Max Verstappen is the key figure in the future of Formula 1. The next megastar. The man who everyone hopes will bring a new generation of fans to the sport. Already, at the age of just 20, he has an army of tens of thousands of fans, who travel around Europe to watch him in action. There is orange is every grandstand and the numbers of Verstappen in places like Austria, Belgium, Italy and Britain are impressive. These are fans of all ages, few of them being his own generation, but Formula 1 hopes that Max’s precocious success will lead to younger fans. The problem is that the Verstappen generation is, according to sociologists, rather different from the generations that have gone before, which makes them more difficult to attract to a sport like Formula 1. They do want heroes, as can be seen from the cult of celebrity that exists today. They want to know about people living interesting lives, but they are not a very sociable bunch. They do not remember a time when there was no internet and so their lifestyles and social interactions are radically different to previous generations. Their social life is their phone and they are supposed to be more comfortable online than out partying. They appear to like phones more than they like people. Statistics show that meeting up with friends on a daily basis is down more than 40 percent compared to 15 years ago and when they do get together, some cannot stop using social media. They sleep with their phones on their beds and researchers say that it is a lonely and dislocated generation, sleep-deprived and more prone to depression. The number of them who are dating is significantly down compared to the previous generation, fewer teens are having sex, the teen birth rate is at an all-time low, down a whopping 67 percent compared to 25 years ago. Kids no longer get driving licences because it offers them freedom, nowadays they do it to stop their parents nagging. All of this is troubling, but at the same time, it shows that opportunities exist to engage with them and get excited about Formula 1. The sport has been slow to adopt social media, but things are changing and Verstappen’s generation is interested in him. They may not sit through a Grand Prix, but they want to know how he is doing. Perhaps they will pick up on others of the same generation as a result, but one must understand just how ahead of his peers Max actually is. Verstappen is 20 and the next youngest winner in F1 at the moment is Valtteri Bottas, eight years his senior. The Vettels, Hamiltons and Alonsos are in their thirties. There is hope that the Vandoornes, Sainzs, Ocons, Wehrleins, Strolls, Leclercs and Norrises will add to the appeal of F1, but right now Max is the locomotive of his generation.

And while it is good to see his army driving around Europe, it is entirely logical that the Formula One group is keen to cash in on Max’s success and hold a race in the Netherlands. It would be a sellout, no question. The country has a population of only 17 million, but it seems as though most of them are Verstappen fans.

Ask a Dutchman about reviving the Grand Prix (which has not happened since 1985) and most will laugh and say it is impossible and yet for a decade Rotterdam hosted a major street demonstration event every summer in the Cool district (really), which attracted up to 500,000 spectators and many of the F1 teams took part. Rotterdam currently say that nothing is possible because of roadworks going on in the area for a couple of years. Amsterdam’s bureaucrats say that racing should take place on race track, not on roads. Amsterdam attracts around six million international visitors a year and ranks seventh of the European cities, behind London, Paris, Rome, Prague, Milan and Barcelona. It is ahead of Vienna and Venice. Rotterdam is a long way behind in terms of numbers but has now overtaken The Hague as a tourist destination. In other words, Rotterdam would benefit more from a race

The Netherlands has a reputation for being eco-conscious, a paradise of windmills, cycling and recycling, and this certianly caused some problems for Zandvoort, the country’s primary racing circuit, back in the 1980s. It is true that there are hopes that by 2018 the country’s trains will be powered by wind-generated electricity and the nation is the only one in Europe where there are more bicycles than people. But, at the same time, Dutch carbon emissions per capita are amongst the highest in Europe, almost double the figure of the French and 50 percent more than Britain. And the share of energy coming from renewable sources is below the figures in Germany and Denmark. So it is not that green a place.

Zandvoort could be rebuilt if money but could be found, but that would be a major project and access would remain a problem, unless spectators arrived only by train, which is quite possible and happens in other places, such a Melbourne, Montreal, Singapore and Monaco. There is another circuit at Assen, famous for motorcycles, but it is a bit out in the wilds and would require modification. Building a circuit might be possible, but the Netherlands is not a big country. It’s a maximum of 194 miles long and 164 miles wide, so empty land is in short supply. However, there are areas which have been reclaimed from the sea where big new facilities could be built, if someone wanted to fund them. There is an opportunity here, let’s see if anyone will grab it.