Famous race track abandons F1 in favour of MotoGP

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Famous race track abandons F1 in favour of MotoGP

Zandvoort stays for now

By Jeen Grievink.

Tuesday 21 July 2026 13:56

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The management at TT Circuit Assen has definitively scrapped plans to bring a Formula 1 race to Drenthe.

With the pinnacle of motorsport fully booked until 2030, there’s simply no room on the calendar for the Dutch circuit.

As a result, TT director Mark van Aalderen has decided against spending millions to secure the necessary Grade One safety licence.

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Debates over hosting a second Dutch Grand Prix heat up every summer. Chairman Arjan Bos explained that interest never wanes.

“After the TT event, followed by Jack’s Casino Racing Day and then during Zandvoort’s Grand Prix, we’re always asked if and when Formula 1 will come to Assen,” he told De Telegraaf.

Still, the decision is final. “We would have loved to do it,” Van Aalderen admits. The circuit had promised to adapt if a promoter wanted to host a Formula 1 race. But with Assen’s chances being virtually zero until 2030, and slim beyond that, the management opted not to invest millions on modifications.

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Discussions with F1 executives clarify the situation

Direct conversations with the sport’s top brass led to this conclusion. In February, key figures met Derek Chang, CEO of Liberty Media, in Barcelona.

Liberty Media, the owner of Formula 1 and MotoGP rights, openly discussed Assen’s prospects. “We asked him straight about our chances of hosting a Formula 1 race,” says Bos. “He directed us to Louise Young, the chief race officer who oversees both circuit selection and the calendar.”

Funding shifts toward MotoGP

A later call with Young drove home a hard truth. With the calendar packed until this decade’s end, and any later vacancy unlikely to favour a European track, the prospect for Assen, dubbed the 'Cathedral of Speed' by MotoGP fans, looked bleak.

“Her honest answer made it clear that the chance was minimal,” Bos explains. The board quickly decided it wasn’t wise to invest millions in modifying the track for an occasional F1 event.

The money saved by letting go of the Formula 1 dream will now be fully reinvested in two-wheeled racing.

“We know the costs of continuing to host the MotoGP, which returns next year for its 94th edition,” Van Aalderen states confidently.

“Our focus remains there, and plans for a Formula 1 race in Assen are no longer on the table.” Bos agrees, adding, “Unless a miracle happens—which is extremely unlikely—the required investments just aren’t worth the potential return.”

F1 Dutch Grand Prix