Silverstone – spectators’ experiences

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David Coulthard, Red Bull-Ferrari, 2006Tell us about your experiences of visiting Silverstone.

You may wish to include:

  • When you visited the track
  • Where you watched from
  • How easy it was to get to
  • How much of the track you could see
  • What support races there were
  • What you liked and didn’t like
  • How much it cost and whether it was good value

Please use the reply box below to leave your comments.

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569 comments on “Silverstone – spectators’ experiences”

  1. Graham Clayton
    17th May 2007, 12:24

    Visited for British GP 2006
    Watched from Copse Corner Bronze Plus
    Very easy to get to – well signposted and special traffic system implemented for the GP
    Bit of the pit straight, right through copse & up the road – could see into the pits
    Support Races were GP2 & Porsche Supercup – Hamilton won the GP2 :-)
    Everything was nice – people were relaxed & friendly – high prices on food
    Ticket was £120 for 3 days – I found that to be exceptional value

    The fantastic weather had to a lot to do with my overall enjoyment but it was an excellent weekend

    1. Where were your seats located in the stands and how did you like that location? I’ve found that the higher in the stand the better. Up against the back railing seemed perfect.

  2. I went to Silverstone for Saturday’s qualifying session in 2002 (the first year of the improved access road, but before the bypass was fully opened).

    I watched qualifying from Club’s general admission area, which faced Stowe. The area between the exit of Stowe to the entrance of Abbey was visible (the third quarter of the circuit).

    It was easy to get to – had a fan belt not broken on the car, we would have got from near Sheffield to Silverstone in just over two hours. Getting out was another matter – it took three-and-a-half hours, not including a break at a motorway service station.

    Support races were a little sparse, with only an F3000 race (plenty of daring, maniac driving) and the qualifying for the historic race for pre-1965 F1 cars (lovely cars, lovely driving… though it might have helped if people other than Stirling Moss had remembered the correct route!)

    I liked the helpful staff – when a purse went missing, they found it again quickly and without fuss. The layout of the shops was also good – you could get a burger from just about anywhere, and the routes were accessible. There was a great ambience, with friendly and enthusiastic supporters of most teams and drivers everywhere.

    Dislikes included baffling parking arrangements (I found myself in the wrong car park, complicating leaving the venue), the insects (try not to wear anything yellow!) and the prices of the food.

    The value question is a little difficult for me to answer. Having received the ticket from a friend who had herself received a set of tickets for the weekend but didn’t want to go on the Saturday, I don’t know how much the ticket originally cost. I did enjoy myself though, and that’s the main thing!

  3. Scott Joslin
    5th July 2007, 22:57

    I am going to the Grand Prix this weekend, and the last time I went for the full weekend was in 2005. It is easy to critise Silverstone, but to understand where they have come from to where they are now requires some consideration.

    In the 90’s it uses to take hours and hours to get to the track and that is not to mention the fields in which the car parks were based in. Now access is much better and the car parks are…well not concrete, but an improvement. The access in and around the track in wide and clearly labelled and organised.

    Race day is busy, so I would always advice to get to the track early, very early! If you have a grandstand seat then you can afford to arrive later, but if you are standing, on race day the flag mad fans set up early, especially around luffield.

    Best places to watch. The grandstand at wodcote – where it starts to spell “Silverstone” gives a good clear sight of the cars accelerating past you.

    The exit to copes is good – real impression of speed.

    The entry to Becketts is also a special place, mental change of direction.

    I agree with the comment above, the exit to Club is good, as you see the cars for a long time.

    If the weather holds out, you can have a great time, if the silverstone rain turns up it can make it a very different experience.

    I hope everyone going this year has a good one and gets behind the Brits!

    1. eamonn carter
      7th July 2010, 19:23

      Hi I live about 10 miles from SStone and this is my 1st time at the curcuit. I am in a fortunate position to have a choice of Grandstand seats at either Copse E or Woodcote B. I am trying frantically to get some feedback on which would offer best experience. I know it is personal choice but I have never been before Any comments from anyone would help Many Thanks

  4. It has been a few years since I visited Silverstone for the GP, and I am sure the place is a lot more built-up now. But the atmosphere and the fans are what stands out to me now. I agree about the viewing at Woodcote-lots of folks there, all with an opinion-and not too far to travel to get beer refills during a session. My crew was able to walk all around the outside of the circuit on Friday, so we saw every corner. Lots of stuff I am sure is not there now; the ramps to the hangers on the Hanger straight, the unique sling seats in the stands at Stowe, and watching the replay telecast-complete with Murray W., on TV in my hotel that night. As far as the food goes, eat an order of fish and chips and you are not hungry for the rest of the day!
    I know there were and are lots of complaints about ingress and egress, but I took the bus in from the train station and encountered no delay-I had an entire bus to myself exiting the track after the race-sitting up top with the driver going like mad down empty lanes.
    Oh, yes, the year? It was 1987-Mansell vs. Piquet. Motor racing history-and I managed to be there. Worth the journey from the States.

  5. paul havell
    5th May 2008, 10:25

    Been going to the British GP at Silverstone for 9 years continuous now 99 to 08 but 23 years on and off, strated going in 85, on the plus side nowadays the facilities are light years better than they were in the old days, on the down side you can’t get anywhere as near nowadays to the drivers as you used to be able to. As far as cost is conserned I believe it’s great value if you buy at the right time, I buy my ticket as soon as they come out, normally around sept of the year before the race 2008 ticket i bought at the circuit during the le mans series at a cost of £139 for 3 day ticket with a grandstand seat at stowe for the race itself. you cant buy 3 good premiership football tickets for that price…This year I’ve got the usual 4/5 mates coming with me which makes it a great weekend and tthe cost of the camping £300 for 6 days, I get there wed and leave mon to avoid the sunday afternoon rush,£300 for 6 days =£50 a piece…. bargain. merchandise is dear in the circuit but just over the foot bridge fronm the main entrance is a little tented sort of shopping village and it’s a lot cheaper for the same gear, you’ve just got to be bothered to walk. Anyway I’ve never had a bad one not even 1999 when it absolutely teemed it down and the race was in april. Anyone going this year 2008 I hope you have a good one… support williams in their 30th year and pray we keep the independant teams and dont go down the customer route.

  6. I went the Renault World Series last Sunday, we watched from a Paddock Suite – it was amazing, you are so close to the pit lane entrance, you can see the drivers faces in the cars as they came pass and the noise and smell, it is so different from being in the grandstand. The start of the race was actualy really interesting cause you can see what they are all doing. – its intense.

    I’ve paid £179 for F1 Fri Practice and its worth every penny – I’m gonna eat, drink and watch from the comfort of the cosy terrace any day. I would definetly recommend http://www.n3events.com – a real class act.

  7. Christian Briddon
    25th June 2008, 14:14

    My wife and I went to Silverstone in 2007 for the first time and loved it.

    We had general admission tickets and watched the race from Club. It was great. You could see all the way from Stowe and up to Abbey!

    This year we decided to treat ourselves and we are sat in Pit Straight B. I hope it is worth the extra cash! :-)

  8. I’ve been to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on five occasions.

    In 1998 I camped at a farm just outside the Becketts curve which was excellent for getting in and out of the circuit. Campaign is definitely worth considering if you’re going on a General Admission ticket and want to be there early to get a good viewing spot.

    Of course that year it lashed with rain which made for a good race but I was soaked and freezing afterwards. We were in a stand at Copse, the first turn, and although it was covered we were sat at the end and still very exposed.

    I was back five years later for what turned out to be a cracking race. A friend and I got late ticekts overlooking Luffield and the start of the start/finish straight. There was an excellent atmosphere and the race was a thriller.

    It was blisteringly hot in 2005 and the race organisers were handing out free sun cream which was a wise move. Before the race journalist Bob MacKenzie had to run a semi-naked lap of the track having bet Ron Dennis in 2004 McLaren wouldn’t win a race that year. It wasn’t the best race however. My brother and I went on General Admission tickets and squeezed in with the crowd at Luffield for which we had to get up very early indeed!

    In 2006 Lewis Hamilton’s exploits in GP2 made up for a really quite terrible Grand Prix. The crowd cheered louder for Hamilton’s three-abreast pass at Becketts than anything that went on during the F1 race. I was sat at the end of the Hangar straight and saw loads of good racing during the GP2 race. This was also the year of the world cup and the organisers made sure fans had plenty of places to watch England’s game on the Saturday after qualifying.

    My most recent visit was in 2006 when I got a set at Bridge which is an excellent place to watch from. Bridge itself is an excellent corner, very quick, and you could see Priory, Brooklands and Luffield as well, plus a video wall in the middle of the track.

  9. dean clements
    1st July 2008, 1:53

    me and my mate are going down for the fourth year in a row this weekend. we have chosen the ‘cheap’ seats this year after the luxury of the pit straight stands for 2 years and becketts stand last year.you will find us at copse this year.
    the only access problem is if you miss the turn on the motorway you dont get a second chance and have to turn around!! excellent otherwise!
    the gp2 races are well worth watching for the audacious moves and the future f1 drivers (bruno senna next year??).not sure if the porsche supercup is on this year but frankly….
    food and beer are available everywhere and you will be overcharged but we expect it! the merchandise shops are excellent,every team gets there own stand to ensure every fan is catered for.the williams stand is obviously the busiest!!
    camping is strongly recommended.its half the buzz of going to silverstone and adds to an already festival like atmosphere.the local convenience stores are fairly priced and very welcoming,although you may need to queue just to get in!!
    the race its self is amazing,the sound,the sheer speed and the smell.i would like to see a wet race this year though.
    if your going for the 1st time this year,i think you will be back!!

  10. Can someone help I have a work thing at the GP on sun 6th with all the exec’s!!! I dont have a clue what the dress code or anything

    1. i am going to silverstone motor bike racing next week and have not got a clue on what to wear. my partner has a sponsors shirt as he sponsors the event but I have no idea. could you advise me?

  11. Lisa – Well that’s a first! I would imagine it’s going to be formal. Do let us know if you meet anyone famous…

  12. I would say whatever you would wear to an in-house executive meeting, plus ear protection, a coat (try a packable camping-type one if you need to stow it away during dry spells), wellingtons (leave in the car if it looks like it will be dry when you get there) and suncream. Though having never been to an executive meeting before, you’d be well-advised to ask whoever gave you the invitation for advice.

  13. Erm thanks but that is just a typical male answer!!camping jacket, wellingtons????no thanks

  14. Lisa, I was in the paddock today. Dress code was smart casual, no denim jeans or tracksuits.

  15. F1 Race Fan from America here. Planning trip to U.K. for ’09 British g.P.. Any support/ advise appreciated. Willing to meet with any helpful F1 fans for G.P.

  16. Which Grandstand is the best to watch from – we’re thinking of Pit Straight B?
    Thanks

  17. FAO Christian Briddon – was Pit Stright B worth the extra cash?
    Thanks

  18. Is Pit Straight B a good Grandstand to watch from Christian B or is Luffield A or Woodcote B better? About the book tickets for 2009 and this being first time to see F1, want to make sure I get the biggest bang for my buck!!
    Thanks

  19. Christian Briddon
    10th July 2008, 16:42

    Hi all,

    To answer your questions about pit straight b, yes, it it well worth the extra money.

