Circuit Zandvoort, located not far from Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, has 14 turns and is 4.259 kilometers long, which makes it the second shortest circuit on the F1 2024 calendar, after Circuit de Monaco. The circuit is mainly famous for its banked corners, which add to the driver’s and fan’s enjoyment. The track got back on the F1 calendar in 2021 and every race since has been won by Max Verstappen from pole position.

The barriers are pretty close to the track in Zandvoort, which could be really tricky. Last year Daniel Ricciardo crashed in one of the corners in FP2, while trying to avoid the car of Oscar Piastri, who crashed in the same corner just a few moments before him. Ricciardo ended up with broken wrist and couldn’t race for 5 races.

The expectations for an exciting race are not very high, considering the past few years with Max Verstappen’s dominance. However, last year’s race was pretty messy due to heavy rain for most of the race, which led to 82 pitstops in total and quite a surprising podium at the end. Max Verstappen stood on the top spot, with Alonso in second and Gasly in third. This year the weather forecast is changeable as well, according to the last information it shouldn't be very hot during the weekend with some possible rain on Saturday.

In conclusion, Max Verstappen is definitely the top candidate for the winning trophy this weekend, however, McLaren and Mercedes drivers definitely won’t give him anything for free and we might see some exciting battles and overtakes.