NS transports record 50,000 people to GP in Zandvoort; Royal family attends F1 race

The NS transported a record number of 50,000 people to Zandvoort on Sunday. "Never before have so many people traveled by train to the Zandvoort Grand Prix," said an NS spokesperson.

The NS expected 40,000 to 45,000 race fans to come to Zandvoort on Sunday, but more turned out. The spokesperson suspects this could be related to the bad weather. For Sunday, Code Yellow was issued in Noord-Holland until 3 p.m. because of thunderstorms, hail, and strong winds.

Most travelers were transported between Between 10 a.m. and noon More than half boarded at Amsterdam Centraal. According to the NS spokesperson, the maximum waiting time there was about 25 minutes. Many people also boarded in Haarlem and Sloterdijk.

Even though more F1 fans took the train on Sunday, the NS was able to handle the large crowds well, the spokesperson said. He points to the 12 trains per hour that NS runs, all at maximum length. "All of them were able to keep up well," the NS spokesperson claimed.

Also racing enthusiastic members of the Dutch royal family arrived at the Grand Prix. King Willem-Alexander and Princess Amalia were at the Zandvoort circuit again on Sunday, as they were on Saturday for the Formula 1 qualifying. This time Queen Máxima and Princess Alexia have also come along. However, their visit had not been announced in advance. The youngest daughter, Princess Ariane, was absent from Zandvoort.

Presumably, Ariane is still in Italy, where she arrived earlier this week for the new school year. Ariane continues her education at the United World College Adriatic near Trieste.

Before the Formula 1 race at Zandvoort, the king spoke with Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.

In 2021, King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima, and daughters Amalia and Ariane attended the Dutch Grand Prix.