then-AlphaTauri driver made contact with the barriers. With no time to react, the car’s steering wheel hit his left hand and left him with a broken metacarpal bone – ruling him out of action for the next five races.

For Lawson, who was the team’s Reserve Driver at the time, this was a big opportunity to show the bosses at Red Bull that he was capable of a full-time drive. He finished 13th in the race, before securing his first career points two races later in Singapore.

It’s never nice to be called up to race as a result of another competitor’s injury, but Lawson proved he was adaptable and ready to make the step up and has now got 46 Grand Prix entries under his belt, with a best result of fifth.

Hadjar breaking his first F1 trophy

The Dutch Grands Prix have had some pretty unique trophies over the years, from green glass goblets in 2021 to a classic design featuring words of encouragement towards mental health in 2024, inspired by singer Robbie Williams’ Moco Museum exhibition in Amsterdam.

The circuit's organisers always deliver something memorable, and have recently incorporated Royal Delft – a historic manufacturer in the Netherlands that produces Delft Blue pottery with centuries of experience.

When celebrating his maiden career podium with Racing Bulls last season, Isack Hadjar had a moment of pure disbelief when he tapped the base of his third-place trophy on the pit lane floor during the team’s celebration photo, breaking it into two.

Hadjar’s reaction of pure horror made for a funny, but pretty heartbreaking moment, but fear not as the event’s organisers were quick on hand with a substitute. Just one week after the damage was done, the Dutch Grand Prix handed Hadjar an exact replica of the trophy, and let him keep the broken one as a memento of his very first Formula 1 podium.

Alonso beats Schumacher record

As a result of his second-place finish at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso continued to add his name into the record books with a seventh podium result of the season and breaking a record previously set by Michael Schumacher.

The seven-time World Champion held the record for longest time between maiden and final podium appearances, but Alonso was able to extend that to a total of 7,463 days from his first taste of silverware at the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix until the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix. The Spaniard would go on to get his most recent podium at Singapore that same year, meaning the final gap between his first and last podium reached 7,533 days.

Joining Verstappen and Alonso on the podium that race was Pierre Gasly, marking his first rostrum appearance as an Alpine driver.

Leclerc in the dunes

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was made to sit back and watch the remainder of the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix on top of a nearby sand dune, in an image that looked at home in a Renaissance painting. After contact with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli at Turn 3, Leclerc was left stranded with only a few laps of the race to go.

As TV cameras panned to him, the depressed Monegasque soon got hold of a phone – likely from a nearby marshal – to see how the rest of the race unfolded. He wasn’t alone in failing to finish the race, as McLaren’s Lando Norris was also left marooned at another part of the circuit after his car suffered a late engine failure.