    We watched Friday practice 2 from Luffield A and Qualifying from Luffield B (for a bit of variety) and I was thinking that maybe they were the tickets to have as you see more of the track and more importantly some curves! :-) However, come Sunday we both thought that pit straight B was the best place. We were sat directly opposite Webber’s car and got the full force of the atmosphere!!! We saw the start, the finish and the podium. We also saw the pit stops which was amazing.

    The only bad thing about Pit Straight B was that you just saw the cars drive past rather then doing anything else like turning, but this was not really an issue.

    I have actually just booked tickets for next year this morning and once again gone for Pit Straight B.

    It is well worth the extra!

  20. Hi Christian,

    Another Q about Pit Straight B – where you were sat, was it right at the back? Only it states it is covered, but the only covered part, looking at the pictures anyway, is right at the back/highest point of that Grandstand? The front section I’m assuming is Pit Straight A? Any idea of seat numbering? Is A down at front and Z at back for example?

  21. Christian Briddon
    10th July 2008, 22:34

    The seating confused us as well. Looking at the circuit maps it appears as if Pit Straight B is at the fron of the grandstand but it is actually the read covered part.

    The seating has row’s starting with A at the front and as we were on row G and about in the middle I guess they go back to row P, Q or R (or something).

    As for seat numbers, we were sat in seats 86 and 87 and I was exactly opposite Webbers rear wing. The higher number seats were to my left so if I was in seat 95 (guessing) I would be at the fron of his car/back of Kovi’s car.

    Oh yes, and if it rains don’t expect to be dry just because you are in a covered grandstand. The wind blows the rain into the stand and even when it stopped the GP” cars went past, throwing up loads of spray which was then blown directly in to the stand. Not that it really mattered to be honest!! :-) Just still remember to take waterproofs with you just in case!!

    I hope this helps! I spent most of last year trying to work out where our seats were going to be for the same reason as you!

    Christian

  22. Oh yes, and if it rains don’t expect to be dry just because you are in a covered grandstand. The wind blows the rain into the stand and even when it stopped the GP cars went past, throwing up loads of spray which was then blown directly in to the stand.

    Yeah I can vouch for that. I was there in ’98 and I’m still not completely dry.

  23. Christian Briddon
    10th July 2008, 23:31

    Give me a day or so and I will have some pictures posted on Flickr. It is taking me a while to sort them though as I managed to take 920 over the 3 days!! I have managed to whittle them down to about 200 though. :-)

    I did a panorama of the pit straigh from our seats while it was empty should give you a better idea of what Pit Straight B is like.

    I’ll post the link when the pics are up….

  24. Christian Briddon
    12th July 2008, 13:20

    Hi all,

    I have finally uploaded all my pictures from this years GP. The race day ones are all taken from Pit Straight B.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/briddon/collections/72157606095856087/

    I also have a few videos including one of the start from the same seat.

    http://www.vimeo.com/1325881

    Enjoy! :-)

  25. Hi Christian,

    Thanks for sharing your photo’s and video of the start! Most impressive! We have also now booked tickets, for GP ’09 and have also gone for Pit Straight B – hubby’s overall choice! – so see you there!! Fingers crossed for better weather!! ;-)

  26. I’m thinking of buying tickets for the 2009 grand prix for ym boyfriend’s birthday, it being the last at silverstone and all that, and am trying to work out which would be best (without costing tooo much!)

    He says the Complex is the best, which I think is in Luffield, correct? The general admission ones are a tempting price, but do you get a good view from where you can sit? Alternatively the bronze luffield ones seem to involve standing, which sounds a bit tiring to me…

    Any advice much appreciated!

  27. Hi Elin – it depends what you’re after:

    The complex (Bridge/Priory/Brooklands/Luffied/Woodcote) is the slowest part of the track. You’ll see more of the cars for a longer amount of time, so in that sense it’s not bad value. And you’ll probably be able to see the pit lane entrance which will give you a good idea who’s pitted and who hasn’t.

    But it’s not a place that sees much overtaking and it’s quite slow so it’s not very spectacular either.

    If you want to sit somewhere where you can see the cars attacking a high-speed corner, try Copse (also, the first corner, which has its advantages) or Becketts (hugely quick). Bridge, at the entrance to the complex, is also good for this, but it’s a bit hard to see from some of the grandstands.

    Or if you’re hoping to see passing, the entry to Stowe, Vale/Club and Abbey are your best bets.

    Hope that helps!

  28. Christian Briddon
    19th September 2008, 9:28

    We always walk around the circuit and sit in every stand so that we know where we would like to sit next year. :-)

    I thought Becketts and Stowe were a bit far from the track and Stowe had a LOT of fencing and lighting poles to block your view.

    We are in Pit Straight B again for 2009 but if not I would be buying tickets for Copse or Luffield.

    Remember also that General Admission tickets are all standing, generally on a grass bank. You have to get to the circuit very early to get a good place to watch the race. If you go for these take some camping chairs with you! In 2007 we had General Admission tickets and watched from Club which was brilliant!

    Whatever tickets you buy you will have a great time!

    Christian

  29. What are anyones views on seats in Pit Straight A?

  30. Christian Briddon
    6th November 2008, 10:44

    Hi Donna,

    Pit Straight A is great. You will be able to see the start gird although chances are you will be towards the back of the grid.

    You will also be able to see the pits and the podium.

    Hope this helps.

    Christian

  31. Can anyone tell me if B22-23 would be a good seat to sit in on Pit straight A Grandstand?

  32. marshaled my 1st GP in 08 at Silverstone. I was on the insdie on the straight between Club and Abbey. Was a good view as yuo could see them accelerating out of Club and then the braking into Abbey. We had a couple of GP2 cars hit the Armco by us and could see when Massa span.

  33. I was there for the 2008 GP. Luffield B but had roaming for Friday and Saturday. If I was going to go back I would consider either Luffield A or Pits Straight. Tried most of the Grandstands out over the course of the weekend without trying my seat until Race day and was slightly disappointed as had a significant concrete area ahead of me and the top of the security fence as well as a communications mast with gyropes.

    On the upside, you could see the cars as they come up from Bridge right through to the Pit Straight so got to enjoy Massa’s spins everytime! I think Luffield A would have got a better view of them though!

  34. Brilliant Circuit. Went in Bronze Stand this year so my son could see a bit better. Complete Rip Off. Cost me a hundred quid each and it was scarcely better than a normal admission. Organisers have completely disregarded the fact that without British Fans there would be no worldwide F1 circus. The point of sport is sport… not for corporate sponsors to make money and effectively ignore the real fans. No infield viewing without a corporate pass, too many people to fit in to the venue. Got in and out absolutely no problem. The entry system is fantastic and policed well. This was the only good bit. Rubbish and won’t go to British GP again. Foreign tracks are now better, you can probably see more and they represent better value for money. Oh and the weather was rubbish as well. Only Lewis Hamilton winning could raise our spirits !

  35. HELP!!!!!
    I’ve been bought a general admission ticket for the british grand prix 09 qualifying and race day and cant wait! However, I’ve never been before so would like some advice as to were the best place to watch it from is. I’m camping so will obviously be there really early. Also are you allowed to take in your own chairs? or do you have to stand if you have a general admission ticket? I would be extremely grateful if someone could answer my questions and maybe give me a few tips as its my first time.
    Thanks,
    James.

    1. You can take in chairs, but the smaller the better (not just because of concerns about obstruction, but because it will be easier to carry). If you can find one of those rucksacks that has an integrated seat, that would be ideal. If you don’t bring a seat, you will be standing. While there are places where it is theoretically possible to sit, it would be on a grass bank and thus only appropriate if it’s sunny, you bring a towel or something like that and you get there extremely early.

      I know from experience that Club’s a good place to go if you have a general admission ticket because you can see a lot of the circuit. That said, if I’ve heard correctly, there are no truly bad places to watch the race from as long as you get there early – it depends on what you want to see (check Keith’s advice a few posts up from this one).

      There are a number of giant screens around the circuit and if your budget doesn’t stretch to a Kangaroo, try to get in viewing range of one.

      Other hints? Take sunscreen and wellington boots – Silverstone can do pretty much anything except snow at this time of year. Bring your own snacks because the catering, although good, is prone to queues and is not cheap.

      Hope you enjoy yourself!

  36. I’m travelling to Silverstone on Sunday 21st from Norwich, allowing 3 hours to get there. When is the best time to arrive at the circuit? We’re parking on site and have allocated grandstand seats, but I still don’t want to miss a thing because of traffic and general not-knowing-where-to go confusions. I’m looking into staying at hotels in Kettering or Bedford and driving a one hour journey on race day morning rather than 3 hours.

    Any help, advice and recommendations are welcome!

    1. I have a few people staying at my place going to Sundays Grand Prix. I still have some more accomodation available, one double and one double on suite. I am based in Towcester.

      1. Hi Grant,

        We may be interesed in your double en suite
        Can u mail me further details to felinefan_950@hotmail.com please

        Cheers

  37. Hi Cheryl,

    On race day last year we were staying in Northampton and got up at 05:30, left the hotel at 06:00 and got to Silverstone for about 07:15. If you leave it any later you will get stuck in HUGE amounts of traffic.

    If you get up REALLY early you won’t regret it.

    Christian

  38. Thanks for the reply Christian. Staying nearby in a hotel is the only way to go then I guess. I don’t fancy leaving Norwich at 3am in the morning….lol.
    I just wanted someone to confirm what I already suspected. So, many thanks!

  39. Hi, going to Silverstone 2009 and as this will be my first want to make the most of it. Flying down to Luton from Glasgow on the Friday night although only going to race day. Thinking of staying in a hotel near the airport so wondering about journey time from there and when to leave, we have tickets for pit straight A. Prob more of a concern after the race, would a half 6 flight be too optimistic? Was going to hire a car but are there any special buses etc put on and if so where can i find out about them? Thanks

  40. Hi,I have bronze tickets in copse A but this is the first Grand Prix I’ve been to! Is it ok to stay in a hotel and get to the track on each day as long as you leave early enough each morning? I’m taking my girlfriend who has always wanted to go (even more than me!) so she would prefer a hotel to camping. Any tips would be appreciated!

    Thankyou

    1. If you’ve got a seat booked, yes. If not, you’ll have to get up very early. Arrive at the track at 6am on Sunday morning and you’ll be lucky to get a good spot.

  41. Hi people
    Been reading a lot of your notes. I am returning to silverstone this year for the 4th year running. we are going in the copse C terrace which i think are fantastic seats. As regards to getting there in the morning we went there the first year and just traveled up just for race day. we were stuck in traffic for about 4 hours. it was stupid and we ended up getin to the track late and getting quite rubbish places as we only had general admission. I would advise anybody to either camp or get a hotel that is near to the track. i am stayin in whittlebury park grounds which is a 5 min walk from the copse corner which is brilliant and they also have their own private path into the stadium i would advise anyone to go there. they have bars, disco, resturant etc on site which wil be nice. jsut hope the weather is better than last year. any more questions ask me

  42. Hi,
    2009 will be the seventh year I have been the Silverstone for the F1, and we have camped there all but the first year. I really enjoy the camping part of it, theres a growing group of us who descend upon Litchlake Farm campsite each year – its right near the Luffield stands, which was pretty darn convenient when we had seats in those stands for a couple of years. Have seats in Club for 2009, is the third year we have been there – i think it is my favourite of all the places i have sat at for the race – prices for seats there shot up this year big time though! Is worth it for the overtaking though – have always managed to see a fair amount from there. In previous years it had been really quite good value there – we paid £140 a couple of years ago to sit there, but I think they have made it a gold stand now when it used to be silver, plus the price hike for the fact it is the last at Silverstone makes it quite expensive to sit there now – but it is our favourite so we parted with our pennies!

