Formula One returns from its summer shutdown this weekend at Zandvoort, where BWT Alpine will chase points in the final Dutch Grand Prix before the race drops off the calendar in 2027. For the first time the event runs to the Sprint format, cutting the teams down to a single practice session. Alpine says it has upgrades ready for the A526 as it fights for fifth in the Constructors’ Championship.
Formula One’s second half begins on the North Sea coast, where the dune-lined Zandvoort circuit hosts the Dutch Grand Prix for the last time. The race leaves the calendar after 2026, closing a chapter that started in 1952 — the third world championship season — when Alberto Ascari won the inaugural event. Zandvoort stayed on the schedule for most seasons until 1985, then disappeared for 36 years before its 2021 revival.
A Sprint weekend for the first time
The 2026 edition adds a twist: it is the first Dutch Grand Prix run to the Sprint format. That leaves teams with just one practice session to shake off the shutdown before Sprint Qualifying on Friday afternoon — a tight window after several weeks without running, and one that tends to reward whoever finds a rhythm quickest.
For Alpine, the compressed schedule collides with new parts. The team says it has a handful of upgrades available this weekend, to be run in Practice ahead of Sprint Qualifying, with more to follow later in the year.
“We have a few upgrades available this weekend, which we will run on the car in Practice ahead of Sprint Qualifying. The plan is to bring more as and when we can and hopefully it will be enough to put us in the on-track fight to score as many points as possible,” said Managing Director Steve Nielsen.
Gasly’s Zandvoort history
Pierre Gasly arrives with good memories of the place. The 2023 race — which holds the Formula One record for on-track overtakes, with 186 passes — swung on constantly shifting weather that scrambled strategies on track and in the pit lane. Starting 12th in his first season with the team, Gasly pitted for Intermediate tyres on the opening lap and came home third over the full distance, his first Grand Prix trophy for Alpine.
“I have very nice memories of Zandvoort as it’s where I had my first podium with the team back in 2023,” Gasly said. “We have a big task ahead of us as it’s very close in the Championship and we know if we can deliver upgrades we can really stay in the fight with our rivals.”
Team-mate Franco Colapinto started his break late, having stayed on for the Pirelli tyre test in Hungary. He knows Zandvoort from junior single-seaters and is targeting a return to the top 10, with the team currently fighting for fifth in the Constructors’ standings.
“There is a long way to go still so we need to start on the front foot in Zandvoort this weekend,” Colapinto said. “We need to start well on Friday morning so we can find a rhythm and push to the limits early on as we aim for a return to the top-10.”
F1 Academy and a MotoGP visit
F1 Academy also returns to the Netherlands, with Nina Gademan racing in front of a home crowd. Gademan took her maiden series win at Zandvoort last season and sits third in the standings.
The shutdown was not entirely quiet at Enstone. Alpine hosted the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team while it raced at Silverstone in August, with riders Jack Miller and Toprak Razgatlioglu touring the factory. Razgatlioglu performed stunts on a Yamaha R9, including burnouts around the team’s 2019 Formula One show car.
What it means
The midfield order in 2026 remains tight, and Alpine’s stated objective — fifth in the Constructors’ Championship — depends on turning development parts into lap time quickly. A Sprint weekend magnifies the risk: with one practice session before qualifying for the Sprint, there is little margin to evaluate new components. Get it right and the team banks points across two races in a weekend; get it wrong and there is no recovery session to fall back on.
The Dutch Grand Prix weekend at Zandvoort marks the start of the season’s second half.
Source: media.alpinecars.com