Travel disruptions affect the last Dutch Grand Prix.
The final Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort has faced significant transport issues, leaving thousands of fans struggling to reach the circuit for the sold-out farewell weekend. With car access severely limited, many spectators depended on trains from Amsterdam, which usually run every few minutes and can transport around 10,000 people per hour to Zandvoort. However, on Saturday, technical difficulties and overcrowding caused major disruptions starting early in the day.
Bild reported that a train broke down near Amsterdam Central, and subsequent services also encountered issues, leading to lengthy queues and the need to clear some already crowded trains. As a result, many fans missed parts of the Sprint race, even though many had departed early. Similar problems were observed at Amsterdam Sloterdijk and Haarlem, where some trains were so full that new passengers could not board.
The timing of these disruptions was particularly unfortunate, given that this weekend marks Zandvoort’s last Formula 1 event for the foreseeable future. Tickets for Saturday and Sunday are sold out, with some weekend packages priced as high as 850 euros. Nevertheless, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali expressed a positive outlook regarding the farewell. "I feel great," the Italian told Viaplay. "Typically, you would attend after about 5.5 editions feeling quite sad. No, you remind us to be optimistic. Let’s savor this moment because it’s the last time, although one should never say ’never’."
Former Dutch GP sporting director Jan Lammers indicated that the decision to end the event was ultimately due to financial reasons rather than any impact from Max Verstappen's future. "What Max is going to do in the future has no influence on this," he noted on Radio 538. "We don’t have government backing. So, one must rely on private enterprise and take risks."
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