    As for other places to sit – is really good to watch the cars at Maggots/Becketts, although i dont rate the stand there – its quite far back. Luffield was good, we’ve sat in two of them – seen a decent amount of stuff go on there. Were at Stowe last year – was good, but a lot more seemed to happen at Club which we could just see disappearing off into the distance. Sat in the Pit Straight the very first year we went, right by the back end of the grid. Wasnt my favourite place to sit, but it wasnt bad – I enjoyed seeing the start and the pit lane stuff.

    Getting out of the circuit on the Sunday has always been quite slow, even after hanging around at the track for a bit after, and then going back, dismantling the tents and casually packing up, we still managed to take roughly an hour and a half/two hours to do a journey which would usually take an hour. I havent actually experienced the drive in on Sunday morning to comment.

  43. Hi have booked tickets in stowe a and camping at whittlebury golf club.We were wondering are you allowed to return to camp site once you are in curcit.Is it a case of once you enter silverstone you are there for the day.

  44. You can leave the ciruit as many times as you want during the day, you just get a stamp on your hand at the gate when you leave the first time. We usually nip back in between the track action to use the showers and stuff because you dont have to queue like you do first thing in the morning or in the afternoon when everyone gets back.

    1. Many thanks for that clare

  45. 2009 will be my 6th year at Silverstone.

    have done general admittance, Stowe x 2, Pit straight A and Club. Back at Club agin for 2009. Club was fantasic in the wet in 2008, and probably just edges Stowe as my favourite. Have sat in pretty much every spot throughhout the course of the weekends.

    Pit straights are good on race day for all the build up, start, pit stops, & podium etc, but no real chance of seeing much action in the race. They do come past very much as a blur.

    Copse good for the start, and occasionally during the races. Spoilt IMO by the tarmacing the run off which means you can get away with running wide with very little penalty.

    Maggots, Becketts – grandstand is miles away from the track – separated by a large path, general addmitance banking, safety fences, grass run off etc. The GA banking at the exit is very good though seeing the cars coming towards you really shows off the ability of them to change direction quickly.

    Stowe & Club are my favourites, plenty of action and you can follow an individual car for 30+ seconds.

    Not a fan of Abbey / Bridge / Farm areas.

    The rest of the complex is good for getting pictures as the cars are going slower, and you have the backdrop of the BRDC club house & pitlane entry. Also its covered. Ideal for watching qually on a Saturday in the rain!

    Been to many other races in Europe & Silverstone is tops for the variety of food & drink available, and the off track entertainment (bands & competitions in the e-zones) and the after race GP Party where you see Tony Jardine hosting a load of drivers and other “known names” being much less guarded than they ever are on TV or in the press, plus a good band after.

    Have stayed in hotels twice – OK transport wise, but lacks the atmosphere of camping. Have always camped at Whittlebury in the past (kind of “posh camping”) good shower facilities and permanent buildings (Golf Club) with bars / restuarants etc. Also a chance to get a few autographs if you are into that sort of thing as many drivers stay at the Whittlebury Hall Hotel which is on the same site.

    Couldn’t get a good plot for 2009 though (They have golf course plots – nice and flat but all sold out, or farm plots – not such good ground) so am off to Silverstone Golf Club Camping down between Stowe & Club. Seems similar to Whittlebury but on a smaller scale. If anyone has first hand experience of it, I’d love to hear!

  46. Has anybody had any experiences of Woodcote A?

    I’ve just bought a last-minute ticket for that grandstand after my original plan to go to Valencia fell through. It was the only decent seat left really.

    Thanks :)

  47. Anyone know, given past experience, how soon before the race weekend, we can expect our tickets for Silverstone? Thanks

    1. I think we usually get ours about a month before. It has been as late as two weeks before though.

    2. I got my tickets yesterday via first-class delivery. If you ordered more than about a week ago and you haven’t got your tickets by, say, Wednesday, I suggest you ring the circuit to find out what’s going on.

      If you ordered tickets more recently, it may be slightly longer while the circuit sorts through the vast number of tickets it needs to send out. Even then, expect tickets by the end of next week.

  48. Hi, I’ll be going to Silverstone for the first time (for quali’s saturday ’09). It’s general admission, so where is the best spot to head for??

    Any advice would be gratefully received. Thanks.

    1. Maggots/Becketts section is good for general admission. Reckon the GA there is better than the grandstand – its a lot closer! And near Club is my favourite place to watch from geberally, we usually find ourselves there for qualifying, and its where our race seats are as well this year. Luffield sections will have a good atmosphere – especially if there is a last dash for pole – was really good sat there the other year when Jenson was going for pole (was the year of single lap qualifying both on the saturday, and they thought it was going to rain, so a whole bunch of them went slowest in the first session so they would be first out in the second – Jenson didnt so he was last to run for pole – was ace!) and he had the fastest two first sector times – he didnt quite get it in the end, but the cheering and all that was real fun!

  49. I will be attending my first GP this year and we have tickets for Luffield A, which seems to get mixed reviews.

    Can anyone provide some advice on camping, I was looking to book into Whittlebury park but they only have lakeside plots left, is it still worth camping there? The other concern is Whittlebury park is the opposite side to Luffield and I know its quite a race to get the best spots on race day, should I consider another campsite. Im looking for good atmosphere, clean toilets and showers, and bands n beers.

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

    1. Litchlake Farm Campsite is right by Luffield entrance – we have camped there fore the last five years. It is rather expensive at £20 per person per night, but would be extremely convenient for Luffield. Best to be there by Thursday evening-ish as its first come first served – we arrive on Wednesday afternoon and are among the first there – we like to guarantee a nice short walk and a nice flat pitch – some of them can be on a bit of a slope – not really a huge slope though, but its annoying in a tent! the atmosphere is good there, its right next to the fun fair thing, with the beer tent and music and all that – so good if you dont mind a bit of noise late into the evening – you just hop over the fence to get to that. And there are enough toilets and showers not to be a major problem, although the later on in the weekend it gets, the higher the chance of them being a little cold and maybe muddy. (I’ve been relatively lucky, in all five years only had a cold shower once – so its not that bad!) I would recommend Litchlake – the only real downside is the cost unfortunately. It used to be £20 per car!

      1. could you tell me what the dress code is or is it just wear what you want going general admission for three nights camping at whittlebury park

  50. Hello All

    Really excited to be going this year to silverstone . i was thinking if i leave london around 5am it should be ok with no traffic . the when do the gates open ?

    thanks
    thomas

    1. nottherealthef1fanatic
      22nd May 2009, 20:15

      When I go to the grand prix i wake up at 4 and leave at around 4:30. The gates open at 5.

  51. Have got GA tickets for this years race. Am going to spend Friday wandering round the circuit getting some photos, will probably find somewhere to stay put on the saturday – any suggestions of good places?

    I’ve read elsewhere of people beginning to queue up outside the gates at 3am on race morning to ensure they get a good spot – is that really needed!?

    1. Hi Alex,

      I have found most places to stay in the local area get booked up months in advance, and can be very expensive.

      I am coming up from the south coast and staying over on Saturday night at a travel inn – only 19.50 for the night, with a 1 hour drive to the venue on race day.

      3am sounds a bit early, but if you want the best spots then you may well have to set your alarm for a very early start.

  52. I booked a hotel in April for the Saturday night as we’d be travelling from Norwich and I didn’t fancy a really early start then traffic near the event.
    We’re staying in the Toddington Travelodge on the M1. It was £76 for a double room for one night. A bit pricey, but it’s what you pay for convenience. This hotel is approximately 45 minutes away from Towcester. Travelodge have never let me down, all their hotels are pretty uniform and a good standard.

    1. I have some accommodation available in Towcester for the night if you are interested. It is a self contained double on suite.

      1. Tell me more please Grant..

  53. Thanks for the info. We’re booked into Whittlebury Park campsite next to the track. When I said saty put I put watch from the same place all day, rather than wander round. Sorry for the confusion!

    I’m still not sure of where is the best place to watch from with a general admission ticket, or what time we need to get into the track to get a good spot, so any info is much appreciated :-)

  54. Does anyone know the easiest way to get from London to the track via public transport? Bus, train, doesn’t matter…flying into London & landing the morning of June 18, figure to make my way straight to the track. Thanks for any help…

  55. I have tickets to the British GP. Copse A Terrece.

    What sort of time would you recommend getting to the track on Sunday. Also, with these tickets, are you able to wonder around the track, so gage other views etc?

    We are stating at Hamilton Fields, which I believe is a 20 min walk from the Copse entrance. Anyone stayed there before?

  56. nottherealthef1fanatic
    22nd May 2009, 20:24

    I visited the F1 in 2008 and sat at Copse. I learnt two things. Firstly if you are going to Hinton in the Hedges park and ride, don’t go by junction eleven because that’s where all the traffic is, so take junction 10 instead. I did that last time (after getting lost) and saved me around twenty minutes. Secondly take your own chair because it saves you a lot of money (it costs £15). Finally get there early otherwise you won’t get a good view.

    Copse has many TVs to watch and has banked viewing. It is very well signposted. However I’ve been told that Luffield is the best because it is a slow corner.

    There were many salon races, GP2 and historic car challenges. I didn’t like the weather but the food is very good value. It cost £100 for me which is not bad. However I am going this year and I am staying at a hotel and I have a three day ticket. It is much better value costing £200.

    1. no, get off at junction 11 but go via kings sutton ;)

  57. Going to my first GP this year and taking my 6 year old son. We are staying in Northampton and using the Sixfields park and ride.

    Can anyone give me an idea of what time we would need to leave on the Sunday. Want to enjoy the full experience.

    1. Hi Alan S,

      The park and ride sites are open from 2am on the Sunday. The first buses will depart for the circuit at 5:30am. Depends on what ticket type you have, General Admission ticket holders I understand, start to queue quite early for the best places to watch from.

      The action starts at 8:20am – Formula BMW race 2.

      I can’t wait!

  58. Can anyone tell me what Club “A” is like and whether you can see a screen to watch the race? If there is a screen, is it far away?

    Also, is it a good Grandstand? I hear good thing about Club (perhaps just B?) and Luffield, but can’t get into those now with major cost.

    Cheers,
    Richard

    1. Hi Rich,

      Try this link

      http://www.silverstone.co.uk/pdf/2945_gp_mapmay07_1_a2b4.pdf

      It shows the TVs relative to the seating areas.
      hope this helps

      Taz

  59. Thanks for that Taz, but sad to say, that’s the same map I’ve been using. I can’t see a club “A” on there, just a “B”, plus I can see no screen opposite, hence my original questions.

