沙丘与尘埃——F1车手哀悼“老派”赞德福特赛道的告别
赞德福特赛道将于本周末举办现代时代的第六届荷兰大奖赛，这也是它在当前赛历上的告别之战。维斯塔潘的受欢迎程度与成功让这项一度被认为已成历史的比赛自2021年起重获新生，如今车手们对这个最爱赛道之一满怀不舍。
沙丘与尘沙——F1车手们哀悼失去"老派"的赞德沃特
在荷兰大奖赛作为F1告别演出前夕，车手们正向赛历上他们最喜爱的赛道之一挥手告别
就在十年前，几乎没有人能预料到F1会重返赞德沃特这条狭窄而老派的赛道。但自2021年以来，这项赛事每年都被邀请到马克斯·维斯塔潘人气爆棚的"家庭派对"，如今他的同行们也对告别荷兰沙丘感到难过。
这个周末，赞德沃特将举办现代时代的第六届荷兰大奖赛，此前维斯塔潘空前的号召力和成功让这场一度被认为已成为历史的比赛重获新生。
在赛历逐渐扩展、纳入越来越多城市中心街道赛道的背景下，重返这条穿越北海沙丘的4.259公里赛道，对大多数F1车手来说是一处令人欣喜的风景变化。
除了黄沙漫天的环境之外，赞德沃特的起伏特性和外倾弯道让人很难把它与赛历上任何其他赛道混淆。车手们通常会选择一条独特的宽线路，绕行胡根霍尔茨弯的外侧——对于不那么愿意研究荷兰语的人来说，也就是3号弯——而斯海弗拉克弯则是一个极高速、极高投入的挑战。那里的狭窄缓冲区与其说是缓冲区，不如说是一道路堤。当车手们驾车飞速掠过赛道远端时，一道砾石墙赫然耸立。
最后一个弯道以印地500冠军阿里·吕延迪克命名，其恰到好处的倾斜设计使其可以全油门通过，并延长了原本相对较短的前直道。
在本周末的比赛之后，这段过山车般的体验将成为历史，因为赞德沃特决定不再延长与F1管理方即将到期的合同。与大多数其他大奖赛主办地不同，当地组织者无法依靠任何政府支持来分担其中涉及的财务风险。而且由于F1在荷兰的热度似乎已经饱和，他们决定稳妥行事、见好就收，这一消息让F1车手们颇感遗憾。
"这会很遗憾，"当Motorsport.com问及赞德沃特退出赛历时，迈凯伦车手皮亚斯特里如此回答，这位澳大利亚车手正是去年这场比赛的冠军。"作为一条用来驾驶的赛道，它是我们全年最好的赛道之一。不过不得不承认，作为一条用来比赛的赛道，它可能不是最令人兴奋的，而且单从后勤角度来说，它对F1来说也确实相当小。
"显然这里需要一个平衡。有太多不同的国家都想举办F1比赛。对于我们车手来说，所有那些历史悠久的赛道大概都是比赛起来最令人享受的。
"如果将来用它换来伊莫拉或者斯帕，那我对此相当满意。但如果换成的是另一条可能不是那么好的街道赛道，那就需要找到一个恰当的平衡点。不过它会被怀念的，因为这是一个很棒的地方。"
他的队友诺里斯补充道："我非常失望，因为我就是喜欢这项赛事本身，还有这里的车迷。虽然他们中的大多数人都是为了某一位车手而来，但这始终都是一个有趣的赛事，氛围很好，热情很高，而这正是你想要的。很遗憾，希望有一天它能回归。"
奥迪老将尼克·霍肯伯格曾在2006年早已停办的A1GP系列赛中在赞德沃特夺冠，他也称赞了这条赛道的狂热氛围：“我在低级别比赛时期在这里跑过很多次，这里的氛围有点像在俱乐部里。它有一种真正节日般的感觉，过去几年我很喜欢这里。所以，我会想念它的。”
阿斯顿·马丁的兰斯·斯特罗尔表示，赞德沃特有限的缓冲区带来的高风险高回报因素增加了挑战性：“我觉得这就是那种老派赛道之一。我们去过的很多现代赛道都有很大的缓冲区。你会失去那种驾驶老派赛道的特有味道。”
“在这里，它仍然是那些有砂石和草地的地方之一。如果你把一个车轮驶出赛道，你就会陷入麻烦。这正是它的特别之处。”
这条赛道是逝去岁月的遗物，而这有利也有弊。车手们喜欢它起伏的地形、快速的弯道以及狭窄而不留情面的特性。但这也意味着这条赛道对于现代F1赛车来说太过局促，无法呈现一场精彩的比赛。
这不是赛道的错，但当初正是由于全国英雄引发的空前热潮，奇迹般的荷兰大奖赛才得以成为现实。
这位四届世界冠军曾连续三次赢得自己的主场比赛，其中包括2021年那场令人热血沸腾的比赛——当时正值他与刘易斯·汉密尔顿激烈争夺总冠军的白热化阶段。
近年来迈凯伦抢走了他的风头，维斯塔潘在2026年看起来也不太可能构成夺冠威胁，但他仍然对连续六年能在十万名热情车迷面前比赛的经历心怀感激。
“这里的历史、大量热爱赛车的车迷，还有赛道的布局非常酷，”维斯塔潘这样总结他与赞德福特的不解之缘，“如果你能跑好，绝对非常有成就感，这就是真正的老派驾驶。”
"相比于一些缺乏一些特色的赛道，这绝对是赛历上最好的赛道之一。它肯定会被怀念的，这是肯定的。在这里驾驶一直都非常有趣。
"就算我不是荷兰人，能在这里驾驶也一直会是很棒的事。但作为荷兰人，这让一切更加特别。"
英文原文
Dune and dusted - F1 drivers mourn "old school" Zandvoort loss
On the eve of the Dutch Grand Prix's Formula 1 swansong, drivers are waving goodbye to one of their favourite circuits on the calendar
As little as 10 years ago, few could have predicted Formula 1 would ever return to the cramped, old school Zandvoort circuit. But having enjoyed an annual invitation to Max Verstappen's popular house party since 2021, his peers are now sad to bid farewell to the Dutch dunes.
