Zandvoort ready for busy F1 weekend; Visitors told to walk, bike or use public transport

The roads to Zandvoort will be closed to motorized traffic from 5 a.m. on Thursday. The Dutch Grand Prix is taking place at the coastal town this weekend. Zandvoort is asking visitors to come by foot, bicycle, or public transport as much as possible. The NS will run more trains to and from the area.

Emergency services, local residents, and entrepreneurs with so-called pass-through certificates are allowed to enter the seaside town with their cars or motorbikes. These certificates could be requested from the municipality.

The roads to Zandvoort are closed until 11 p.m. on Sunday. Bentveld, parts of Aerdenhout, Bloemendaal, and Overveen, and a part of Haarlem (the area behind Egelantierlaan, Ramplaankwartier) are also closed for motorized traffic. This closure will be from 5 a.m. on Friday until 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Zandvoort is expecting around 105,000 visitors a day during the race weekend. The Dutch Grand Prix starts on Friday. On that day, there are two free training sessions per driver. The Formula 1 drivers qualify on Saturday, and the race is on Sunday.

ENT specialists will hand out earplugs and sun cream during the weekend. They want to draw attention to the risks of too much sunlight and the importance of wearing hearing protection during Formula 1.

“We still see that not everyone at F1 is aware of the risk of hearing damage as a result of loud noises,” said Louise Straatman, KNO doctor in the UMC Utrecht. “That is one of the reasons that we think it is important to speak with visitors. With simple earplugs, you can enjoy the race and protect your ears.”

Dutch driver Max Verstappen is top of the F1 rankings this season and will be racing his 200th race on Sunday. He has won the last three races in his home country on his way to winning the last three world titles.

Verstappen would equal British record holder Jim Clark if he were to win again. Clark won four times in Zandvoort: 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1967. Verstappen shares the number of three victories with Austrian Niki Lauda (1974, 1977, and 1985) and Scot Jackie Stewart (1968, 1969, and 1973). If he wins, Verstappen will become the fourth driver ever with four home victories in a row. The three drivers who have won four times in a row on home soil are Britons Lewis Hamilton, Jim Clark, and Argentinian Juan Manuel Fangio.