Following the example of Noordwijk, the municipal council of Zandvoort also agreed on Tuesday evening to create a route along the beach between Noordwijk and Zandvoort if Formula 1 pitched its tents in the Netherlands. The controversial beach route will be used by three Formula 1 teams and will run for 3 kilometers through the Noordvoort nature reserve, where seals, among other things, are supposed to stay in peace.
Earlier Tuesday the college of mayor and aldermen gave permission for the use of the beach, but on the condition that it is a “fallback option”. Only when, for example, traffic to the circuit is blocked, can the beach route be used so that teams can reach the track.
Zandvoort only wants to admit a column of electric or hybrid vehicles, which can travel back and forth twice a day. Returning over the beach is only allowed after 6 p.m., provided the beach is empty. The route must be inspected before departure.
The neighboring municipality of Noordwijk previously ruled that the beach route should only be used “if the impact on the nature area remains limited”. An online petition against the plan was quickly signed thousands of times.
Not clear which team came up with the initiative
It is not clear from which three teams the initiative for the beach route came, but RTL News wrote earlier that one of the teams is Red Bull Racing, for which the Dutch driver Max Verstappen is active. The route would help the teams to “avoid traffic jams”.
The Grand Prix of the Netherlands will take place on 3 May. The last time a Formula 1 race was held at the Zandvoort circuit was in 1985. Niki Lauda won that race at the time.
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