The summer break is over. Finally, the roar of the engines is back to light up the weekends and warm the hearts of fans all over the world. In Zandvoort, Formula 1 returns and, although the anticipation embraces the whole paddock, here there is one man the people await more than anyone else. It’s Max. Always Max.
Here, at home, where the grandstands turn Orange every year. Between shirts and smoke flares, a single chant rises: his name.
This year, however, the Dutch Grand Prix will be different for Max. He is no longer the one who dominates on track. The four-time world champion arrives at his home GP knowing already that, by the end of the season, he will have to give up the number one. One of the Papaya cars will take it.
A color that to many might look similar, but to those who know Formula 1 is something entirely different. Two worlds, two reigns, two seasons. And while in almost every other round of the championship Orange has turned into Papaya, here it hasn’t. Here, Orange does not yield, does not fade, does not bow to the fate of a championship that has already taken on another shade. Because if it’s true that sporting cycles come to an end and Formula 1 always rushes toward the future without waiting for anyone, when it comes to home there’s something different.
And for Verstappen, this track is home. These corners, these grandstands, this crowd that saw him grow and become a champion.
Much has changed this year, but on this circuit it feels as though time has stood still. That young boy, often criticized yet praised, has become a champion who has left an indelible mark on the history of Formula 1. A story that, despite the direction the championship has taken, has not yet written the word “end”. Because if there is one thing Max Verstappen has taught the world over these years, it is that he will fight until his very last breath.
And even if Papaya is ruling the world, here it is Orange that fills the grandstands and sets the air on fire. One color, one voice, a single chant. Two words, one name.
Read also: Why Max Verstappen is bigger than Formula 1
All the news, photos, weather, session times and times from the Dutch GP 2025
