Silverstone first timer

[matherto]

Hi all,

Got tickets for the first time ever, going for the race on Sunday

Got general admission so if allowed, likely just gonna take camping chairs and pick a spot around the track.

Any recommendations on where to go? Obviously the nearer to a screen or at least trackside radio the better.

Also any recommendations for anything else would be appreciated having never done it. What to avoid (obviously I know prices will be insane for everything).

Do I need to buy parking?

[Muzzer79]

matherto said:

Hi all,

Got tickets for the first time ever, going for the race on Sunday

Got general admission so if allowed, likely just gonna take camping chairs and pick a spot around the track.

Any recommendations on where to go? Obviously the nearer to a screen or at least trackside radio the better.

Also any recommendations for anything else would be appreciated having never done it. What to avoid (obviously I know prices will be insane for everything).

Do I need to buy parking?

If you're GA, you need to get there early. Like, at dawn - if you want a decent spot to watch the race.

You will then not be able to move from your seat (at least one of you won't, if you're in a couple or group)

I was at Chapel back in the day but I noted last time I went there's a grandstand there now (along with several other of the GA spots I used to use - grandstands = more ££ for the organisers) so I can't advise a good GA spot.

[F355GTS]

Best GA area is probably Vale bank, they limit numbers but it's still packed, it's the only place you can get on to the track/ podium ceremony after the race. Screens opposite and as already said get there super early, access goes by early morning

[davejf]

I did it as GA for the first time last year as previously grandstand as a marshals extra ticket.
I wasn’t sure what to expect but generally as has been said, difficult to move unless you get chatty with whoever you’re next to and have pitched a seat.

If you aren’t bothered by the podium and track access at the end and don’t mind walking then I can recommend the exit of becketts / chapel as has also been said. It’s a walk from the entrance assuming you go in via park and ride (you will need to pay for some form of parking) but it’s less busy until later as most are too lazy to walk that far round. I was able to arrive about 9am, walk round, vale was rammed, after Stowe it was fairly free up the hanger straight and I watched f4 and f3 from there before wandering up to chapel and put myself down in a good spot on the edge of the gravel/grass bank about 11am ish and spent the day there (although that was partly due to the weather and hunkering down under an umbrella to stay as dry as possible. But the view as they come down becketts is good and you get reasonably close to the action. As the race progressed into the last half I left my spot and wandered back down the hanger straight to see the cars in full flight. A bit busy but you could get through but wouldn’t be able to sit down again.

I wandered all the way round (without much view from Stowe to luffield but got to luffield right at the end and you could view stood up from there if you wanted.
It meant I was one of the first out the gate and on the bus back to the park and ride car park and home at a decent time. Depends how much you want to make a day of it, what the weather as to whether you want to hang around after or how far home you have to travel.

[Gary29]

I've done GA and grandstand a few different times, I'd always try and stump up the extra for a grandstand seat, takes all the hassle out of it and makes it a much more relaxed event.

[DaveyBoyWonder]

I'm also looking at going for the first time with my eldest. Left it late so Sunday tickets are mega expensive where available, Saturday is similar so looking at Friday (there still seems to be loads on and hopefully it'll be quieter). Any recommendations on GA vs Grandstand vs Enclosures? We'll be there all day so fully prepared to get bent over for food etc. Also, wheres best to P&R in if travelling down the M1?

[Collectingbrass]

DaveyBoyWonder said:

I'm also looking at going for the first time with my eldest. Left it late so Sunday tickets are mega expensive where available, Saturday is similar so looking at Friday (there still seems to be loads on and hopefully it'll be quieter). Any recommendations on GA vs Grandstand vs Enclosures? We'll be there all day so fully prepared to get bent over for food etc. Also, wheres best to P&R in if travelling down the M1?

I thought you could roam around the various grandstands on Friday, but you'll need to check. It's definitely the day to do a walking lap of the circuit though. As for parking, the official P & R for M1 traffic is at Sixfields on Northampton and well worth doing.

[paulguitar]

Collectingbrass said:

I thought you could roam around the various grandstands on Friday

No roaming this year.

[DaveyBoyWonder]

All grandstands (on Friday) seem to be reserved seating.

