“DSC4272” by Erik Jacobs is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Since Formula 1 returned to the Dutch Grand Prix track in 2021 the Zandvoort lap record is unsurprisingly held by an F1 car.
This article lists all the lap records and fastest lap times for F1, F2, F3, GT3 and a number of other high-profile motorsport series at the Dutch circuit.
Contents
Qualifying laps or race laps?
For a lap record to be officially recognised it must have been set during a race. Lap times set during free practice or qualifying sessions don’t count, but are usually faster.
During qualifying the cars are set up to be as fast as possible over a single lap. This means they’ll have fresh tyres and be running the minimum amount of fuel required to save weight.
Drivers don’t need to think about making their tyres last for a lot of laps either, they can push them as hard as possible for that one all-out lap.
The list of lap times below will include the official Zandvoort lap record set during a race but will also show the unofficial fastest lap ever, set during qualifying, as a comparison.
F1 Zandvoort Lap Record
The Zandvoort lap record for an F1 car is 1:11.067 set by Lewis Hamilton during the 2021 Dutch Grand Prix driving his Mercedes W12.
With one lap to go in the 2021 Dutch GP Lewis came in to the pits for a fresh set of super soft tyres.
He pitted so late in the race with the sole aim of claiming the fastest lap on the final lap, lap 72. And that’s exactly what he managed to do, crossing the line to claim the official lap record for the circuit.
There was no-one on front on him on track, so he set that lap time without using DRS in either of Zandvoort’s two DRS zones.
The fastest lap time ever recorded by an F1 car at Circuit Zandvoort is 1:08.885. This was achieved by Max Verstappen during qualifying for the 2021 Dutch Grand Prix.
As this was set during qualifying it doesn’t count as an official lap record. But not only is it the fastest ever F1 lap at Zandvoort, it’s the fastest lap ever at the circuit.
This lap time is over 2 seconds fastest than Lewis’ official lap record set during the race in the same year. That just goes to show how much difference the qualifying setup makes to the car’s pace.
The home hero takes pole, the Zandvoort crowd goes wild!@Max33Verstappen just edges out Lewis Hamilton with a stunning final flying lap! 👏#DutchGP 🇳🇱 #F1 pic.twitter.com/xEVrpH49AR
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 4, 2021
Zandvoort F1 fastest lap times
Below is a list of the fastest lap times set during the F1 weekends at Zandvoort across both qualifying and race sessions.
The Dutch GP only returned to Zandvoort in 2021 after a 34 year break. There were a few changes to the Zandvoort circuit layout in preparation for the Formula One so we only have a few years’ worth of data to compare currently.
| Year | Fastest Lap - Race | Fastest Lap - Qualifying |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1:13.652 - Max Verstappen | 1:10.342 - Max Verstappen |
| 2021 | 1:11.097 - Lewis Hamilton | 1:08.885 - Max Verstappen |
As the table shows, the home hero Max Verstappen is pretty untouchable at his home circuit. He went on to lift the Dutch GP winner’s trophy both years.
Can the lap record be beaten?
As the lap time comparisons above show, the cars were around 2 seconds slower in 2022 compared to 2021. This was partly due to some of the ‘porpoising’ issues where the cars were bouncing up and down along the high speed straights.
This year the F1 cars have been a similar pace to those last year at most of the tracks they’ve visited so far. I’d be surprised if the Zandvoort lap record is beaten this year as they still have a couple of seconds to find to catch up with the 2021 cars.
Zandvoort F1 average speed
The average speed around Zandvoort circuit achieved by Lewis Hamilton’s on his official 2021 lap record was 134.24mph / 216.04kph.
As a comparison, the average speed achieved by Verstappen during his 2021 pole-position qualifying lap was 138.49mph / 222.89kph. 4mph faster over the course of the lap.
Fastest lap times for other series
Zandvoort is a permanent race circuit that hosts a number of other high profile motorsport series throughout the year. It also saw Max tow a caravan behind an Aston Martin…
Below are some lap records and fastest lap times from other motorsport series that have raced on the Dutch track since its layout was tweaked ready for the 2021 season.
“Max Verstappen – Circuit Zandvoort“by Danny Tax is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Formula 2 Zandvoort Lap Record
Formula 2 is the series directly below F1. Many F1 drivers have come through F2 in to the top level of the sport.
The FIA Formula 2 lap record around the Zandvoort circuit is 1:23.078 set by Fredrik Vesti driving for ART Grand Prix in the 2022 Formula 2 feature race.
The overall fastest F2 lap at Zandvoort is 1:20.713 set by Felipe Drugovich driving for the MP Motorsport team during qualifying in 2022.
Formula 3 Zandvoort Lap Record
The Zandvoort lap record for the FIA Formula 3 racing series is 1:26.476 set by Dennis Hauger driving for the PREMA Racing team during the 2021 F3 race.
The overall fastest F3 lap at Zandvoort is 1:24.386 achieved by Victor Martins during qualifying before the 2022 F3 race.
W Series Zandvoort Lap Record
The official lap record for the W series at Zandvoort circuit is 1:34.719 set by Alice Powell in 2021.
The fastest ever W series lap at Zandvoort is 1:34.326 achieved by Emma Kimilainen during qualifying for the Dutch round of the 2021 W Series championship.
“IMGP5427” by Matt Buck is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
GT3 Zandvoort Lap Record
As well as single seaters, GT cars also race at Circuit Zandvoort. The GT World Challenge Europe is the biggest series for GT3 spec race cars and it also returned to the circuit in 2021.
The Zandvoort lap record for a GT3 car is 1:34.111 set by Jules Gounon driving a Mercedes AMG GT3 for team AKKODIS ASP in the 2022 GT World Challenge race.
The fastest Zandvoort lap time ever achieved by a GT3 car is 1:32.093 set by Raffaele Marciello driving a Mercedes AMG GT3 during qualifying the 2022 GT World Challenge series. You can see the end of his lap in the video below at 12:10.
DTM Zandvoort Lap Record
In 2023 DTM returned to Zandvoort for the first time in 5 years, and experienced its first race weekend with the new banking on the circuit.
Since 2021 DTM has adopted the FIA GT3 regulations for its cars but uses its own balance of performance.
The DTM lap record at Zandvoort is 1:34.371 set by Ricardo Feller driving the Audi R8 LMS GT3 car in the second race of the weekend in 2023.
The fastest DTM lap time at Zandvoort is 1:32.585 achieved by Maro Engel driving a Mercedes AMG GT3 during qualifying in 2023.
The best DTM lap times at Zandvoort are a few tenths of a second slower than those set in the GT World Challenge events.
