Verstappen to have home race in 2020?

The F1 calendar might be ready to welcome another new track in two years time after Vietnam was confirmed as one of the venues. Rumours are that the Dutch GP, home to Max Verstappen, may be ready to make an appearance too.

The Formula One Management (FOM) has reportedly made an agreement to get the country back on the F1 map. However, it seems that it may not be held at Zandvoort, the track where it was originally intended to be held.

“We have had contact with London,” said Jos Vassen, chairman of the Netherlands Grand Prix Foundation. “In the email that came back, the FOM indicates that they are talking to Zandvoort, but that absolutely no promise has been made.”

“No decision has been made yet. They are not happy with the publicity [surrounding Zandvoort] and it is a choice between TT Circuit and Circuit Zandvoort,” he added. The reason for the rumour mongering over Zandvoort is that the track has held many a race in the past.

Max Verstappen had even driven the Red Bull in a promotional event at the circuit a while back. Dutch daily, De Telegraaf reported on Friday that Zandvoort had been confirmed, backed by a quote from its director, Bernhard van Oranje, who claimed that he had demanded a €20 million fee from the FOM.

The news could be a huge boost for Netherlands, whose interest in F1 racing has gone back up ever since Max Verstappen burst onto the scene in 2015. The youngster has been phenomenal, taking five race victories, the most recent coming at Mexico last weekend.

He has been lauded and criticized in equal measure for his aggressive driving style, which annoys his fellow drivers but gets him results nonetheless. The audience could potentially be huge for Verstappen, who anyways enjoys great support at nearby countries, Belgium and Austria.

He delighted one of them when he won at Austria, and it marked a great turnaround to his season, where he struggled initially with multiple mistakes.