    Many thanks for the reply though, sure that map will help others.

    Cheers,
    Rich

  60. Hi Taz,

    Thanks for the info, Wehave tickets for pits straigth A,
    Hope they are good seats.

    1. I hope they are good seats aswell, thats where I am sitting! From what I have read they are pretty good for the start, pit stop action, Finish and the podium – Some good pics posted on Flickr taken from where we will be sitting!

  61. Link to 2009 map showing position of club A

    http://www.silverstone.co.uk/pdf/4566_NewCircuitMap+Key180209W.PDF

    2009 Race Timetable also now available

    http://www.silverstone.co.uk/pdf/entertainment_timetable09.pdf

    If you want to be front row in prime general admission, spot you will need to be up pretty early – and have someone to reserve your position when you want to grab some food or go for a toilet break!

    If you are less set on a certain position though, you will still be able to get decent views of the circuit much later in the day.

  62. Thanks for the info Ian. But where would you suggest is “prime general admission”? Also, what is “pretty early”?

    I’m thinking of sitting either at the end of the hanger straight – possibly see some overtaking – or round by Club. Can someone recommend one of these, or even somewhere else if that would be better?

    Thanks very much!

  63. I’ve booked grandstand tickets for last few years – so not best placed to comment, but would think you need to be getting in as the gates open to get the very best spots at Club, exit of Becketts, Copse.

    Later on you will still get a decent view from Maggots/Becketts – masses of room here, but the catch fencing is a fair way back from the circuit.

    Hangar straight then fills up from either end towards the middle

    1. Ian, thanks very much for the info!

  64. Michael Baker
    29th May 2009, 21:45

    Does anyone have any idea if Vodafone still own the rights the “Copse B”?

  65. Thanks for all your input everyone. Ian, that updated map was really helpful…. cheers.

    Rich

  66. Hiya,

    Anyone else going to be in the Pit Straight B Grandstand?

    We have a car parking ticket – so do you think it’ll be for the parking that’s directly behind the grandstand – would make sense?

    Presumably if you have a grandstand ticket, there isn’t the pressure to get there so early? We’re staying at Newport Pagnell Services – closest accommodation we could get – anyone else?

  67. The car park you get sent to has more to do with the direction you approach the circuit from than where your seats are.

    No need to be there early with a grandstand ticket – although the GP2 race starts at 9:30 and is usually well worth watching.

  68. Thanks for that useful tip Ian – will tell hubby to head for Gate 5 then!
    Just spotted your link to the timetable too – v. useful – thanks!

  69. No problem Feline-Fan – but I’m not sure I explained what I meant very well! – You will probably be being directed to a specific car park long before you actually get to Silverstone. ie.e if you approach the circuit from the East, you will be directed to a car park on the east side of the circuit. To aid traffic flow, they don’t let people drive around the circuit perimeter roads. You will also have to leave on the same route you entered (a bit of a pain if you are travelling somewhere other that your original departure point as it can involve a long diversion).

    Also worth mentioning that the gate number on the map are “foot gates” – you will have parked your car before going through these.

    1. Thanks again Ian,

      All useful info!
      Which grandstand are you in?

  70. Anybody have the answer – I have got two tickets for pit straight A and was wondering how it is numbered?

    I have numbers 121 and 122 at which end is number one?

    please help so i can show my Dad were he will be sitting.

    thanks

    1. Hi Anthony,

      Yeah I was wondering if there was some sort of seating plan available somwehere!

      1. we have stowe a t65 t66 would love to know where seats are located

    2. Matt Hubbert
      17th June 2009, 15:58

      Hi Anthony,I have sat in the grandstand for the past 2 years the numbers start from the woodcote end judging by the numbers that you have you should be about opposite the podium which was where i was 2 years ago great seats!!!

  71. Hi

    This is our first visit to GP we are going with the kids and have a general admission ticket with roving grandstand seats. Does this mean that we are able to choose any grandstand available once we are there? What are the chances of getting grandstand seats this way. What time do you recommend we arrive, we are there on Saturday. Our boys love GP and hopefully we would love this to be a great experience for them.

    Thanks

    1. Not sure about the roving grandstand seat, i think you can take any empty seats as they come and go. However to be honest its better getting up close to the action, best place is maggots, you can get so close to the track and really appreicate the speed, not to mention the SOUND! Trust me if this is your first GP experience your gonna love it!

  72. Hi all –

    We’re taking a troupe of small boys to the saturday of the GP this year. Got Familly tickets with roving Granstand – any suggestions for what works best with kids?

    Many thanks

  73. All grandstand tickets are “roving” on a saturday – which means you can sit in any public grandstand which is all of them except BRDC grandstand, Club Silverstone (one end of the Becketts stand), the Silverstone Racing Club stand and hospiltality stands.

    Take no notice of anyone who claims “that is my seat” – seats numbers are only reserved for Sunday.

    I often sit around Luffield / Woodcote for quali – It is good especially if it is wet (or I guess really hot & sunny if you have young kids in tow) as it covered and you get to see a lot of cars in a small space, plenty of screens and a view of the pit entry to see who is on flying laps or in laps.

    Not usually noted as an overtaking spot – but thats not a problem in quali. You do see a few mistakes here though with drivers missing braking points on the entry into the complex.

    Its alos close to the main merchandising areas.

    I’d then head to either pit straights to see the grid formation antics at the start of the GP2 race, or head the other way down to Club to watch some overtaking

  74. Meant to add, you shouldn’t have any problem picking a grandstand of your choice for Saturday – they don’t fill up very early

    1. Thanks for the reply. We can’t wait.

  75. We are camping at Whittlebury Park (first time camping), are the facilities good here and is there shops nearby for supplies and getting ice-packs re-frozen, etc?
    Will be in Luffield A this time – last year was in Copse D – great views of corner and pit exit and tv straight across from us (binocs needed tho).

    1. Hi Bev,
      I’m camping for the first time too at Whittlebury.(praxis)..with my son.Got gen admission for 3 days.Flying down from Glasgow to Luton on Fri Morning.Not got room for ice-packs but wish I did!!!

  76. Whittlebury is a great campsite. There are two distinct areas – golf course plots and farm plots. As the names suggest, the golf course plots are on slightly better / more level ground with well manicured grass whilst the farm plots are a little more “rural”, but still fine for camping.

    Facilities are good with mobile showers available around the site and also in the Pavilion. These are kept clean and supplied with hot water throughout the weekend and minimal queueing is needed even at busy times.

    There is a beer tent and “stage” with DJ & live bands, plus a hog roast over by the farm plots.

    There is another bar at the Pavilion where you can also buy breakfast, & evening snack food such as pizzas with a large “posh” marquee to sit in. You can also buy bacon, bread, milk etc from here.

    There is a another shop/bar/cafe by the main entrance. I’m not sure about facilities to re-freeze ice packs.

    There is also the Atrium. This is the main golf club house and is open to campers. There are nice toilet facilities and a large bar / restaurant serving Pub food such as steaks, scampi, chicken etc plus a carvery doing roast dinners. If you plan to eat here on Saturday or Sunday evening I would advise you book a table on arrival.

    It is not a party all night campsite – you have to be quiet after midnight, so a good night sleep is possible!

    1. Thank you Ian – really useful info. Can’t wait !!!

    2. thanks for info staying there for the first time hopefully arriveing fri morn

  77. Great info from everyone. I am going to GP for the first time this year as well and was wondering if you are allowed to take your own food/beer in?

  78. Yep – no problem with taking your own food & beer in.

  79. I had loads of questions about the weekend but they have all been answered thanks to this forum – great work guys, thanks!

    Hopefully see you all next week!!

    1. I hope you dont turn up next weekend because we wont all be there! just under 2 weeks now! hehe : )

      1. Forgive me if I am wrong but it is not this weekend and it is next weekend? :-P

        Why would I not want to turn up next weekend :-P

        1. Yeah, you said see you all next week, but its more like 2 2bh!

          1. The race weekend starts Fri 19th which is factually next week – not more like 2 :-)

            Either way not long.

  80. Hi,

    Ive got some general admission tickets for the 2009 British Grand Prix and wanted to know what the score was food and drink wise as in: –
    1. Food and drink allowed in the gen admin area’s
    2. Food only

    Also, what’s the best route in – I’m thinking of either bussing it in from Northampton station (Stagecoach are offering a service)or getting fropped off somewhere close to the track and going by foot from there – any sggestions welcomed.

    1. Read through the above thread and you should find what you need.

      I found that you can take your own food and drink (beer :-)) in.

  81. 56yearolddad
    10th June 2009, 18:50

    Hello to all.
    I took my 7 year old son for Saturday and Sunday last year.
    Despite the weather it was brilliant to see his face as his first ever live F1 car went past him on Hangar Straight, fear and excitement rolled into 1.
    We had seats at the top/back row of Woodcote A.
    Decided straight after last years GP that we would do it again in 2009.
    We have 3 day seats for Club Silverstone this year at Becketts Outside, my wife and daughter will be there too.
    Look out for an old guy with bright purple hair, beard, and moustache!!
    Son supports Sebastian Vettel, daughter roots for Raikkonen, Button (for all those desperate years!!) & Kubica for me, whilst my wife would probably opt for Trulli given he has a vineyard.
    Got accommodation in Wroxton, just outside of Banbury and the whole thing was booked last July.
    Like a big kid right now, can’t wait.
    WE ARE RACING, now that’s a Fathers Day and a Summer Solstice to remember.
    Good luck and best wishes to all.

    1. ha ha love the descriptions i’m taking my dad i bought the tickets for his christmas present i think he’ll be just like your son with the excitement and fear. Its our first time wish it was now !!!!

  82. I originally posted this on the http://www.redbullog.com last night but some is relevant to this so here you go ….

    Hi All, with regard to viewing from Maggots / Becketts – this is great advice – Wow I could write a whole book here but I’ll keep it brief…ish.

    My first experience of F1 at a racetrack was (I’m lucky to say) Silverstone 1991. Myself and 4 mates hired out a Winnebago type camper and went up on the Saturday for practice and qualifying stayed overnight in the camper – didn’t sleep a wink with excitement ‘cos Mansell had stuck it on pole and had Senna next to him on the grid – then got up at 5am on the Sunday to grab a spot – In hindsight this was not required. I’ll get to that in a bit.
    My first enduring memory of the weekend was walking along the footpath at the bottom of the banking – so out of view of the track itself – between Copse & Maggott and hearing an F1 car for the first time – and I’ll be honest with you it Shite the life out of me.
    All I heard was the incredible noise of what I now know to be and F1 engine as it went passed then this almighty noise which is still to this day indescribable, there was crashing banging explosions and god knows what else. Well that was it… to me and quite a few obvious other first timers we had just been witness to (audibly anyway) a huge crash – a load of us scrambled up banking to view the inevitable wreckage of a modern F1 car that had obviously had some kind of failure, barrel rolled down the track and exploded. When we got to the top we looked around craning our necks to see every possible nook and cranny of the circuit in that area – but there was absolutely nothing, not a sausage. I and others couldn’t work it out and rather than look stupid just stayed quiet and continued watching as if that was the reason we had made the mad dash up the banking just to spectate. Then in about 1 min 23ish seconds the whole drama was repeated again – the incredible noise we had heard was Jean Alesi in his Ferrari with a V12 lump in the back flying down the short straight after Copse and LIFTING (nothing more just LIFTING )before hurtling into Maggots and through Becketts then off onto the Hanger Straight – what a noise ! (If your going and it’s your first time – forget anything you’ve heard on the TV there is no other sound like an F1 car at Full Chat in the flesh – just enjoy !
    Anyway back to viewing at Maggots if you get a chance stand about 150 metres back along the small straight towards Copse and view the cars from the rear going into Maggots and through the Becketts complex here you will see the incredible road holding / grip an F1 car has at it’s best – how they don’t just fly off the circuit I don’t know – the weird thing is there is not a hint of tyre squeal as they enter Maggotts at 185MPH flicking left/right /left/right/left then exiting onto the Hanger Straight.

