Formula 1 at Zandvoort this weekend: how Haarlem gets pulled in
21 to 23 August is the last Dutch GP at Zandvoort. Extra trains, closed-off streets, and a Haarlem plan if you have no ticket.
Written by Sanne de Ridder
Last lap on the coast
From Friday 21 to Sunday 23 August 2026 the Formula 1 Heineken Dutch Grand Prix runs at Zandvoort for the last time. The organisers call it The Final Lap. Saturday and Sunday are sold out, according to Dutch GP. Super Friday may still have tickets. Check their site before you travel.
New this year: an F1 Sprint. Friday has free practice and sprint qualifying. Saturday has the sprint plus qualifying for Sunday. Sunday is race day. F1 Academy, Porsche Supercup and evenings with names such as Afrojack, Martin Garrix and Acda en De Munnik sit on the programme. Exact times live in the Dutch GP app.
Haarlem feels this weekend
The track sits in the dunes. The crowds run through Haarlem. NS is putting extra trains on between Amsterdam Centraal and Zandvoort aan Zee, up to twelve an hour. Haarlem station gets an extra staircase on the track 1 side so people who are not going to Zandvoort can use a different route. Bikes are not allowed on those trains this weekend.
NS expects about 50,000 race fans a day. Dutch GP warns waiting times at Zandvoort can hit two hours, especially before Saturday's sprint and after Sunday's race. If you need to get in or out of Haarlem, try before 8:00, between 13:00 and 17:00, or after 21:00.
In Raamplaankwartier, Oosterduin and Zijlweg-West you can only drive in with a vehicle pass from Friday 05:00 to Sunday 16:00. Level crossings between Halfweg and Zandvoort stay closed from Thursday evening to Monday morning.
No ticket? Stay in town
Saturday and Sunday you will not get onto the circuit without a pass. Haarlem itself is then the calmer plan: a self-guided walk in the centre, coffee, no grandstand.
- Haarlem Highlights for Grote Markt and the core of the old centre
- Hidden courtyards if you want a courtyard instead of a packed station
- Food Tour Haarlem for a different flavour of the weekend
ProefPark in Kenaupark follows the weekend after, 28 to 30 August.
Got a ticket?
Leave the car. There is no circuit parking. Train via Haarlem or Amsterdam, or the official Dutch GP shuttle. Zandvoort station is a short walk from the track. Check NS that morning. The timetable is changed across the country, even if Zandvoort is not your stop.
Source
Tickets and programme: Dutch GP. Trains: NS. Haarlem neighbourhoods: local reporting dated 17 August 2026. Times and trains can still move.
