Toto Wolff: We have left points on the table, our rivals have reduced the performance gap, and we know the second half of the year will demand more from us than the first.

The championships will be decided by execution and the rate of development we can bring to the car across the next 12 races. Whilst we are slightly out of step with upgrades compared to our rivals, we have more performance to unlock and a clear development plan to do so.

Zandvoort has been a unique challenge since its return. It is a difficult track to master, the fans create an incredible atmosphere, and it has become a race that the teams and drivers look forward to. We have come close but never won there in the modern era. This is our final opportunity to change that, and that's a challenge we would like to meet.

Third Driver Insight with Frederik Vesti

Zandvoort has everything you want from a true driver's track: grass and barriers close to the edge of the circuit, and very little margin for error. That sense of risk is part of what makes it such a rewarding place to drive.

The banking in Sector 1 is one of the standout features of the track and creates a real engineering challenge. You have to find the right setup compromise to maximise performance there without sacrificing pace elsewhere around the lap. Zandvoort almost always produces an intense qualifying session, and the race can be really exciting too if you have the pace to move forward and create overtaking opportunities.

It's a high-downforce circuit with lots of grip and plenty of potential to push hard. The power unit also plays an important role, particularly on the run onto the main straight, so it should be exciting to see how everything comes together.

It's demanding, fast, unforgiving, and one of the most enjoyable circuits of the season to tackle from behind the wheel.

Stats & Facts

• The 2026 Dutch Grand Prix will be the first Sprint event held at Zandvoort and is set to be the final Dutch Grand Prix before the circuit leaves the Formula One calendar.

• In general, Zandvoort has an old-school feel, with fast and flowing corners, a mix of corner speeds, undulations, gravel traps and banked turns. It is a unique challenge for the drivers and puts many aspects of an F1 car to the test.

• Zandvoort is also unique in its location, nestled in the rolling sand dunes and next to the beach on the West coast of the Netherlands. The main straight is the closest part to the coast and the back section winds its way through the dunes.

• Mercedes' only Dutch Grand Prix win came in 1955 with Juan Manuel Fangio at the wheel.

• The three-pointed star has scored five podiums in total at Zandvoort. Fangio and Stirling Moss in 1955, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in 2021 and George in 2022.

• Kimi claimed three wins at Zandvoort during his junior career. Two in 2022 in German F4, and one in 2023 in FRECA - a weekend which saw him capture the title.

• Our F1 Academy driver, Payton Westcott, will be racing that same weekend for the fourth round of the season.