Got a couple of seats on the National Pit Straight for Saturday so we'll get the sprint race and the qualifying which my eldest really wanted to see. Still not a cheap day out is it? £600+ for 2 tickets and P&R from Northampton + getting inevitably roasted for food prices. I won't complain about football ticket prices ever again

[Muzzer79]

DaveyBoyWonder said:

Still not a cheap day out is it? £600+ for 2 tickets and P&R from Northampton + getting inevitably roasted for food prices. I won't complain about football ticket prices ever again

This is precisely why I stopped going (and I live around 30 mins from Silverstone)

Back in the day, we used to go on 3 day ticket - Friday practice, qualifying and the race.

When it became more expensive than a reasonable holiday abroad for a week........we stopped.

[paulguitar]

DaveyBoyWonder said:

All grandstands (on Friday) seem to be reserved seating.

Got a couple of seats on the National Pit Straight for Saturday so we'll get the sprint race and the qualifying which my eldest really wanted to see. Still not a cheap day out is it? £600+ for 2 tickets and P&R from Northampton + getting inevitably roasted for food prices. I won't complain about football ticket prices ever again

I sold my weekend Becketts tickets, but I am thinking of bombing over there by myself just for Saturday.


Should be a good day, midday for the sprint race and 4 PM for the qualifying, that's a lot of activity in a few hours. Plus the F2 race and demonstration of real F1 cars in between.

[Sir Bagalot]

Muzzer79 said:

DaveyBoyWonder said:

Still not a cheap day out is it? £600+ for 2 tickets and P&R from Northampton + getting inevitably roasted for food prices. I won't complain about football ticket prices ever again

This is precisely why I stopped going (and I live around 30 mins from Silverstone)

Back in the day, we used to go on 3 day ticket - Friday practice, qualifying and the race.

When it became more expensive than a reasonable holiday abroad for a week........we stopped.

Yep. I used to weekend it. Then one year they increased the price of my ticket by 25%. fk that I thought.

[bergclimber34]

They don't care, hundreds of thousands decide it is fair enough. So it will always be this way sadly, the "my life my way" lot dont care about anything.

[Sir Bagalot]

bergclimber34 said:

They don't care, hundreds of thousands decide it is fair enough. So it will always be this way sadly, the "my life my way" lot dont care about anything.

Sadly you're right. It's always a sell out.

I've just checked cost to park at the circuit. Sitting down? £120. £120 fking pounds. Now some of you may say, £120 for 3 days? That'snot bad. £40 pd.

NO. IT'S £120 PER fkING DAY

[Kawasaki90]

It’s been a few years since I’ve gone, but after yesterdays race I decided to check if I could still get a GA ticket, 36 remaining at a cost of £500, so would be 2 grand….

Are they £500 from the word go, or is it because I’ve left it late and until there’s limited tickets available?

[paulguitar]

Sir Bagalot said:

Sadly you're right. It's always a sell out.

I've just checked cost to park at the circuit. Sitting down? £120. £120 fking pounds. Now some of you may say, £120 for 3 days? That'snot bad. £40 pd.

NO. IT'S £120 PER fkING DAY

Or you can make alternative parking arrangements for £80 for the whole weekend.

[Sir Bagalot]

paulguitar said:

Sir Bagalot said:

Sadly you're right. It's always a sell out.

I've just checked cost to park at the circuit. Sitting down? £120. £120 fking pounds. Now some of you may say, £120 for 3 days? That'snot bad. £40 pd.

NO. IT'S £120 PER fkING DAY

Or you can make alternative parking arrangements for £80 for the whole weekend.

Totally agree, one only has to google Silverstone Schools Parking

[geeks]

Aside from the ticket stuff.

It can get very windy as the circuit is open and mostly flat, prep for this even on warm days. When it rains it fking rains so prep for that, even on warm days

Beyond that enjoy it, the support races are usually not very well watched by the spectators but are usually well worth watching so I would suggest that too.

[Sir Bagalot]

Silverstone weather. Ah yes. One of the few places you can get windburn, sunburn and soaked to the skin all on the same day

[spikyone]

Sir Bagalot said:

Sadly you're right. It's always a sell out.

I've just checked cost to park at the circuit. Sitting down? £120. £120 fking pounds. Now some of you may say, £120 for 3 days? That'snot bad. £40 pd.

NO. IT'S £120 PER fkING DAY

£48 for park and ride for the weekend, and you don't have to sit in a queue to get in. Still crazy expensive but far more palatable.

Lewis's win on Sunday got me a bit optimistic/excited so I looked at getting a GA ticket, wasn't too impressed with the locations. Obviously, I ended up with a seat at Club that cost nearly twice as much. Whoops...