This weekend, Zandvoort is hosting its sixth Dutch Grand Prix in the modern era after Verstappen's unprecedented popularity and success revived a race that was long thought to be consigned to history.
On a calendar that has gradually expanded to include more street circuits in urban centres, a return to the 4.259km blast through the North Sea dunes was a welcome change of scenery for the majority of F1's driver corps.
Beyond its sand-swept setting, it's tough to mistake Zandvoort for any other circuit on the calendar with its undulating nature and cambered corners. Drivers generally opt for a uniquely wide line around the outside of the Hugenholtzbocht - or Turn 3 for those less linguistically adventurous - while Scheivlak is an ultra-fast, high commitment challenge. Its narrow escape area is not so much a runoff as it is an embankment. A wall of gravel looming large as drivers whip their cars around the far side of the circuit.
The final corner, named after Indy 500 winner Arie Luyendyk, is aptly banked to make it a flat-out blast and extend what is otherwise a relatively short front straight.
That rollercoaster ride will now be abandoned after this weekend's event, with Zandvoort deciding against extending its expiring deal with F1 management. Unlike most other grand prix hosts, local organisers cannot count on any government support to absorb the financial risk involved. And with the popularity of F1 seemingly saturated in the Netherlands, they decided to play it safe and call it quits while they're ahead, news that was received with some sadness by F1's drivers.
"It will be a shame," McLaren's Oscar Piastri replied when asked by Motorsport.com about Zandvoort's exit, the Australian being last year's winner of the event. "As a circuit to drive on, it's one of the best we have all year. Admittedly, as a circuit to race on, it's maybe not the most exciting and even just logistically, it is pretty small for F1.
"There's obviously a balance to strike. There are so many different countries that want to host an F1 race. For us as drivers, all the historical circuits are probably the most enjoyable to race on.
"If you're to replace it with Imola or with Spa in the future, then I'm pretty happy with that. But if it's for potentially another street circuit that's maybe not the best, then there's a sweet spot to find. But it'll be missed because it's a cool place."
Team-mate Lando Norris added: "I'm pretty disappointed because I like just the event itself, the fans. Although most of them are here for one driver, it's still always just a fun event, good atmosphere, good passion, and that's what you want. It's a shame and hopefully it comes back one day."
Audi veteran Nico Hulkenberg, who won at Zandvoort in 2006 in the long defunct A1GP series, also praised the circuit's rowdy atmosphere: "I've raced here a lot in junior times and the atmosphere is a bit like in a club. It's like a real festival kind of character and I loved it here the last couple of years. So, I'm going to miss it."
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll said the high risk-reward factor of Zandvoort's limited runoff areas added to the challenge: "I think it is just one of those old school tracks. We go to a lot of modern circuits with runoff. You lose some of that character of what it feels like to just drive an old school track.
"Here, it is still one of those places with gravel and grass. If you go and put a wheel off, you are in trouble. That is what makes it special."
The circuit is a relic of days gone by, and that cuts both ways. Drivers enjoy its undulating nature, fast corners and narrow, unforgiving nature. But that also means the circuit is too cramped for modern F1 cars to put on a compelling show.
That's not the circuit's fault, but there is a reason only an unprecedented swell of interest in a national hero has made the miraculous Dutch GP possible in the first place.
The four-time world champion won his home race three consecutive times, including an electric 2021 edition that came at the height of his tense title fight with Lewis Hamilton.
Having seen McLaren steal his thunder in recent years, Verstappen looks unlikely to pose a win threat in 2026 either, but he was still grateful for the experience of racing in front of 100,000 passionate fans for six straight years.
"The history around here, a big amount of fans that love motorsport, and the track is a cool layout," Verstappen summed up his love affair with Zandvoort. "It's definitely very rewarding if you get it right, it's proper old-school driving.
"It's definitely one of the best tracks on the calendar compared to some tracks that lack a bit of character. It's definitely going to be missed, for sure. It's always been really fun to drive.
"Even if I would not be Dutch, to drive here would have been always amazing. But being Dutch, it made it that extra bit special."
Motorsport.com ·
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