Assen Being Considered as an F1 Venue

Formula One’s owners, Liberty Media have been targeting a Dutch Grand Prix for a while now. Now, the Assen circuit has emerged as a potential candidate to host an F1 Grand Prix. Recently, Formula 1 race director Charlie Whiting visited the track for an inspection. If Whiting gives the goes ahead, the venue will be granted a Grade 1 licence and be able to host a Grand Prix.

The Assen chiefs issued a statement on Friday. They said that following the ‘thorough inspection’, Whiting’s verdict was that only a few minor changes were required for the FIA to be happy it could hold an F1 race. The alterations included adding extra kerbstones, guardrails and Tecpro barriers at certain points around the track.

The circuit itself requires no major changes to the layout could remain unchanged. This is important because track chiefs would not agree to hold an F1 race if it negatively affected the Dutch TT MotoGP event. Whiting’s track inspection came after the FIA conducted a preliminary assessment.

Last year, Formula 1 commercial chief Sean Bratches said that he was interested in bringing the Dutch Grand Prix back on the calendar. However, he had an inclination towards a street circuit venue in one of the country’s major cities.