    Anyway if you want to view the race from this area the best place I found was on the outside of the Becketts complex in front of the covered grandstands where there is some banking (accessible between the Grandstands) it does get very busy here but that year and on subsequent visits we found the trick is to let everybody else grab their space early on and gaurd them with a vengance all day then at 5mins to 1pm just before the race starts we clamber up the banking with either Milk Crates or Cooler Boxes in hand and position ourselves on the banking right at the back behind everyone else on top of which we get a totally unrestricted view. As an added bonus you get a great view from here of the Giant Diamond Vision TV Screen which is on the outside of Becketts so you see the cars both in front of you and the rest of the race / replays / timing when they are elsewhere on the circuit ! :) Sadly I’m not going to be there this year to support BrawnGP & Jenson but wish them the best of luck !

    1. Mansell and Senna I remember watching them that must’ve been amazing.

      1. It was ! This was the year Senna ran out of fuel and Mansell a gave him a lift on his Sidepod.

        http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Mansell_and_Senna_at_Silverstone.jpg/638px-Mansell_and_Senna_at_Silverstone.jpg

        I was back the following year when Mansell walked it again with the Active Suspension Williams winning by a margin of 39 seconds over his team mate Patrese having stuck it on Pole again with a margin of 2 seconds !

        Opted for Donnington (European GP in 1993) and froze me nuts of at Redgate Corner in the rain when Senna stormed from 6th to 1st on the first lap :)

        I’m not to bothered if F1 goes back to Donnington in 2010 spectator viewing is much better there.

        1. Sorry Senna started 4th dropped back to 5th then went through to lead at end of first lap – must be getting old :)

        2. God i remember it so well hairs are standing up on the back of my neck. I watched it on tv it must have been brilliant to see that!!

          1. It was and do you know what …..not a single “Road Car Manufacturer” on the Grid

            1 N. Mansell William
            2 G. Berger McLaren
            3 A. Prost Ferrari
            4 A. Senna McLaren
            5 N. Piquet Benetton
            6 B. Gachot Jordan
            7 S. Modena Tyrrell
            8 S. Nakajima Tyrrell
            9 P. Martini Minardi
            10 E. Pirro Dallara
            11 G. Morbidelli Minardi
            12 M. Häkkinen Lotus
            13 J J Lehto Dallara
            14 J. Herbert Lotus
            15 M. Blundell Brabham
            16 A. de Cesaris Jordan
            17 J. Alesi Ferrari
            18 A. Suzuki Lola
            19 T. Boutsen Ligier
            20 M. Brundle Brabham
            21 M. Alboreto Footwork
            22 M. Gugelmin Leyton House
            23 R. Moreno Benetton
            24 E. Bernard Lola
            25 I. Capelli Leyton House
            26 R. Patrese Williams

            but those years were fantastic

  83. Not long to go now, this time next week I hope to be sat in a fully erected tent at Litchlake farm, ready for the action to begin. This is my first GP and to say I’m excited is an understatment, its driving the wife mad!

    I’m planning on going to Argos tomorrow to buy my full length poncho in case it rains, at £4.90 its worth having in my book. My only real problem is keeping the food and beers cold, we have small’ish cool box but is there somewhere local to buy ice etc. Also do the shops in the village stock enough food, I was thinking about bringing a load with me but keeping it cold is going to be a problem.

    1. I think the ideal solution to not being able to keep food cold is don’t bother with the food …. more food = less room for Beer :)

    2. “My only real problem is keeping the food and beers cold” knowing our weather I dont know why your worried.

  84. This time next week I hope to be all set up at Whittlebury Park, with beer in hand. It’ll be my first F1 event & I can’t wait!

    1. Hi Alex,

      Look for a Saltire in the praxis village…we can share a dram!

      stevie

      1. stayin at wittleby look out for our flags damon hill & jordan love to join u for a beer or two

        1. Sounds good! We’ll be getting there thursday afternoon, we’ll be the ones looknig complete amateurs as we have issues putting our tent up!

          Anyone else subscribe to F1 Racing and are in their camping area?

  85. I have 2 GA tickets for Sunday and i’m parking at the circuit can anyone advise the best vantage point for me and also what time the car park will open for me to come as early as poss.

  86. Advice please – camping at a site about 15mins bike ride away from the circuit all weekend, just wondered if anyone new if there are places to lock up push bikes?? Also I have grandstand seats on pit straight a – what time is it best to get there race day? god its getting close now – cant wait!

  87. I have to park at the Park and Ride. I have a sticker to put in my windscreen. How do I know which park and ride site I have been allocated to – I don’t have anything written down that tells me this info.

    Any help greatly appreciated!

    1. Its colour coded, if its pink its m40, blue m1 sixfields and green is m1 at towcester racecourse. You should have all this in your ticket pack!

  88. Hi all,
    Want to buy tickets for Sunday, only seats left are Hanger Straight or Farm , I know where they are on circuit which is likely to see best action ?

    Stuart

  89. Going to Silverstone for the last year- but can only make Friday. Never been to practise day before- what is the traffic like on that day- heard it is alright as you only have 40-50K visitors. Didn’t get a parking pass but been told that it is free parking on a Friday- lets hope so!

    1. Last year there were 65,000 on Friday – about two-thirds capacity. See here: https://www.racefans.net/2009/06/16/f1-leaving-britain-would-be-madness/

  90. Any other American boys or girls flying in for the race? Looking for someone to split a car hire up to the track on Thursday morning/afternoon…Will be flying into Heathrow. if so, please email me cglee15@yahoo.com. cheers

  91. Help please!! Have been given tickets for all 3 days – lucky! But no parking booked. Anyone have any suggestions where to park near the circuit, could I still get circuit parking? Have two F1 mad daughters, I can’t wait for them to see their first F1 live! Everyone, have a great time!

    1. I Live in Cuckoo Land
      14th June 2009, 16:21

      I think you should forget all hope of going and give the tickets to me :)

    2. Hi Bob

      We have spare Park and Ride Tickets for Sixfields M1 – we decided to camp instead – you can have them if you want.

      1. Bev, thats very kind. Thanks for the offer. I have managed to get a circuit parking permit so all being well, should be ok. Will probably spend as much time “parking” on the way in and out but ho hum!
        Thanks again, most generous of you.

  92. Nice try….but I think you’re in the right place! :)

  93. Has anyone driven down on a Friday ?

    I’ve had conflicting stories on the Friday traffic – some saying it was easy and took no time extra and some saying they were queuing for 4 hours.

    Your experience ?

  94. I am going to the GP this weekend; first time so not sure what to expect. We are camping at the campingf1 site at pitts farm. has anyone ever stayed there before. Do you have any advice/tips.

    also on the race tickets it said that you are welcome to take fold up chairs to copse A terrace.. is this advisable?

    thanks

    1. You can definitely take folding chairs with you and it’s definitely a good idea!

  95. Really looking foreward to go to Silverstone now!

    Just wandering which would be the best option regarding traffic? Arriving Thursday night around 10pm at Whittlebury Park, or early Friday morning around 7.30?

    Any ideas? Thanks

    1. Matt Hubbert
      17th June 2009, 16:18

      I would probably arrive early on Friday morning as if you get there after dark they can make you wait till the morning before you going to your pitch and if they do let you its a nightmare putting your tent up in the dark trust me i know!!!

  96. Hi there,

    Staying at the Newport Pagnell Services – nearest accom we could get! – (Between Junctions 14 and 15 of M1) on Sat night, to go to Race Day on Sunday.

    Any advise on what time we should think of leaving the Services on the Sunday morning and best route to take – we have grandstand tickets and a parking ticket for circuit.

    Thank you

    T

  97. Just bagged 2 Club Silverstone tickets for the whole 3 days for £300 on ebay! Absolutely chuffed and so excited as never been to a GP before.

    As has been asked by a few people what is the best time to get there each day? Also I assume it’s advisable to take a portable radio?

  98. Thought I’d let everyone know that I managed to get some just Sunday Copse B tickets in the end after all the weekend club ticket disappeared on me, so I’ll see everyone there!!! Not sure what my “Platinum Plus” view will be like, but hey, better to be there than not!!! Hopefully it won’t be facing a brick wall or something – hope my dad likes his father’s day present.

    Take care all,
    Rich

  99. I am thinking of heading up to silverstone on sunday for the race, but i have never been so need a little advise. Is there an area we can watch over the race for free? if so what time do you recommend we drive up there?!

    Thanks
    Joe

    1. Matt Hubbert
      18th June 2009, 16:03

      You wont realyy get anywhere near without a parking pass you could park in a pay carpark and walk but nowhere to watch for free that i know of anymore

  100. hI
    I have a chance for a ticket at HAnger, Farm or Stowe A
    WHich is best?

    1. If not too late, sat at Stowe A today for practice session. Excellent view of hanger straight round to Vale. Enjoy!

  101. My girlfriend, a friend of ours, and I had been talking about going to see a F1 race for many years. With the 2009 race at Silverstone supposedly the last, we decided to use it as the perfect excuse to go along. We bought tickets for Friday–Sunday: Friday and Saturday with roving seats and reserved seating in Gold Pit Straight A for the race. We bought the tickets early – as in the day after the 2008 race – directly from Silverstone and they cost around £270 each. We chose to camp in the Becketts section of Whittlebury Park, as this seemed to be very close to the circuit and I had read good reviews of the site. This cost another £300 for two pitches and parking for two cars.

    First of all, the camping. I would highly recommend Whittlebury Park, in particular the Becketts site. This area was literally a five minute walk from the circuit and was so close that we could see the Becketts grandstand from our tent. The pitches were also huge – plenty big enough for a large tent and a car – the staff were extremely helpful and friendly, and the atmosphere was fantastic. The only problem is the long walk to the bars from here but, as long as you bring everything you need, it’s fine. Watch out for the cold showers though.

    We made good use of our roving ticket on Friday, watching the Formula BMW, GP2, and F1 practice from Maggots, Stowe, and Club. I will not even begin to describe the sensation of seeing for the first time a F1 car going through these corners. On Saturday we watched F1 qualifying from Luffield C. Probably the ideal position as you get to see the cars negotiating the complex, there is a huge TV screen visible, and the timing-tree is right in front of you. We also watched the Formula BMW and GP2 races from Becketts and Copse.

