Maxmania turns coastal Zandvoort into a sea of orange in support of the Dutch lion

As dawn broke over Zandvoort on Sunday the orange army began to arrive.

On bikes and trains mainly: apart from the 20 gleaming machines waiting to fire up on the Dutch Grand Prix grid later in the day, cars are largely banned at the unpretentious seaside town on the North Sea coast for this annual celebration of a national hero.

Ten thousand fans an hour, most kitted out in a variety of orange hats, orange shirts, orange facepaint, disgorge onto the platforms of the modest station - one jam-packed train arrives every five minutes from Amsterdam.

"We've borrowed most of the trains in the country for this weekend," said a railway worker cheerfully.

Bad luck for residents of Leiden or Utrecht, but they are probably here, as most of the Netherlands appears to join the pilgrimage to worship the country's favourite son.

Super Max.

Verstappen's remarkable rise to the summit of F1 has ignited a huge interest in the sport in Holland where he is on a pedestal with the likes of Johan Cruyff as the country's favourite son.

One commentator suggested this week Verstappen's "bullfighter" attitude plays well with the Dutch psyche.

And after snatching pole on a stormy Saturday the Red Bull driver is now poised to match Sebastian Vettel's record of nine consecutive wins, and take another step on his gloriously relentless march to a third straight world title.

The Max factor is the primary reason behind Formula One returning to Zandvoort after a near four-decade hiatus.

Massive spike

Friday marked the anniversary of the last Dutch Grand Prix won by the late Niki Lauda in 1985, before F1 returned to this unpretentious but charming corner of the Netherlands in 2021.

Maxmania triggers a massive spike in Zandvoort's modest population of 17 000 to 300