On a day that the coronavirus was bumped off the F1 headlines by the latest 'Ferrari International Assistance' saga, Max Verstappen gave fans something to smile about as he completed the first laps of the Zandvoort circuit weeks before the return of the Formula One World Championship following a 35 year absence.

At the wheel of a 2012 Red Bull, the youngster drove the circuit which has been completely overhauled since Niki Lauda claimed victory there in 1985.

Also in attendance at today's official re-opening ceremony were two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk and Dutch Grand Prix sporting director, former F1 driver, Jan Lammers.

Despite the low winter sun, fans can get some idea what to expect when the F1 action gets underway on Friday 1 May, and the drivers get their first taste of the two banked corners that form part of the track's redevelopment. On a day that the coronavirus was bumped off the F1 headlines by the latest 'Ferrari International Assistance' saga, Max Verstappen gave fans something to smile about as he completed the first laps of the Zandvoort circuit weeks before the return of the Formula One World Championship following a 35 year absence.

At the wheel of a 2012 Red Bull, the youngster drove the circuit which has been completely overhauled since Niki Lauda claimed victory there in 1985.

Also in attendance at today's official re-opening ceremony were two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk and Dutch Grand Prix sporting director, former F1 driver, Jan Lammers.

"It was a great opportunity to be the first person to drive an F1 car at the new circuit and the track is really cool," said Verstappen, "especially Turn 3 where the banking is amazing.

"I didn't expect the banking to be that big," he admitted, "but it's really cool to drive an F1 car on. The last corner is the same. It's also pretty banked and with the new cars and DRS open through there it will be a good challenge and a lot of fun.

"The whole track is very demanding," he added. "There are a lot of fast corners and still not that much run-off. That makes it really challenging to go on the limit, but that's good. That's what we like.

"Does it give me a head start coming here today? Maybe a little," he grinned. "It's always good to drive a track for the first time and see how it feels and what it's like. I definitely enjoyed it.

"I'm really looking forward to coming back here for the Grand Prix," he continued. "To have a home grand prix will be even more crazy than usual in terms of support. I hope it's going to be a highlight of the season, but it will all depend on the Sunday result. But we'll do everything we can to make sure it's a good one."

"The circuit was prepared to the current Grand Prix demands in a very short time," said Lammer. "For example, the run-off area of the Gerlach corner has been enlarged for safety. The Hugenholtz has become a banked corner, allowing two F1 cars to compete next to each other at the same speed to accelerate more quickly towards the Scheivlak. And then, that blind turn to the right, diagonally down through the dunes."