The race was organised at the Zandvoort circuit on the Dutch North Sea coast, a venue that had hosted motorsport since before the Second World War and would later become a permanent fixture on the Formula One World Championship calendar. The 1949 event was a non-championship fixture, run outside the points-scoring framework that would be formally established the following year. Nevertheless, the entry list attracted marquee names from the top of European Formula One, making it a significant occasion in the postwar revival of grand prix racing.
The organisers divided the field by racing number into two 25-lap heats. Cars numbered 1 through 9 competed in Heat 1, while those numbered 14 through 21 ran in Heat 2. A qualifying session set the grid for each heat, with the combined results feeding into the composition of the 40-lap final.
Giuseppe Farina set the fastest time of the entire weekend in qualifying for Heat 1, recording a lap of 1:54.8 to take pole position. At the start, however, Luigi Villoresi jumped ahead and led from the front throughout, winning the heat unchallenged and setting the fastest lap at 1:59.3. Farina was unable to mount a serious challenge after developing a misfire and finished second. Prince Bira completed the top three in third place. St John Horsfall finished sixth but chose not to take his place in the final, withdrawing due to a stiff piston.
Alberto Ascari claimed pole position in Heat 2 with a time of 1:55.0. Reg Parnell led the opening lap before Ascari reasserted himself and began pulling steadily clear of the field. The race changed character sharply in its middle phase when heavy rain began to fall. The wet conditions suited Parnell's driving style, while Ascari simultaneously encountered minor engine trouble. Parnell closed a 23-second gap and overtook Ascari to win the heat. Ascari posted the fastest lap of the heat at 2:01. Geoffrey Crossley finished sixth but handed his Alta over to George Abecassis for the final. Peter Whitehead retired with a broken magneto and Raymond Sommer suffered a broken throttle control.
The 40-lap final developed into a sustained battle between the two Ferrari drivers, Ascari and Villoresi, who repeatedly exchanged the lead in a closely matched contest. The duel ran until lap 34, when a wheel detached from Ascari's car, ending his challenge and handing Villoresi the victory without further threat. The finish was not without controversy: both Farina and Parnell had jumped the start and, after finishing second and fifth on the road respectively, were each handed a one-minute post-race time penalty.
The 1949 Zandvoort Grand Prix stands as an illustration of the competitive depth present in European motor racing before the Formula One World Championship was formally constituted. The drivers involved — Farina, Villoresi, Ascari, and Parnell — would all go on to play significant roles in the early championship seasons, and Ascari's Ferrari would dominate much of the early 1950s. Villoresi's victory at Zandvoort demonstrated Ferrari's pace in the pre-championship era, even as the dramatic mechanical failure robbed the race of what had been its most compelling narrative thread.