F1 2026 Dutch Grand Prix weather forecast - danger of rain for Zandvoort farewell

fans, zandvoort, dutch gp, rain — Photo: © IMAGO

Dutch Grand Prix

F1 2026 Dutch Grand Prix weather forecast - danger of rain for Zandvoort farewell

Please, please let it rain!

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Monday 17 August 2026 12:27

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It's back! It's back! F1 is finally back from its summer break this weekend, and it's kicking off with what might well be the sport's last ever race at Zandvoort.

The Dutch track first held an F1 world championship race all the way back in 1952, with well over 30 races being held over the years up to Sunday's farewell.

It could – just could – be a spectacular farewell though, with the weather forecasts indicating that fans could see the 2026 spec F1 cars run in wet weather conditions for the very first time.

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Now, we've been teased with that before only to have it whipped away at the last second – not least in Miami and Canada, with the latter being so close that the McLarens infamously (and disastrously) started on intermediate tyres.

Here is the weather forecast for the full weekend of action!

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Dutch Grand Prix 2026 weather

Friday, August 21: Practice and sprint qualifying

That's right, we're coming back with a bang in sprint weekend style, just in case there wasn't enough jeopardy in every single session.

The one thing we don't have in Europe next week, for once this summer? Heat. Fans in the grandstands should probably bring some sunscreen, but it's not likely to get above 20 degrees.

Just how worried you think teams should be about rain, however, is pretty closely connected to what your favourite weather forecast provider is. Some of the most prominent global sites have Friday afternoon tagged with a 55 per cent chance of precipitation, although it's worth noting that it's expected to be very light if it does arrive.

Dutch site Weeronline, however, has the day tagged with a 90 per cent possibility of rain. Of course, this far out they're not committing to when in the day that rain might hit. Either way – eyes on the skies.

Saturday, August 22: Sprint race and qualifying

Good news for fans of getting things done with, bad news for fans of drama – there's some rain forecast for the morning at Zandvoort (around 70 per cent), but the afternoon currently looks clear.

Drivers shouldn't entirely breathe a sigh of relief though, because it does look quite breezy. They'll be looking at gusts of up to nearly 40kmh, which can really mess with braking points and corner stability.

That breeze and a forecast high temperature of 19 degrees? Bring a light jacket if you're heading to the track!

Sunday, August 23: Dutch Grand Prix

This isn't how it usually goes...but the worst of the weekend's weather looks to be concentrated on Sunday, where it can have the biggest impact on racing. Exciting!

It's looking to be another mild day, with the winds dropping more than 10kmh from Saturday – but a 58 per cent probability of rain. Again, any rain is expected to be of the lighter variety, but there could well be enough of it to either have drivers tiptoeing around a damp track on dry weather tyres or diving into the pits to bolt on some inters.

At some point, surely, these current generation F1 cars will have to contend with some moisture on the track. If that's this weekend, so much the better.

F1 Dutch Grand Prix