    Our seats for the F1 race on Sunday were very good. We were almost opposite the car on pole (Vettel) and only three rows from the track. This gave us the most amazing view of the scrum that was the grid before the race, as well as the start. We could also see some pit-stops from here. The only issue was that although there was a TV screen close to use, it was very small and hard to see anything on – invest in Kangaroo TV if you sit here. The proximity of the cars going full-pelt down the pit straight more than made up for it though, especially when Lewis overtook Alonso! After the F1 we were able to stay for the classic car race and, once that was finished, we walked onto the track and back around to Becketts. Even getting out of the campsite and onto the A43 wasn’t as bad as we had feared.

    Overall this was one of the best experiences that we have had and was good value for money. Silverstone itself was very impressive in terms of racing, its organisation, and its facilities: we had nothing to complain about.

    Unfortunately we are now addicted to seeing F1 live: TV coverage doesn’t cut it anymore! If Bernie actually listens to the fans, does the right thing, and gives the race to Silverstone in 2010, I will have no hesitation in doing exactly the same then as I did this year.

  102. I went to Silverstone this year. I just had to get there if this was the last time there. I also drove up to Donnington to see the museum. Definitely worth the drive. I think the congestion getting into Donnington will be much worse than Silverstone could ever be. I’ve heard horror stories about the traffic getting in and out of Silverstone, but I had no problems at all. I went early and there was virtually no traffic. I sat in the Becketts complex in the Silverstone Club private area. Great seats and an exclusive area with tables and chairs, big screen TVs, restrooms and food consessions. I would highly recommend this. I stayed in Blisworth about a 20 minute drive. Quaint little town in the Blisworth Hotel, an old inn with a restaurant and pub. It was a great place to stay. The rooms are nothing special, but comfortable. The restaurant and pub had great food and the pub being the only one in town we mingled with the locals. The were all very sociable and fun to hang out with.

  103. Hello All,

    Its been a few months now since the British GP but to be honest I’m still buzzing from the whole weekend. Even now when the lads meet up its all we talk about, it was fantastic. I just prey the BGP will be at Silverstone again next year. For those of you looking for tips etc I have listed my views on the entire weekend.

    We booked our ticket in Feb, we paid £169 each for Luffield B Bronze tickets and they where worth every penny. We decided to camp for the entire weekend instead of travelling in everyday, and what a decision it turned out to be. We camped at Litchlake Farm which is situated just over the road from Silverstone (from my tent to Luffield B took no more than 10mins walk, and we were at the back of the campsite), if you decide to camp here I suggest you arrive no later than Thursday lunch time, we arrived Thursday morning and were near the back, next year (fingers crossed) we will arrive on Weds. This campsite is fantastic, very well run and had an awesome atmosphere. If you have never been or camped at a GP before, the fans are the nicest people you can meet and are always willing to lend a hand or lend you something. The campsite was on the steep side (£20 per person per night) but I would pay it again. After reading different reviews on the shower front I didn’t know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised, I showered every day and they were always clean considering the amount of people that used them. The water was a bit of nightmare as rather than giving you a cold shower the water just stopped until it heated up again (not ideal if your in the middle of washing your hair) standing in a cold shower with no hot water for a couple of minutes wasn’t great but when the water did run it was nice and warm. Depending on the time you went the queues could to quite long 10-15min wait but I went at random times when no one was about and being so close to the circuit you could pop back, shower and be back a the track in 20-30mins. Wet wipes are also another great tip. As we where camping we brought all our own food and drink for the entire weekend (including snacks to take into the track), at the track its on the expensive side and as we where camping so close we didn’t see the need to spend £4 a greasy burger and £3.80 for a warm pint. A nice big cooked breakfast set you up for the day and we just filled up the rucksacks with beer and headed to the tracked, when we ran out, back to the tent re-stocked on cold beers and back the track.

    On Friday and Saturday we watched the action from all different areas including the grandstand opposite the pits, Stow, Abbey etc and then went back to Luffield B for qualifying. One thing to note, you cannot access any of the bronze areas unless you have a ticket for that area, we tried to get into Bronze at stow and we were turned away, people also tried to get into luffield with a platinum pass and they where turned away. We turned up at Luffield about 30mins before qualifying and we where right at the back, you could still see but we had to stand no room for the chairs, because of this we decided to get up early on race day get to the front. On race day we where up at 3.30am flung on some clothes and got to the gates right outside Luffield for 4.00am, there was about 30 people in front of us and people right at the front had been there since 01:00am, the gates opened at 5am and it was a spring (more of jog to be honest) to get a good seat. We got the exact position we wanted right at the front (next to the couple that had been there since 01:00m) we setup our area with cool box and fold up chairs and chilled out for a couple of hours and having a laugh with everyone around and caught up on a bit of sleep. At about 07:00 2 of us went back to the tent go showered and changed then went back to the track, then the next 2 went etc etc. The whole day was unbelievable and the atmosphere was amazing in Luffield and the Red Arrows where as good as always. My only disappointment was when 2 blokes turned up at midday and decided to cram there seats in between a family that got there at a similar time to us, if you want a seat at the front you get up early.

    After the race we walked some of the track and then managed to get into the paddock area, we saw all the drivers come out and some of the celebs, great for the picture album and autographs. Then on to the after race party and then back to the campsite for more beer and laughter. We packed up on Monday morning and left about midday.

    The whole 5 days were unbelievable and I would recommend it to anyone. All in the whole 5 days cost me £300 that included ticket, camping, food and beer….I think it was great value and cannot wait for Bernie to give Silverstone the go ahead for 2010 so I can book up again.

  104. Hi

    Buying tickets for the first time for husband and 11 year old girl. Can you advise what tickets would be the best suitable. I was thinking about the pit straights but am not sure as so many different opinions. Not sure whether to pay for the 3 days or just the Sunday race day just in case my daughter would get bored. Any advice appreciated.

    1. The Grand Prix hasn’t been confirmed yet. I was at the Pit Straight this year and recommend it. I am sure the second the race is confirmed Keith will have a story on F1 Fanatic but there is a strong chance there won’t be a British GP at all this year.

  105. Can you help me?

    Ive just recently bought tickets for the pit straight covered at silverstone seating u 61-62, but dont know if these are the best seats for the grandstand….if not which ones are??

    and another question… as ive never been to silverstone, we have a 3 day pass, but on the booking it says to sit in any seated stand friday and saturday??? which one is best to sit in and how early will i have to get to the track for etc???

    replys will be most helpful.. thanks x

    1. Scott,

      I couldn’t tell you about which seats are best in the grandstand, I’ve never been that rich….;-)

      On the Friday and Saturday, you can sit in any grandstand at the circuit but you cannot entered the bronze sections (standing area) at Luffield and Copse. The grandstands on Friday are empty, so take you pick during the day and move around a bit, Saturday they are a bit busier but you don’t need to get there early.

      1. thankyou for your reply andrew much appreciated!!

        1. Scott,

          like andrew i wish i could afford grandstand tickets! the news coming out of silverstone is that the pits straight grandstand is new for 2010. The run-off area on the exit of woodcote (the corner leading onto the pits straight)has been enlarged and the woodcote and pit straight grandstands have been moved back to accomodate a wider pit straight. Silverstone have said that this will allow for ‘panoramic views of the north of the circuit’. If they are as good as the stand improvements silverstone have made over the last 5 years you won’t have any problems. Hope this helps! :)

  106. Can anyone tell me about the camping?? As a girlie-girl who loves F1, I’m still worried about slumming it in a tent!! But can’t afford to get a hotel – is it as bad as I think??

    1. Hi Holly,

      Well to be honest camping is camping, but I don’t think the GP would be half as fun if I was stuck in some hotel. The atmosphere more than makes up for having to queue for a shower for 10mins.

      We stayed up Litchlake farm for the British GP and Whittlebury park for the Renault World series and in my opinion Litchlake farm was a lot better, the showers/toilets at Whittlebury park were discusting, I’m just pleased we stayed for the 1 night. The showers at Litchlake were always clean (apart from once when I went a stupid oclock in the morning and the cleaners had been from the night before) and the water was always hot (it stopped every now and again to heat up again but was never cold).

      I would say go for it, we will be there again this year but not sure whether to try the Silverstone campsite near club(you can book it with you ticket)as its only £35 per person for for the whole weekend, Litchlake was £20 per person per night last year, the previous years were £20 per tent – maybe they increased the price as they thought it would be the last year.

      1. Thanks for your reply. I’ve got tickets for Copse E, so I thought Whittlebury would be the better choice as it is quite close to there – but not if the facilities aren’t up to scratch as you say they weren’t!

        Also are there things going on in the evenings etc? And before Friday practice sessions? As I’ll probably get there for wed/thurs because I don’t want to miss anything!!

        1. Copse E is a good location, I sat there for the Renault World series. In terms of location I would agree Whittlebury would be a better choice, and maybe the facilities are better for the GP, I know people who stay there every year, I’m just going on my experiance.

          The good thing about Whittlebury is they have a beer tent with live music, I think it starts on Thursday evening.

          Nothing starts at the track until Friday morning, the 1st practise was about 10:30 last year. There’s so much going on, on the track and off the track, they had a small concert with tribute bands everynight (apart from Sunday when they have the GP Party). There always something going on in the campsites, 99.9% involving beer and general laughter and banter, but that why we all go.

          You’ll love it, the atmosphere, the people, the racing is first class.

        2. If camping at Whittlebury and you want good toilets, pay the few £ extra and book a pitch on the pavilion field there. You get to use a modern cricket pavilion with very plush facilities.

  107. Regarding the state of Whittlebury camping – I stayed there for the F1 and the Renault World Series. The showers & toilets were MUCH cleaner for the F1 than for Renault when, I agree, they were a bit rough.

    I reckon they must get extra people in to keep everything clean during the F1. I was amazed at how clean it all was, given the number of people there.

    I’m going back for Renault next september, and will definitely stay at Whittlebury park again. If I make it to the F1 next year as well, then I will pick Whittlebury again.

    All in all I had a top weekend. Arrived on the thursday afternoon to set up camp. We had a GA ticket, so spent Friday walking round the circuit and watching from various places. Watched quali from the approach to Abbey on the saturday – saw Sutil’s little off there as well :-)

    On the sunday we were in the track by half 6, and sat down at the exit of Stowe, on the run along to Abbey. There was already a lot of people there at 6.30!

    If we go again then I may think of getting a Bronze plus, and sit in the Luffield Terrace during the race.

    1. I would agree with you Alex, I think most of the campsites raise their game for the GP.

      Funny enough it appears we are going to swap tickets for next year. I am planning on buying GA ticket for next year, 2009 I sat in Bronze plus at Luffield A. We had a great time and you get to see the cars for longer but you don’t get to appreciate the power of these cars. If you do go for Bronze plus you will still need to get there before 6:30, all the good spots had gone by then ;-)

      1. I really want to go to a live F1 and camp out but just one worry I have is the security of our stuff. Is there gaurds that stop people nicking your gear out of your tent. Sounds abit like a glastonbury experience, or am I completely wrong?

