Red Bull’s Max Verstappen says taking the new banking at Zandvoort feels like a unique experience in a Formula 1 car.

A properly banked corner returns to Formula 1 this year for the first time since the sport raced at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2007, with the newly revamped Zandvoort Circuit featuring two banked corners.

The Arie Luyendijk corner at Turn 14 features a slope of 15-18 degrees with a maximum 32% slope, while Tutn 3 goes between 5 and 19 degrees with a maximum 34% slope.

On Wednesday, Red Bull let Max Verstappen loose in a V8-powered RB8 as part of the official opening of the circuit, ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix in early May.

Speaking after blasting through the new banked corners, Verstappen said: “I liked it very much. In particular turn three and the last turn, that banking feels very special and there are many different lines that you can take in the turn. Really interesting.”

“The nice thing about turn 3 for example, is that it is so banked, that the inside of the corner completely falls away. When you arrive there, you don’t see the inside at all because you are sitting so low in the car. And then …..how you take the rest of the turn, that’s really very different from what you’re used to.”

“I didn’t expect the banking to be that big 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. 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.”

“In general, it makes me very proud to drive here. I am really looking forward to the race in Zandvoort. I see the enthusiasm of my fans on the other circuits and it can only get better during the Dutch Grand Prix.”

Sporting Director at Zandvoort is Jan Lammers, a former F1 driver himself. He said the banked corners will make for a unique racing experience: “The circuit was prepared for the current Grand Prix demands in a very short time. 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 that, it’s a blind turn to the right, diagonally down through the dunes.”