Guenther Steiner left his position as the team principal of Haas one year ago but has kept his finger on the pulse and is ‘not happy’ with one change coming to Formula 1.
The pinnacle of motorsport has been home for Steiner for more than two decades following spells with Jaguar and Red Bull before joining Haas. It also remained his home with a role as an F1 pundit after Haas let Steiner go at the end of his contract after eight years at the helm.
Since then, Steiner has kept abreast of the comings and goings in Formula 1 and he believes it is a shame that the series is set to lose one thing it recently confirmed. The championship will see many changes in future seasons, not least F1’s 2026 engine and chassis regulations.
Guenther Steiner is ‘not happy’ with F1 losing the Dutch Grand Prix after 2026
Formula 1 confirmed in December that the Dutch Grand Prix will drop off the calendar after the 2026 season as the promoter of the race at Zandvoort decided against signing a long-term contract. The 2026 edition will also feature an F1 Sprint for the first time at a Dutch GP.
Yet Steiner is ‘not happy’ with the change to the calendar as he appreciates what the Dutch GP offers not just to F1 but also the Netherlands. The race returned to the schedule in 2021 with a contract initially through 2025, which the promoter elected only to extend into 2026.
READ MORE: Five unforgettable Dutch Grand Prix including Prost and Piquet’s drama
“A shame,” Steiner told GPblog about the end of the Dutch GP. “When it came along again, I was one of the first ones to be happy about it because I like Zandvoort. A racetrack on the beach, in the dunes is pretty cool. And it reminds me of the old times, the good old times.”
But along with the historical racing significance of Formula 1 visiting Zandvoort, Steiner feels the Dutch Grand Prix offered good value for promoting the Netherlands and Dutch sponsors. Yet the government’s reluctance to help fund the Dutch GP will see it fall off the F1 calendar.
Steiner added: “In Holland, the majority of the people do not want to spend money on the Grand Prix. The majority in a democracy wins.
“And therefore there’s no Grand Prix because the promoter couldn’t get any support from the government. So be it. It’s unfortunate, but I’m not happy seeing it go.”
Zandvoort must sell out every day of the Dutch Grand Prix just to break even
Max Verstappen emerging as a front-running Formula 1 driver helped to convince F1 to hold the Dutch Grand Prix again, having not raced at Zandvoort since 1985 before the 2021 meet. Yet even the Red Bull racer winning the title in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 would not save it.
READ MORE: The most successful F1 drivers at the Dutch Grand Prix of all time at Zandvoort
Zandvoort proved to be a popular venue for modern Formula 1 fans with the race offering a festival atmosphere. But the financial aspect of staging an F1 race was, ultimately, too much for the circuit – as well as its refusal for the Dutch GP to become a rotational Formula 1 race.
Simply to break even, Zandvoort must sell every ticket for every day of the Dutch Grand Prix weekend and it could not guarantee that the race’s popularity will remain as strong as it has been among Formula 1 fans. So, Zandvoort decided to strive to go out on a high after 2026.
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