Zandvoort banked turns completed ahead of F1 Dutch Grand Prix

Zandvoort’s new banked corners have been finished which marks the completion of the upgrades to the Dutch circuit ahead of Formula 1’s return to the country.

Zandvoort is preparing to welcome the F1 paddock as it hosts the first Dutch Grand Prix since 1985 in May and has undergone a series of significant updates over the winter to meet the specification required to host the sport.

Dromo Circuit Design, who oversaw the recent track resurfacing at Silverstone, led the design for new banked corners at Turns 3 and 14 along with the resurfacing and overall upgrades completed on the Zandvoort circuit.

Dromo drafted in Geobrugg and US barrier specialist SmithFence and Dutch asphalt company KWS to undertake the construction work which has now been finished.

“We did something that we thought would be really formidable to drive, that has no equal at any other racetracks,” Jarno Zaffelli, Dromo founder, said. “Turn 14 is quite ample and wide, making it full throttle, whereas the transition between Turn 2 and Turn 3 has a lot of elevation and banking changes.

“All of your horizon is tilting, all of your perception is evolving, you feel like you are being squeezed. It’s like being in a corkscrew, depending on the line that you are following.”

Key to the new banked corners have been ensuring FIA safety standards are met, which is where Geobrugg has come in to install the concrete barriers at a 90-degree angle to the track surface and fixed by tethering cables. This is to ensure the safety of the drivers if they leave crash because if it was installed at a normal vertical angle it would act as a ‘ramp’ and not be effective in the event of a crash.

There is also 282 metres of Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barrier installed by SmithFence, whose barrier solution is used on banked oval tracks for NASCAR and IndyCar.

Zandvoort will hold the 2020 Dutch Grand Prix on May 1-3 as the race hosts round four of the F1 world championship following the postponement of the Chinese Grand Prix due to the coronavirus outbreak.