The Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort This Weekend is not Yet Sold Out. In the first years, the stands filled up very quickly, but this year tickets are still available just before the event. However, there is Sufficient Interest, Accordination to the Organization.
In The Early Years, Zandvoort was the epitome of the Formula 1 hype in the Netherlands. Tickets were gone within minutes. After that, fans only had a Chance at a Spot Through Lotteries or Sponsor Promotions. After the announcement in 2019, The Organization Received More Than a Million Applications for Tickets.
The First Three Editions Each Attracted over 300,000 visitors, spread over Three Days. Last year, that image changed. At the Fourth Edition in 2024, The Counter stopped at Approximately 275,000 Visitors, and the Stands Remained Emptier Than Before. Especiate Friday was Less Busy. In The Early Years, Supermarket Chain Jumbo Attracted Thousands of Fans to The Training Sessions with Discounted Tickets, But That Collaboration Stopped After 2023.
Also this year, tickets are still available through official sales points. Actions and Promotions are running in Multiple Places. Just on Sunday, the day of the race, there is still space in most stands. That is a clear differentence from the first editions, in which fans often had to book far in advance.
Sporting director Jan Lammers Emphasizes That there is no reason for the organization to worry. “Sunday is always okay,” he says. “Friday Often Goes Last Minute, With Many Applications. For Example, Four Thousand Sold Tickets Suddenly Came in On Monday. About The Whole Weekend, It Looks Fine.”
‘We Certainly Expect A Full House on Sunday’
Accordance to Lammers, Perception Plays a Major Role. “We have also to be realistic. There are not just 60,000 people in a full johan cruijff arena. If there are 70,000 or 80000 people with us, they think it’s a crisis. So yes, there are still quiet tickets. Are Already Sold Out.
Travel and Ticket Organizations Also See Sales Are Slower Than In The First Years. “Ticket sales are a bit similar to last year. It is not Yet Completely Sold Out. We can still sell a lot in the coming days,” Says Pieter Kroon, General Manager of GP Travel. “Only the weather forecast does not really help.”
Kroon Does have a few ideas about Why the Dutch Grand Prix No Longs Sells Out So Quickly. “This year, with Verstappen in The Championship, it is less exciting than in Previous Years,” He says.
“I also have the feeling that formula 1 was more accessible when it was still broadcast on Ziggo sport. Since the transition to viaplay, we see it has Become a bit less. But of course it Mainly has to do with Verstappen’s performance.”
The High Costs Are An Important Factor, Says Kroon. “Visiting Grands Prix is an Expensive hobby. If you go everything, you spend a lot of money. For most people it is not something can do do every year.”
The Organization also Cannot Exactly Explain Why The Interest is Lagging Behaind This Year. Possible factors are the ticket prices – The Cheapest Grandstand Ticket for the Race Day Costs 299 euros, Excluding Transport and Accommodation – and the Saturation. Since the Return in 2021, More than one million people have visited the Dutch Grand Prix.
One Difference with Previous Editions is that Verstappen is not a title candidate this season. The Four-Time World Champion Can Almost Certainly Forget the World Title and A Victory at Zandvoort also Seems Far Away. That makes the sporting appeal narrower than in the early years, when a victory in front of his own audience sometimes seemed self-evident.
Ticket Sales Zandvoort Fits Into A Broader European Trend
The decreasing massiveness also fits into a Broader European Trend. Dutch Race fans traveled in Large Numbers to Austria, Belgium and Hungary Just before and after the Corona Period. Meanwhile, the orange stands are less full.
This year that was a special visible on the austrian red bull ring, where the stands were modernately filled and part of a verstappen stand was just taped off with a large cloth. In Spa-Francorchamps, Friday also Remained Quieter Than Before.
Lammers Recognizes That Trend, But Emphasizes The Relative Position of Zandvoort. “In Spa there were only twenty thousand visitors on Friday, that is a lot better with us. We actual have nothing to complain about.”
For the Organization, there is little doubt that the final piece in 2026 will be sold out. At the end of last year it was announced that the Dutch Grand Prix Will Disappear from the F1 Calendar After Next Season. Lammers: “Next year I Expect it to be completely packed. If people because to be sure again anyway, I think this year is probably the last option.”