The Formula 1 circus is heading to the Netherlands this weekend, the home race of driving sensation Max Verstappen. But keen photographers should know before they go: the event has a very restrictive camera policy.
Motorsport photographer Jamey Price took to Instagram this week to warn fans heading to the race that unless they have media credentials to cover the race, their camera and lenses won’t be allowed in.
Price says that the Dutch GP has “some of the strictest rules on cameras” and the event bans any recording device with a detachable lens.
But a look at the Dutch GP website suggests it’s even stricter than that. “Selfie sticks, drones, cameras, or recording equipment are NOT permitted,” the website says under the House Rules section.
Price adds that, “if you are heading to any F1 race this year, make sure you check the event-specific website. Not F1.com… They will have a list of things you can and cannot bring. And on that list, they’ll talk about cameras and lens limits. It is different for every race. Some races have no limits. Others, like the Netherlands and Vegas, do not allow any cameras with detachable lenses.”
Some races have oddly specific limits on cameras. The Miami GP, for example, allows cameras with consumer-grade detachable lenses no longer than six inches. That prompted one photographer to bring a tape measure with him so that he could prove to security his gear was eligible.
A lot of photographers bristle at the restrictions, with one writing under Price’s post that the rules make “absolutely no sense” while another says they only restrict “hobbyist photographers and negatively impact online fan engagement.”
It is a shame too because the Dutch GP at the historic Zandvoort circuit will hold its last race this weekend for the foreseeable future. The twisty-turny track undulates around sand dunes thanks to its unusual setting on the North Sea coast.
It only returned in 2021 after a 35-year absence, largely because of the meteoric rise of Max Verstappen. The Orange Army, who have followed him around the world since his debut in 2015, basically willed the event into existence.
But with increasing talk that Verstappen will leave the sport, the circuit doesn’t want to commit to a long-term contract with F1.
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