A sports marketeer goes on Dutch television and declares Formula 1 is “100% certain” to arrive at Assen within two to three years. The man he cited as his source then goes on record to say, essentially, not so fast. Welcome to the Dutch Grand Prix silly season.
What Is Actually Happening
With Zandvoort now confirmed off the F1 calendar, the TT Circuit Assen has applied to the FIA for a Grade 1 licence, the mandatory homologation required to host a Formula 1 grand prix. Circuit director Mark van Aalderen confirmed the application was submitted earlier this year. He also made a point of clarifying that this is purely about getting the facility up to standard, not about signing contracts with Formula One Management.
The circuit has consulted Hermann Tilke, the architect behind most of F1’s modern venues, to get an early read on what modifications might be needed. What those modifications actually are remains unknown until the FIA completes its formal inspection.
The Hype vs The Reality
The “100% certain” claim came from Chris Woerts, a sports marketing personality, on the television programme Vandaag Inside. He attributed it to Lee van Dam, a promoter closely involved in motorsport activities at Assen. Van Dam’s actual words were considerably more sober.
“The chance is admittedly significant, because many people want to keep Formula 1 in the Netherlands and we believe it is possible, but we are not there yet. You should definitely keep some reservation about it.” – Lee van Dam
Van Dam also confirmed that Assen explored this same possibility back in 2018 and 2019, before Zandvoort won out on credentials. History repeating itself is not the same thing as a guarantee.
Two Separate Problems to Solve
Van Aalderen was blunt on one crucial point: Assen itself would not organise or finance a grand prix. An entirely separate external promoter would need to step forward and fund the event. That party does not currently exist. Getting the Grade 1 licence is step one of a multi-step process that still has no confirmed endpoint.
For context, Formula One Management had no plans in place to move the Dutch Grand Prix to Assen. Reports confirm F1 was reluctant to leave Zandvoort at all. Wanting to stay in the Netherlands and having a concrete plan to do so are very different things.
MotoGP Comes First
Assen’s chairman Arjan Bos was clear: MotoGP remains the absolute priority. F1 would be a welcome addition if the opportunity arose, not the other way around. A venue that treats your sport as a secondary consideration is not exactly sprinting to the front of the queue.
Could Assen eventually host a Max Verstappen home race on a rotation basis, perhaps swapping with Hockenheim as Woerts speculated? Possibly, one day. But “possibly, one day” and “100% certain within three years” are not the same sentence, no matter how confidently someone says it on television.