        1. Archie: I can only comment based on one year’s experience of staying at Whittlebury Park. Although there aren’t guards walking around the site, we stayed there for three nights and encountered no trouble at all. We spent all day, everday at the circuit and returned to the site to find everything exactly as we’d left it. Neither did we hear of any stories about stuff being stolen from tents. I think the difference between this and the Glastonbury experience is that F1 fans have generally paid quite a bit of money, are VERY different from a music festival crowd, and are all there for exactly the same reason: to have a great time and watch some (hopefully) fantastic racing!

        2. Hi Archie,

          We stayed a Litchlake park last year and unfortunantly there where a few reports of stuff being stolen from tents (wallets, car keys, ipods, bags etc) and they had security guards patrolling 24 hours a day. Rather than walk into peoples tents they were slashing them with a knife and taking anything they could reach, grabbing a bag for example.

          My advice would be to use your common sense. We locked everything in our cars, clothes, beer, food etc it can be a bit of pain but at least you know everything is safe, I would then keep my car keys in a very safe place!!!!. Another tip is to leave your tent as messy as possible (us men are very good at that), this way it makes taking things a lot more difficult, if someone does enter your tent and everything is packed away nicely all they have to do it pick up the bag and walk out.

          I wouldn’t let this put you off camping at the GP, to be honest I don’t think the GP weekend would be half as good if you don’t camp. The atmosphere stays with you for the entire weekend and I would thoroughly recommend it.

  108. Hi, looking to book tickets for 2010 British GP, not rich so was looking to only buy General Admission tickets. Can anyone tell me about what you get and dont gt for this price (seating wise). Also has anyone had experiance of booking camping as part of he ticket price ?

    Cheers
    Kev

  109. Forgot to ask, last year I went the Renault World Series and you take beer into the track, could you get away with this for the F1 ?

    Thanks again !

  110. Myself and my girlfriend have just brought tickets for Luffield B seats J122/123. Anybody else been here? or going to be sitting there? let me know your thoughts?

    1. Hi Tom
      We sat at Luffield last year and really enjoyed – you don’t see full speed but you see cars for a longer time here than most other places, there is a short video of the final parade lap showing the view from here and also the atmosphere you get in the stand. You will find it at address below:
      http://drop.io/formula1fanatic
      It was posted Wed 20 Jan and its called MVI2281.avi.

  111. Phillip from Denmark
    6th February 2010, 16:04

    We have travelled over to the UK for the British GP for the last 3 years now and 2010 will be no different,we love it !! compared to many other European GPs Silverstone has to be one of the top weekends.

    This year as we will be bringing some F1 newcomers with us,so we decided to buy GA tickets so that we can take a look around,hopefully the new parts of the circuit which we have seen plans for on F1 fanatics website.

    The atmosphere of the whole weekend is just fantastic. We stay at Hamilton fields campsite from the wednesday until monday.The campsite is really well orginised,good facilities, Friendly and helpful staff and good security.
    We have meet many good people over the past few years.
    Everything about the weekend is just so good,infact this year there will be even more of us “Vikings” coming over,so look out for the Danish flag,the many cans of Carlsberg and come and say “Hi”
    Roll on July !!

    1. I have bought tickets for Luffield C how will the new layout affect my view?
      Will it be better or worse?
      Anyone any idea?

      1. Luffield C is directly opposite the Brooklands corner. This corner has effectively become a tight left-hander after a straight so could be an overtaking opportunity. I would say that for racing fans this is better than the old acceleration from priory before braking for brooklands altho bridge has been removed from the gp layout.

        1. Thanks Ashley,had a look at the new circuit
          as details have emerged and it looks good on paper, so fingers crossed it will look good in the flesh!

  112. Does anyone know if the circuit s open on thursday? and also do you need to show your gp ticket to get in? I know there’s no action on thursday but was planning on going over early for the weekend and having a poke around the track rather than just sitting in the tent all day! thanks

    1. Phillip from Denmark
      6th March 2010, 16:32

      Hi Ashley,
      We tried to get in a couple of years ago on the thursday with no luck so we ended up at the White horse pub in Silverstone village where a Japanese TV film crew decided to start filming us,Oh boy what a day !!
      Anyway,I just wish that silverstone would allow a pit lane walkabout on the Thursday like many other European GPs do.

  113. Does anyone know if you can walk from Whittlebury village to the circuit easily if you are not staying at the campsite? I have relatives living in Towcester who have suggested dropping me there each day – is it a massively long walk or would they be better dropping me off in Silverstone village itself?

    1. Phillip from Denmark
      7th March 2010, 13:38

      Hi Maddie from what I can remember from our trip last year ,the village is approx 1 km from the whittlebury hall and campsite so I would think its a max 1.5 km walk,hope that helps,but be aware of the 1 way traffic system in place around silverstone on the sunday.

  114. Hi there,

    I am thinking to buy either Copse E Terrace or Luffield A Terrace tickets for 3 days? Which do you recon is better?

    And will I have a access to other stands during Friday and Saturday? Or I will need to stay only in terrace during all three days?

    Cheers

  115. How will the new grandstand Arena B be? I know it will be covered but, can the subjection columns of the covered grandstands obstruct the vision?

  116. Hi
    We have tickets for this years F1 GP, we paid the 35 extra for camping.
    Does any one know if you can take trailer tents, also does the Circuit open on thurs for campers to pitch and can you camp on the Sunday night.

    I am already so excited but just need to know if we need to stay some where nearby on the thurs and Sun.

    Thanks

    1. Hi Sara,
      Think its best for you to contact silverstone about the trailer tent but as for the camping on the sunday I was told that the campsite was open until the Monday.

  117. F1 newbie here, just going for the GA tickets and planning on standing at Luffield for the race itself. How early do i need to get there for a decent view? I’m taking my son but we’re both pretty tall so should be able to see past most people, but are collapsible chairs recommended as well?

  118. Hi I am trying to book for my husband a surprise 50th bday treat and am looking at the pit straight and the seats available are g240 can anyone advise if these are any good b4 i book
    many thanks

  119. HI this year we going first time to GPf1 we have ticket on pit straight and we want ask about some tips,what time we shut be there.etc. we traweling by car from Sheffield and we boked car parking.Thanks

  120. Hi,

    I’m going to the GP for the first time at silverstone this year with a friend. Just looking at grandstand tickets, was thinking Luffield B or maybe Pit straight. Can anyone give me some advice on these.

    Also i am a bit confused by the ‘roving pass’ idea. At previous GPs in Aus and Malaysia i bought a grandstand ticket and had that seat for the whole weekend. If i got a Platinum Luffield B, do i have a seat there for the whole weekend reserved or is it first come first serve?? I am really confused by the roving seat idea….

    Also i am going to be staying in London, is it worth getting a hotel near silverstone or is it easy to get up there from London, i remember reading about buses that can be booked.

    thanks

    Matt

    1. Matt,

      The Pits Straight Grandstand has been moved back away from the track this year as part of the safety improvements to the circuit implemented for MotoGP. Silverstone claim that this linked with the removal of the advertising gantry close to the podium has created ‘panormaic views of the north of the circuit’ if thats any help to you. I have personally always enjoyed luffield especially on sundays as the atmosphere on the formation lap and the final lap are awesome. The new track works have also made brooklands (part of the luffield complex) a potential overtaking spot this year so I personally would go for luffield B. However if you want to watch the build up pre race then pits straight it is, likewise if you want to watch the teams make stops.

      The roving ticket idea at silverstone is something I personally love. On a friday, all ticketholders have access to the open grandstands (this excludes the half of the becketts grandstand which is reserved for ‘club silverstone’ ticket holders and the silver and gold ‘plus’ stands at stowe b and club a respectively), and all grandstand ticketholders have the same access availability on saturday. This gives you the opportunity to watch from various diffrent vantage points throughout the weekend. I would recommend that at some point during the weekend you watch from either the becketts or new chapel stands to see the amazing change of direction through the becketts sequence, aswell as copse for the speed. I will also be watching first practice from the new arena complex as it looks pretty tricky.

      In terms of where to stay i would advise trying to get a hotel in either northampton or Milton Keynes as these are closer to the circuit and mean it is much easier to get in and out of the circuit. An alternative option would be to get weekend camping tickets from either Silverstone or nearby Whittlebury Hall. I also hear that the ‘Hamilton Fields’ Campsite is excellent (they have a website with photos etc on it if you google it)

      Having been to several GP’s over the years the atmosphere at Silverstone is phenomenal and it’s a great weekend

      Hope this info is of help to you and i hope you have a fantastic trip to silverstone :)

      Ash

    2. I went to MotoGP this year and watched from the Pit Straight – the grandsatnds have been moved back but it actually improved the viewing as now when you look left towards Copse or right back towards Woodcote you actually see the corners instead of the the guy/girl sitting next to you’s head :)

  121. Hi,
    I was in the Luffield Terrace last year which was great, but this year wanting to push the boat out for a grandstand. Going to get either one of the Gold or Silver tickets but can’t decide which would be best.
    Pits straight?
    Arena?
    Becketts?
    Stowe?
    Would like to know what other people would recommend is the best grandstand before I commit?
    Arena sounds interesting but as it’s new I guess no one will know yet.
    Thanks in advance anyway.

  122. I had tickets in Luffield grandstand A for the 2009 race and these were excellent with great views of the cars for a long period of time. The one thing that i missed however was the sense of acceleration of the cars coming to you. On the saturday I sat on the pit striaght b, low down, and you get a fantastic view of the cars accelerating towards you and the noise is just brutal. This yr I have bought tickets for Woodcote A, which I thought would offer a good view of the cars int eh complex and at the same time capture some of the acceleration as they head up to the pit straight – Can anyone please let me know their views on Woodcote A as I have found very little on this section over the whole site. Much appreciated. Nick

    1. this is a very dull question, no wonder you have had to post it twice

      1. just joking nick, I am one of those jokers who only ever goes to Monaco GP and then complains about the cost for years to come. Good question and enjoy it!

  123. Hi I have a general access seat again this year, last year we sat at Bridge but i am not sure where the best place to sit will be this year due to the change of the track. I was thinking Vale, has anyone got any idea where would be best. Thanks in advance for your help, Mark.

    1. Try Bridge again !

      There’ll be plenty of room – you could spread out, lay out a decent picnic, stick a gazebo up and invite some friends :)

      Seriously I’d try just 100 yards back towards Copse from the entry to Maggots / Becketts – If you want to see F1 cars at their very best seeing them piling into and through there is absolutely awesome !

    2. In Vale you will see the cars very long.

  124. Does anyone know if you can take your own beer onto th circuit ? Thanks :)

    1. The fencing and the Marshalls would probably stop you being able to do that as hopefully would the in-built self-preservation instincts us humans have against getting hit by a car at 195mph + :)

      1. Funny. Very funny :)

  125. Hi everyone! My boyfriend’s a massive f1 fan (and I’m getting keener too!) but has never been to watch one of the races, so I’m thinking of getting him tickets for his birthday. Money’s a bit tight (poor students!) so I can only really afford us 1-day Fan General Admission tickets for quali on the saturday.

