All lines lead to Max Verstappen’s party. Special trains, as long as the Nile, leave Amsterdam Central every five minutes to ferry the faithful out sober before carrying them back on a froth of beer.
Each train, travelling the 20 miles to Zandvoort on the western shore of Holland, is known as the Max Express.
On the 15-minute walk from Zandvoort station to the track, a blustery trek on Friday, locals in the residential street flog T-shirts carrying the triple world champion’s name. And a picture of their hero pops up on bus shelters as a smiling advert for Heineken 0.0.
Encouragingly for the throng, history suggests that Verstappen is favourite to win his home race for a fourth straight time. Nobody else has triumphed here under the orange flares since the track returned to the calendar.
It will not be so easy for him on Sunday because the chasing pack is closing in. Mercedes and McLaren are breathing hotter. His rivals’ resurgence is highlighted by the startling fact Verstappen has now gone four races without a victory for the first time since 2020.
Max Verstappen is favourite for the Dutch Grand Prix but still faces a significant challenge
The vast majority of the 105,000 crowd at the Dutch Grand Prix will be backing Verstappen
But he remains the championship leader, 78 points ahead of Lando Norris, as the campaign restarts after its summer hiatus. Ten rounds remain, including this weekend’s.
Amazingly, Zandvoort may not be a permanent fixture on the F1 roster for much longer. The circuit is not government-funded but owned by the Dutch prince and entrepreneur, Bernhard of Orange-Nassau.
He and his business associates are speaking to Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali this weekend to see what arrangement, if any, can be reached beyond the expiry next year of the current deal to host the race at a cost to them of some £20million annually.
There’s a feeling that as Spa staged the last grand prix earlier in the month, the two neighbouring events are in danger of cannibalising each other. With Barcelona — as well as Spa — keen to stay on the calendar, there is a chance Zandvoort comes in and out on alternate years. F1 bosses do not want to yo-yo from a strict 24 rounds a season.
There is also the Max factor to consider with regards to all this. He is 26 and Sunday marks his 200th start. He said this weekend that he will not stick around long enough to double the haul. And no Verstappen, no compelling reason for Zandvoort. Still, while he continues to perform magic tricks at the wheel the disciples will continue to flock. It may also turn out that he rescinds his promise to walk out at 31, just as Lewis Hamilton changed his mind about his planned retirement age when he approached the cliff edge.
For Max, the mantra is ‘focus’, and he makes few obvious concessions to the presence of the partisans. His father Jos, who has publicly fallen out with his son’s team principal Christian Horner over the scandal that engulfed Red Bull earlier in the year, is in attendance. Max does not let that distract him.
As for Horner, he said on Friday he is ‘relieved’ the appeal against the verdict of the internal investigation that cleared him also found in his favour and against the female employee who accused him of ‘inappropriate behaviour’.
Closure or respite on that front? That depends on whether the complainant takes the matter to an employment tribunal. It is unclear whether she will pursue that route, as those close to her previously suggested she might. No comment from her camp for now. For the moment, there’s a modicum of calm in the camp, just as Verstappen likes it.
The Netherlands’ biggest sports star finished in fifth place in practice on Friday
The big question is if Verstappen’s pal Lando Norris has it within him to win the title this year
The Netherlands’ biggest sports star, bar none, finished practice in fifth on Friday with the Mercedes and McLarens ahead: George Russell fastest, Oscar Piastri second, Hamilton third and Norris fourth.
The big question is if Verstappen’s pal Norris has it within him to win the title this year, having recently fluffed his lines. The possibility was put to McLaren team principal Andrea Stella on Friday. The Italian did not directly answer the question, though he backed his British driver up to a point by couching the debate in a wider timeframe, saying: ‘Lando is definitely world championship material.
‘He already performs at levels I’ve seen in some of the great champions I worked with (such as Michael Schumacher). If we compare against perfection, we see opportunities (for improvement).’
It is a make-or-break weekend for Norris’s fragile title chance. He only has to beat Verstappen and most of the 105,000 crowd to prevail. Good luck with that.