Fans at Amsterdam Central Station on their way to Zandvoort, with trains departing every five minutes.
Formula 1 redefines the experience for fans at the Dutch Grand Prix, where private vehicles are the exception.
The organizers of the Dutch Grand Prix are proud of their focus on public transport and bicycles for most of the 110,000 daily attendees.
While other F1 races allocate large areas for parking, the Miami Grand Prix offers 29 different parking lots, in the Netherlands a bicycle parking lot was transformed.
People outside the Netherlands “look at you like you’re crazy” when they find out that the race has space to store 45,000 bicycles.
Roy Hirs, mobility manager of the Dutch Grand Prix
When the Dutch Grand Prix returned in 2021 after a 36-year absence, the passionate support of Max Verstappen’s fans was key, but the organizers faced the challenge of accommodating everyone. With only two access roads to the city and a nearby national park, the car transportation solution was not viable, according to Hirs.Zandvoort bicycle parking, with space for 45,000 bicycles.
Years of planning resulted in a system where only a limited number of vehicles can access the coastal city of Zandvoort during the race weekend.
Thousands of fans, dressed in orange to support the Dutch champion Verstappen, arrive by bicycle and park their vehicles in designated areas with names of race circuits like Monza and Suzuka. In addition, there are buses from nearby campsites and trains every five minutes from Amsterdam.
The few exceptions mainly apply to circuit and team vehicles, fans with disabilities, and local residents, according to Hirs, who adds that the Grand Prix means that the roads in Zandvoort, with 17,000 inhabitants, are less congested than on a normal summer weekend.
Although the Dutch Grand Prix will leave the F1 calendar after next year, its legacy could endure.
Hirs comments that the organizers of other F1 races and large-scale events have visited to observe how their car-free approach works at the races.
“I think it starts with talking about it and then adoption will come at the end, but it takes time,” he concluded.
