British GP

[GG.]

Looking at picking up some tickets but trying to work out which grandstand would be best.

Luffield, Woodcote B and Vale are the potential options remaining based on availability.

Any advice from people that have been?

[Jobbo]

My only advice having been once is don't go in 2000 when they decided to bring the date forward to around Easter, when the place was like a mudbath.

[GG.]

Dates are July so should be fine hopefully - can't see them bringing it forward unless something extraordinary occurs.

Did you have grandstand tickets or just general admittance?

[dinny_g]

Last time I went, I got Woodcote A tickets. Good balance of interesting view Brooklands, Luffield and the entire National Straight and price (sort of mid point)

F1 in the UK is still far far too expensive to ever go again

[mik]

Anywhere that you can also see a big screen that is showing the race.

I wouldn't bother again. Partly 'cos I enjoy spectating closer racing in lower level categories, and partly 'cos I was frankly amazed at huge numbers of the crowd booing specific drivers as they passed (Rosberg at the time was getting it - Hambone got cheers every time he went by).

[GG.]

Woodcote A only single tickets available.

Yes prices are silly. All single day tickets are greyed out (and have been since the tickets went live seemingly) so its a minimum of about £500 for a weekend ticket if you want any sort of grandstand.

May be one of my last chances to see Lewis at Silverstone and first year in a Ferrari.

[Jobbo]

Dates are July so should be fine hopefully - can't see them bringing it forward unless something extraordinary occurs.

Did you have grandstand tickets or just general admittance?

Yes, the date was only moved that year for some reason - the organisers realised the folly of their ways and reverted to a slightly more reliable time of year for the weather!

Since it was 25 years ago before the roads around Silverstone were improved, I can't say that my experience is likely to be all that useful to you - I don't know what it's like inside the circuit now to compare but it must have been similarly improved. But because I like remembering the day out, it involved me a friend sticking two bikes in the boot of my Corrado (somehow), driving until we hit the end of the traffic jam (about 8 miles from the circuit), stashing the car and riding in. No grandstand tickets, just general admittance. Because of the bikes we were also able to explore easily all round the track, and I think I sprayed Clarkson with a bit of mud from my back tyre.

Watching it was a total pain though; I spent my time texting a mate who was watching on telly because you can only see one section of track when you're sitting, and the tannoys for the commentary weren't loud enough. So I decided not to bother going again. If I were invited by somebody and it was full corporate entertainment then I might do so.

[duncs500]

Surely nowadays people have a phone or tablet to hand with Sky on it to keep tabs on what's going on?

[jamcg]

We went from 2012 until 2022- the cost of its stopped us bothering now, whilst Spain isn’t the best racing it’ll cost the same for a week abroad and race tickets

Grandstand wise we always liked Stowe- lots of overtakes, stupid fast corner in the modern era, amazing to see them really lean into it- if you get the one looking down hanger straight you get a great view of them coming down there at 200mph into the braking zone and potentially passing, lots of track limits there going on too- you can also see when they go into the pits so an added bit of race viewing there too

Avoid copse (c I think?) you see nothing at all

Take a radio. They have their own commentary broadcast on fm, can’t remember what bits very low in the range so make sure it’ll go down to 80. They’ll sell you one but it’ll cost you

Food is horrendous and crap. Expect to queue for it too. In fact expect to queue for everything

Do not rely on phone signal for sky etc. the teams use every bit of bandwidth when racing and I’m not sure if there’s some sort of priority given to them because internet slows to a stop. One time we went Vodafone had a fault that gave us full signal and absolutely no data transfer

Take clothing for it to be 45degrees and glorious and for it to be 4degrees and pissing down. It’s got its own microclimate there and it tends to be one of the extremes

[dinny_g]

Since it was 25 years ago before the roads around Silverstone were improved

From the moment we left our seats after the mandatory "pulling doughnuts" lap from Hamilton, to park and ride buses to car to home (near Wellingborough) took us less than an hour.

Mahooooosive improvement

[Jobbo]

Surely nowadays people have a phone or tablet to hand with Sky on it to keep tabs on what's going on?

Back in 2000, I had a Nokia 3210 and one friend with a mobile phone whom I could ask - but all of my friends could watch it live for free on the BBC

[duncs500]

I can confirm that free/cheap BRDC tickets are excellent.

[JonMad]

I can confirm that free/cheap BRDC tickets are excellent.

Yes, free paddock/pit lane entry passes for all three days, with a free bar (0% alcohol though, due to driving) and blagging your way into the Red Bull hospitality for food each day, is definitely the way to do it.

Which will be of no help whatsoever.
I have a mate who goes each year though, I can ask him for his advice if you like?

[dan]

My only advice having been once is don't go in 2000 when they decided to bring the date forward to around Easter, when the place was like a mudbath.

I was there that year too, sat in the grandstand at the end of the start finish straight......feeling those 20 v10's leave the grid at the start of the race was epic.

The traffic jam to get in and out wasn't so fun, we were on the island on the A43 with the BP garage when they announced on the radio that anyone who hadn't made it there yet should turn around as they weren't getting in. We made it to our seats with about 10 minutes to go before the race started, having left coventry at 6am.

Since then i've been to a couple of test days in the hybrid era. You've got to see them in the flesh, its mind bending when you can see them pulling 5g in a bend, but nowadays i'd rather watch the race on tv.

[integrale_evo]

I’m annoyed I didn’t get to see a race when they made a decent noise.

I did go to a test day at Silverstone in 99/2000 so glad to have at least seen several of them at full chat even if not in a big bunch.

I expect access now is about a million times better than when you used to have to drive through Silverstone village then turn left down a B-road and 95% of the parking was on grass

[GG.]

Thanks guys - booked tickets for Luffield Grandstand in the end.

The f1 website only allowed booking Fri-Sun which realistically we weren't going to use. The Silverstone website had tickets for just the race at about £500pp. Not cheap but I feel I have to go at least once...

[duncs500]

I’m annoyed I didn’t get to see a race when they made a decent noise.

Sacrilegious as I'm sure it is, I'd go so far as to say they were too loud. Impressive once or twice, but hearing protection needed for any sustained period.

[Mito Man]

The worst was in the early hybrid years when you’d have the F2 v8 cars on track before the race. They sounded glorious, then you’d get the F1 cars which were really disappointing in terms of sound.
If you’re lucky maybe Vettel will come out in one of his classic F1 cars and make some noise.

[nuttinnew]

We went from 2012 until 2022- the cost of its stopped us bothering now, whilst Spain isn’t the best racing it’ll cost the same for a week abroad and race tickets

[GG.]

The worst was in the early hybrid years when you’d have the F2 v8 cars on track before the race. They sounded glorious, then you’d get the F1 cars which were really disappointing in terms of sound.
If you’re lucky maybe Vettel will come out in one of his classic F1 cars and make some noise.

Yes hopefully there is a pre-race. I think it is often the Porsche Carrera Cup but I can't see anything confirmed on that front. As a 911 fan that would be great and they sound pretty awesome.