DTM in Zandvoort: Sand, banked corners, and a home Whit outing for Vermeulen

• Action-packed Whit weekend: DTM on the North Sea coast near Amsterdam
• Maro Engel travels to round two in the Netherlands as championship leader
• Local favourite Thierry Vermeulen looking forward to support from home crowd

Munich. A salty sea breeze replaces thin alpine air: Following the opener in Spielberg, Austria, the DTM now heads to the North Sea coast of the Netherlands for round two of the season on Whit weekend (22nd to 24th May). Maro Engel (Monaco/Mercedes-AMG Team Ravenol) travels to Zandvoort as the championship leader, and arrives at the Formula 1 circuit with the wind in his sails after winning last weekend's ADAC Ravenol 24h Nürburgring. Fans will definitely be looking out for local favourite Thierry Vermeulen (NL/Emil Frey Racing), who will be hungry to perform well at his home event in the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo. Tickets for the race weekend in Zandvoort start at € 49 and are available at dtm.com. Admission is free for under 16s when accompanied by an adult. ProSieben is showing the race live on free-to-air TV, with coverage from Zandvoort starting at 13:00 on Saturday and Sunday. Both races can also be seen in a free stream on Joyn, ran.de, ServusTV On, and the DTM YouTube channel.

Key facts, Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort, races 3 and 4 of 16

• Circuit length: 4,259 metres
• Layout: 14 corners (ten right, four left), driven clockwise
• 2025 winner, race 1: Ayhancan Güven (Manthey EMA, Porsche 911 GT3 R)
• 2025 winner, race 2: René Rast (Schubert Motorsport, BMW M4 GT3 Evo)

Two Mercedes-AMG top the table heading to Zandvoort
The stars were shining on Engel and Lucas Auer (A/Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf) at the opening round of the DTM in Austria: the two Mercedes-AMG drivers impressed with podiums in both races, with Engel winning the Sunday race. He is now looking to continue this fine run of from in the Netherlands. "My victory in Zandvoort in 2023 was my first win in the GT3 era of the DTM. When you climb onto the very top step of the podium, they are really special moments, of which you can look back with great pride, and which you are hungry to experience again," says the experienced German.

Behind the Mercedes-AMG duo lurks a real Zandvoort expert - Marco Wittmann (Fürth) from BMW team Schubert Motorsport, whose CV already features two DTM wins at the circuit in the Dutch dunes. "Zandvoort is just a cool track with a great backdrop in the dunes, and a unique beach feeling," says the BMW driver. "I very much enjoy driving there. BMW has always been strong in Zandvoort. The track suits us, and we want to back up the good event in Spielberg." Nicki Thiim (DK/Comtoyou Racing) also impressed on his first DTM outing in the Aston Martin Vantage GT3, showing plenty of speed and fighting spirit. The self-appointed "Dune Dane" is now looking to carry that momentum into the event on the North Sea coast.

Home outing for Ferrari racer Vermeulen
Local favourite Vermeulen, who was born in Venlo, is looking forward to seeing many friends and fans at his home event. However, the technically demanding circuit does have its challenges, as the 23-year-old is well aware: "Zandvoort has an old-school character. The track is very undulating, has a lot of crests, big changes in elevation, and gravel beds instead of asphalt run-off zones. You have to be very accurate, particularly in qualifying, as the circuit does not forgive any mistakes. You can take different lines in the banked corners, so I reckon there will be some spectacular battles here. I can hardly wait to line up in Zandvoort, and hope that many fans will come and see me and my Ferrari in the garage."

Packed support programme, spearheaded by the ADAC GT Masters
As well as the DTM, fans will be treated to more attractive support series. Zandvoort is the second stop of the season for the ADAC GT Masters, while the Dutch circuit hosts round four of the season in the Porsche Sixt Carrera Cup Deutschland. The spectators will enjoy a double dose of one-cup power, as the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux also lines up at the 4.259-kilometre track. Having started alongside the DTM in Spielberg, the Formula Regional European Championship features on the DTM platform for the second time, with the young drivers set to deliver some exciting single-seater racing at the wheel of identical F3 cars.