Everything you need to know about the Dutch Grand Prix

As our summer break memories fade away, Williams Racing heads to the Netherlands for the second act of Formula One's triple-header at the 2022 Dutch Grand Prix.

Younger fans will have only seen last year's race at Zandvoort, but F1 has raced here 33 times since the 1950s. So, with that in mind, here is everything you need to know about the Dutch Grand Prix to guide you through another weekend of F1 racing.

As with many circuits that have been on the F1 calendar since the sport's earliest years, Zandvoort has seen multiple layouts since its 1948 opening.

Today, the track length sits at 4.259km with a 14-turn configuration full of undulations and banked corners that have many in the paddock describe Zandvoort quite aptly as a rollercoaster.

Turn 1, otherwise known as Tarzan (or Tarzanbocht, to be precise), is often cited as the iconic Zandvoort corner – perhaps thanks to its memorable name – but it's the slow-speed Turn 3 Hugenholtzbocht that rose to prominence in 2021.

Today, both Hugenholtz corner and the final turn, Arie Luyendyk corner, exceed 18 degrees of banking at their peak, far greater than the nine-degree angle at Indianapolis Motor Speedway's four turns.

Before Formula One's return in 2021, the last Grand Prix held at Zandvoort came back in 1985 when Niki Lauda won his final race at a 7m shorter track with a seemingly non-stop 19 corners.

2022 will be the first time Alex Albon will tackle Zandvoort in F1 machinery, although he has raced at the track in the junior categories.“Coming out of a successful weekend, we know Zandvoort is a very different track to Spa and we’ll need to adapt to the different requirements, with a much higher downforce and a difficult track for overtaking,” he shared.

“Saturday will be an important day for us and whilst we’d like to have a repeat of Spa, that will obviously be slightly difficult.

“I haven’t raced at this circuit since 2015 so will work to leverage Friday and Saturday to learn the track and see what we can play for over the weekend.

The rapid turnaround from Belgium to the Netherlands means Nicholas Latifi can quickly bounce back after his early-race collision last weekend, and he's ready to take on the Dutch dunes, saying: “I’m excited to get going at Zandvoort for the second round of this triple-header.

“Going back to Zandvoort last year was very enjoyable. It’s an old-school track and probably one of the more fun single lap qualis on the calendar.

“There are high-speed corners, banked corners and it’s very narrow with little room for error which makes it a track with a lot of unique characteristics.

“The fan atmosphere really made it something special last year and I’m sure it’ll be the same again.

Albono's Q3 appearance and top-ten finish at Spa-Francorchamps demonstrated how vital nailing the FW44 setup for any given circuit is, and Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance, is well aware of the differences between last weekend’s venue and the nature of Zandvoort, stating: “Zandvoort provides quite a different challenge to last weekend in Spa with the circuit configuration being considerably different and the tyre compounds being a step harder.

“The hard C1 compound was previously taken to Bahrain, Barcelona and Silverstone and could be a tricky compound this weekend. However, the Medium and Soft compounds are likely to work well.

“The banking and elevation changes at this track were easier to accommodate than we first feared last year and by qualifying we had the car in a decent window.

“The experience from last year should allow us to start Friday in a good position and give us opportunities to both explore the tyre behaviour thoroughly and allow Alex to familiarise himself with the circuit.

“We enjoyed a good weekend in Spa. However, whilst the car performance was good at the low downforce level and Alex was able to drive a very strong defensive race, we know that we also benefited from a lot of grid penalties for our competitors.

“This weekend should be more difficult, but we have some momentum and confidence from Spa which will be invaluable as we take the fight to the midfield at a circuit less naturally suited to the FW44.”

As Monza is to the Italian GP and Monte Carlo is to the Monaco GP, Zandvoort is the sole venue to have hosted the Dutch Grand Prix since its debut in the 1952 World Championship.

Zandvoort is a prominent Dutch coastal resort where tourism is the leading industry thanks to the sandy beaches and proximity to Amsterdam, which is a 30-minute journey away.

Once Formula One had left the venue, many races at Zandvoort during the 90s would take place on the 2.526km long Club Circuit. If this configuration was in use this weekend, it would be the shortest venue on the calendar, 0.8km less distance than Monaco.

Williams Racing has a single victory at the Dutch Grand Prix when Alan Jones took to the podium's top step in 1979 to cap off a three-race winning streak amid a remarkable end to his season.

Although not part of the Formula One World Championship, the first Dutch Grand Prix was won by the only other Thai F1 driver aside from Alex, Birabongse Bhanudej, better known as Prince Bira.