F1 INSIDER

01 DUTCH GP CONFIRMED

And 2020 calendar reshuffle imminent

02 Verstappen on Mercedes’ radar (but not to drive its car)

03 NIKI LAUDA DIES, AGED 70

01 ZANDVOORT RETURNS

Following a 35-year break, the Dutch Grand Prix will return to the Formula 1 calendar from 2020, at its previous home of Zandvoort, as the sport bids to capitalise on the popularity of Max Verstappen.

While F1 owner Liberty Media is eager to demonstrate that it, like the previous commercial rights holder, is eminently capable of making things happen, a three-year deal for a race at Zandvoort will bring with it some logistical challenges. The demands F1 exerts on circuit facilities and local infrastructure have changed greatly since this venue last hosted F1 in 1985, but Verstappen’s popularity might make some short-term pain worthwhile.

Speaking at the Spanish Grand Prix weekend when the news was announced, Red Bull boss Christian Horner reckoned crowds at the revitalised Dutch Grand Prix could compare with those at Barcelona when Fernando Alonso was in his pomp. These are