Ben Pon grandstand at Zandvoort is positioned along the start / finish straight of the Dutch Grand Prix circuit. It’s made up of two sections, but the view from each is remarkably different.
This article provides a complete guide to viewing the F1 from the Ben Pon stand based on my experience at the 2023 Dutch GP.
It includes a full seating plan, a video with examples of the view from different seats, and tips on which seats / rows / sections to go for and which ones to avoid.
Contents
Zandvoort Ben Pon grandstand location
The Ben Pon grandstand is located on the outside (left-hand side) of the start / finish straight on the Zandvoort track.
It’s the closest of all the grandstands along the main straight to the final corner, Turn 14.
Other grandstands
Check out our spectating guides to the other grandstands at Zandvoort:
Ben Pon grandstand tickets for the Dutch GP
The Ben Pon grandstand is made up of two sections:
- Ben Pon grandstand 1
- Ben Pon grandstand 2
In reality these two sections are all part of the same grandstand. But each section falls under different pricing structures for the F1:
Ben Pon grandstand 1 is part of the Gold group of grandstands
Ben Pon grandstand 2 is part of the Silver I group of grandstand.
Gold grandstands are more expensive than Silver I grandstands as they offer better views and vantage points.
These grandstand tickets often sell out well in advance of the race on the official Dutch Grand Prix website (sometimes almost a year before). If that’s the case but you still need tickets, I’d recommend buying through P1 travel. They are an official ticket reseller with a great reputation and have a great selection of 1, 2 or 3-day tickets available.
The Gold stands are the second most expensive Zandvoort F1 tickets for grandstand seats, after the Main Straight stands.
A 3-day ticket in the Gold part of the stand will cost around 350 Euros more than a 3-day Zandvoort General Admission ticket.
Zandvoort Ben Pon grandstand details
Seats
The seats are plastic chairs with fixed backs and bases.
Cover
The Ben Pon grandstand at Zandvoort is completely uncovered and is exposed to the elements. It rained almost the whole weekend during the 2023 Dutch GP so everyone in the stand got very wet.
You’re not allowed umbrellas in the grandstands as they block the view for the people behind you, so bring suitable clothing!
TV screens
There is one main TV screen visible from this stand. It’s directly opposite seats 165 – 175 but it’s pretty massive so can just about be seen from everywhere in Ben Pon.
However, if you’re sat in the front couple of rows on the extreme right hand side of the stand you’ll struggle to see it clearly.
The image below was taken from row 1 seat 1, the furthest forwards to the right, but I was standing up when I took it. If you were sat down in your seat you’d also have to look through the safety fence, so you’d really struggle to see the screen at all.
Facilities
There are numerous food, drink and merchandise vendors in the large open area right behind the Ben Pon stand. Plus there’s lots of toilets all just a few steps away.
This area is one of the busiest around the circuit, especially in between the F1 sessions, so it can take longer than you’d think to get anywhere due to the sheer volume of people.
Ben Pon grandstand seating plan
Below is the Zandvoort Ben Pon grandstand seating plan.
As the plan shows the grandstand has 40 rows. Row 1 is the lowest down at the front and row 40 is highest up at the back.
The seat numbers go up from left to right (if you stand on the track and look up at the stand). They increase continuously across the whole width of the stand. Seat 1 is the furthest to the left and seat 338 is the furthest to the right.
To get in to the grandstand you have to go through one of the numbered entrances. These start at 100 on the left and go up to 113 on the right. These numbers are clearly shown on the back of the grandstand.
The grandstand is split in to two sections for ticketing purposes. When you’re in the stand there’s no physical divide between the two sections, there’s just an invisible boundary between row numbers.
Section 2 (silver) is lowest down and goes from row 1 to row 20. Section 2 (gold) is the higher half of the stand and goes from row 21 to row 40.
Zandvoort Ben Pon grandstand view
The image below shows the parts of the Zandvoort circuit that can be seen from the Ben Pon grandstand highlighted in pink.
From this stand you have a view of the exit of the final corner on to the main straight.
Depending where you’re sat in the stand the amount of the straight you can see towards Turn 1 will vary.
There are also some parts of the stand that give you a view towards the banked Turn 3 on the infield.
The video below shows the view from a number of different seats and rows in the Ben Pon grandstand:
- Seat 1 Row 1
- Seat 58 Row 1
- Seat 116 Row 9
- Seat 174 Row 37
- Seat 261 Row 39
- Seat 338 Row 40
As the video shows, sitting in the front row gives you quite a poor view. The safety fence is close to the front of the stand, so when you look either up or down the straight to your left or right the fence becomes almost opaque.
That means if you’re in the front few rows your view is almost entirely limited to the section of track directly in front of your where the cars will speed past in a flash.
Ideally you need to get up above row 10 to be able to look clearly over the top of the fence.
If you sit high enough in the middle of the stand you’ll have a good view of the entry and exit of Turn 3 on the inside of the circuit. You need to be above row 30 to get a decent view of this.
Sitting higher up in the stand is a good idea, except if you’re on the extreme left hand side in the highest seat numbers. The roof of the adjacent Main grandstand will block your view. The further up and to the left you are, the worse it gets.
This is the view to the left from row 40 (back row) in seat 338 (end seat).
And from row 39 seat 261 the roof still blocks your view of Turn 1.
Best seats in the Ben Pon grandstand
Unquestionably you want to be higher up in the grandstand to get a good view over the fence and ideally of Turn 3 as well.
To do that I’d go for seats in the 102 – 189 range in rows 30 – 40. Any seats higher than 190 and you run the risk of having your view of Turn 1 blocked by the roof of the Main grandstand.
In an ideal world I’d get something higher than row 35 to get the best view of Turn 3.
Is the Ben Pon grandstand a good place to sit?
The Silver section (lower half) of the Ben Pon grandstand isn’t worth it. Your view is too compromised by the fence and you won’t be able to see anything of Turn 3 either.
The Gold section in the upper half of the stand is definitely better if you heed my tips above and get some good seats.
But as you can’t see the apex of Turn 3, you’re unlikely to be able to see much overtaking action first hand.
You can just about see cars passing one another as they enter the braking zone for Turn 1 at the end of the longest Zandvoort DRS Zone. But you’ll quickly lose them out of sight as they enter the corner.
If seeing some overtaking if your main aim then try the Tarzan In grandstand on the outside of Turn 1.
Nearest entrance
The main entrance, Gate 1, is the closest to this stand. It’s only a minute or so walk behind it.
Gate 4 is also not far away but is a 5 – 10 minute walk. This is the gate you need to use if you’re staying in the official Zandvoort F1 camping area.
For tips on getting to the circuit see our guide on how to get to the Zandvoort F1 race.
Row 20 can give you a great view of the Pit Lane, TV and the track if you have the chance to get one in the middle or more left side. It is still Silver Ben Pon 2. Sadly in most of the cases you dont have the chance to choose which seat you want to have.
Thanks for the tips! I think the only way to choose is via the official reseller platform (that’s what I did last year)
Hi Alex, thanks for the article and information.
What is the official reseller website where you purchased?
Thanks!
Hi Cristian,
The official Zandvoort website had a ticket reselling platform on it last year, but it only opened up in the month or two before the Dutch GP.
The other option is P1 Travel who are also an official reseller. They already have a good stock of tickets.