Dutch Prince issues MAJOR statement after Verstappen ignores handshake

Max Verstappen was seen ignoring the handshake of Prince Bernhard van Oranje-Nassau van Vollenhoven, as the royal issued a significant statement regarding the Dutch Grand Prix.

As the drivers were introduced on the podium at Zandvoort, GPFans spotted that Verstappen unintentionally snubbed the handshake of the Dutch prince.

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Poor guy just got swerved by Verstappen as he went for the handshake 😳🥶 pic.twitter.com/iypaxwcF8m

— Stuart Hodge (@Hodgeythehack) August 25, 2024

The Dutch royal went on to hand out the winner's trophy to McLaren star Lando Norris after his stunning victory on Sunday, but amid doubts over the future of the race in the Netherlands, Prince Bernhard was also keen to make his voice heard.

It was reported last month that the future of the race could be in doubt, whilst more recently, the event was said to be in dispute with one of its ticketing promoters.

Zandvoort bombshell dropped

Speaking to Dutch publication De Telegraaf on the future of the race, Prince Bernhard revealed his desire to keep F1 in the Netherlands for as long as possible, dropping the bombshell that once it is gone, it will likely be gone for good.

"Our dream and our ambition is to hold on to Formula 1 for as long as possible," he said.

"Because we also know, if we lose it, it's over for good,"

"We can only do it because there are wonderful companies that have stepped in and made this possible.

"I think we can be very proud that we can organise the biggest sporting event in the Netherlands here. But we all have to do it together."

Currently, F1 is only contracted to race at Zandvoort next season, with the 2025 edition of the race set to take place in late August once again.

However, beyond that, Zandvoort's future on the calendar is unclear, with the circuit's contract expiring after next year's Dutch Grand Prix.

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