    So basically, is it worth getting tickets for then? Do you get your money’s-worth if you make a day of it? How early do you need to realistically get there on the saturday to get a decent spot? We’d get the train up there early in the morning. Where’s the best place to buy the tickets online?

    Thanks for any help you can give me – want to make it a good birthday for him!

    1. Hi Em,

      I’ve been to a few at Silverstone. Going on a Saturday is not a bad call – reason being is you get to see the cars twice in 1 day – 1 hour in the morning 10:00 am to 11:00 am and then again at 13:00 pm for quali – as opposed to just once on race day (race only) they used to have a 30 minute warm-up in the morning on race day which has been stopped. As it’s both your first time gong on a Saturday will give you the opportunity to stroll around the track and view the cars from different spots something you woudn’t really be able to do on race day due to a) size of crowd and b) not wanting to miss any of the race.

      If you want to see the more of the cars for even longer and watching quali isn’t the deciding factor (bearing in mind during quali cars drop out across the 3 quali segments) then consider going on the Friday as you will see the cars for even longer 1 hour 30 mins for each of the 2 sessions Practice 1 1000-1130 & Practice 2 1400-1530 and it only cost £50 as opposed to £70 – so more money for you to buy Beer for your boyfriend :)

  126. Hi Kev, yeah you’ll be fine to take beer into the circuit.

    1. Cheers for the info Mark :)

      1. Your welcome Kev

  127. Thanks Javibega, I have been thinking about Vale, I think that could possibly be my answer

  128. Hi can anyone help. With the General Admission ticket can I sit in the Bronze terrace raised viewing areas, Luffield and Copse for example.

    1. Hi Mark Brown I refered that in Vale you will see the car FAR due to the track is in the other side because fo the chicane. In vale is in front of the old airport´s track.
      However you see the cars during a long TIME.

  129. Nick Ritter
    10th May 2010, 9:55

    Can anyone please let me know their views on Woodcote A as I have found very little on this section over the whole site. Much appreciated. Nick

    1. I’ve gone for Woodcote A for pretty much the same reasons you mention in your post higher up the page – the added feel of the cars accelerating past onto the pit straight.

      It’s also an opportunity to see if Brooklands has now turned into an overtaking opportunity or not. You should get a pretty good view of the cars coming straight down the National/Wellington straight.

      Looks like others may agree – Woodcote A seems to be almost sold out, and more so than Woodcote B.

      There’s a couple of good videos on YouTube:
      – of the parade lap in 2009
      – of a Ferrari through the complex
      Just search for “silverstone woodcote”.

  130. Hi after being a fan for years this is the first time my brother and I can afford to go … so we have a 3 day general admission pass…. can we arrive thursday night for camping.. and where is a good place for us to view on the sunday … i know we have friday and saturday to suss it out but any advice is welcome ….. am really looking forward to it :)

  131. What do you think about that the covered grandstands use the subjection columns?

  132. Hi, Looking to take the kids on friday for the practice sessions, how busy is it, and what is the traffic like to get in and out? many thanks.

    Is it best to have a general ticket or fixed seat at copse?

    1. Hi Stewart,

      In recent years, i.e. since 2007, all three days for the GP have been packed. The Hamilton/Button winning effect is clearly visible. However, don’t let this put you off! There are plenty of families with younger children at the GP and they do fine. In terms of what ticket to buy get a general admission ticket if it’s just friday your going for. On friday grandstands are open to all ticket holders including GA with the exception of the hospitality and ‘plus’ stands at Copse A and B, Stowe B, Club and Luffield C. This still gives you grandstand access to a huge range of stands accross the circuit offering you opportunities to see the cars hammer through becketts or negotiate the new arena section of track. No-one ‘sets-up camp’ at one spot on friday as everyone uses the opportunity to see different parts of the circuit so finding a good spot is fairly easy.

      Hope this helps :)

  133. Hi Guys,

    I’m going to buy the general adminition tickets for the Saturday Qualitying, however this is the first time for me.

    When it says I access to the “bank areas” what does this exactly mean and what would be the best bank area?

    What time does the venue open and what time can I park there?

    Looking at the forum it seems I should get there for about 6am by car.

    Thanks guys!

  134. hi everyone,

    after years of being a passionate fan im finally going to the f1. unfortunately the tickets were a gift, so i will be by myself. do many people go by themselves? and if so are the campsites friendly enough that you make loads of friends really quickly?!

    i know its stupid and i quickly make friends but i dont want my first ever f1 weekend ruined by the fact i have nobody to share it with!

  135. Hi all,
    Am driving to the Grand Prix this year (there for the full 3 days), does anyone know how early to get there for? Do you usually have to que to get in the car park for ages and ages? Just wanna make sure I get there at an appropriate time.
    Thanks

    1. Hi Chris, Lots of people are saying you need to be there around 6am but we’ve been to Silverstone four times now and its never taken longer than an hour to get in from the turnoff on the M1 (think its junction 15 or 15A). Sunday is definitely busier but still took us no longer than an hr. We left our hotel in Milton Keynes around 7:30am last year, can’t remember what time we got there but know we definitely had loads of time to spare. The roads are only open to Silverstone traffic so that helps. The main problem is getting out! We were stuck in a queue for over 2 hrs last year and just made our flight! Staying for the party this year!

      1. Thanks Judith, that helps a lot!

  136. Hi Keith. Can you tell me if you need to buy tickets for the autograph signing and pitwalk on Thursday.I have three day tickets for Silverstone and am arriving from the US on that day and would really like to go.No one seems to Know.One person said if you have three day tickets you can just go on the Thursday but even when i called Siverstone they said there was nothing on that day.Thank you for your help.
    Terrie

    1. Hi Terrie,

      Unfortunately there is no pitwalk at Silverstone on the Thursday! It seems to be the only GP that doesn’t have one.

      Hope you enjoy your trip!

  137. Hi

    We are staying about 2 miles away from circuit and thought we would cycle in on race day. Is this a good idea? and are there places to leave our bikes?
    Also it seems a good idea to bring in food. Are we allowed to bring in beer in cool box?
    Thanks Terry

  138. Hiya all! I’ve read through previous posts and big thanks for them!
    Can any1 tell me how to get there by bus? I’m going there alone (as some1 mentioned before so no worries :) and can only get there by bus from Birmingham.
    Or maybe there is some1 who has one spare place in his/her car so I could join :D I have a 3 day tickets at Copse E.
    Cheers!

  139. Hi everyone,

    Finally going to my first GP for the full 3 days racing :-)
    Has anyone used the Kangaroo TV? If so, is it any good and value for money? (I believe its about £50 for 3 days)
    Do you pick it up each day? As we are camping we won’t be able to charge any batteries, will this be a problem or do Kangaroo sort this for you?

    Thanks in Advance
    Heather

    1. I read on another thread that you can swap old battery packs for charged ones at the Kangaroo kiosk.

      I’m trying it for the first time, so I can’t tell you what the experience is like, but you only ever hear good reports!

  140. Hi all, really useful info on this forum! Many thanks!

    My brother and I will be at Silverstone for the entire race weekend for the first time ever this year. We are camping at the track with General Admissions tickets. I’m was hoping someone might be able to advise on what time we should aim to get up and queue on Sunday. I would quite like to watch the race from Copse corner, but am guessing that will be a popular place to go. Are we talking 6am here or should we get up even earlier?!

    Any info will be much appreciated! Cheers!

    1. Earlier…we started queueing at 4am last year and weren’t at the front of the queue!

      1. Ah cheers – I thought that might be the case! A very early start it is indeed then! Not that I mind if it means I get to watch everything from an awesome spot. Starting to get stupidly excited now and there’s still a week to go!

        1. Strangly I think getting up at stupid o’clock is part of the fun, we had a great laugh waiting in line last year…can’t wait now, just hope it stays dry!

  141. Hi Naomi, Going myself for the 1st time having been the Renault World Series last year and also staying on the track so should be a good weekend. I have read many replies to previous poles that you should really aim to get there for 6am……Mmmm heres to an early start then :)

  142. I got my tickets for this years British F1 GP Silverstone, with a provisional timetable which included on Saturday 0730am : F1 PitLane Stop Practice – but on the latest published timetable on the Silverstone website, its been taken off ! Anyone any idea if this is still taking place ?

  143. I know someone has already asked this but can we take our own beer in!? (1st time going). The t&c’s for Silverstone (http://www.silverstone.co.uk/Global/pdf/terms-and-conditions/2010_FORMULA_1_SANTANDER_BRITISH%20_GRAND_PRIX_Terms_and_Conditions_040310.pdf) point 7 state that you can’t take alcohol in….does this actually get enforced? Also, thinking of heading for Beckett’s – but will I be able to view the new Arena section from there as well?

    1. Hi,

      We took loads of beer in last year and had no problem at all. As long as they are in cans you shouldn’t have a problem, glass bottles are not accepted.

      1. cheers Andrew. Heavy rucksac for Sunday then

  144. Hi I have a general access ticket can someone advise if I can enter theBronze terrace raised viewing section? thanks Mark.

  145. Hi,

    Really looking forward to next weekend. I’ve not been to the British Grand Prix before could someone please tell me the best spot to watch the racing from with a General Admission ticket? Also same question as Heather is Kangaroo TV worth it?
    Thanks

    1. Hi Nat,

      Sorry can’t help with your ticket question but as for the kangaroo, I would give it a go without it. This is our 4th visit to the British GP and we have used a small radio (tuned into the Silverstone station) with earphones which helps protect your ears from the noise and between that and the big TV screens you know about everything going on around the track. We just got cheap ones from a petrol station. I’ve never tried kangaroo TV but just imagine if your concentrating on it you mite miss whats going on in front of you! Thats just my opinion tho!

  146. Hi Nat I’m giving Vale a go I’ve got a general admission ticket, we had one last year and was positioned at bridge. I agree with Judith no need for the Kangaroo tv just get yourself positioned near the big tv’s and use the radio on your phone tuned to radio silverstone, your gonna need ear protectors anyway so make use of the radio which helps with track position etc. You honestly won’t have time for kangaroo tv after a few laps when Lewis and Jenson blast away :o)

  147. I have used Kangaroos in the past. They are handy devices – particularly if you like to look at lap times, and gaps between cars etc. As others have said, if you can get a decent view of a big screen though you can see what is going on (although you may need binoculars to read time sheets etc). With the availability of live timing on a wide range of phones now (check out the mobile section of http://www.f1.com) I don’t think that Kangaroo is worth the money any more.

  148. Hi all – we have General Admission tickets, but are only going to be able to attend on Saturday and Sunday due to work committments. My question is, is it okay to take camping chairs into the site to sit on during the race? Are these allowed, and if not, are we just supposed to sit on the grass somewhere, or stand even? Any advice would be great! Also, is it a long walk from the car park to the non-grandstand viewing areas?

    Cheers.

    1. Hi,

      Camping chairs are a must if you have GA tickets and make sure they are comfortable you going to be in them a loooong time. You will have no problem taking them in.

  149. Thanks for all the comments about Kangaroo TV. Given your advice, i think i’ll give it a miss and save my pennies. Ordering a headphone splitter instead so me and hubby can listen to the radio.

    Thanks again, getting a bit too giddy now, I can’t wait! :-D
    Cheers Heather

  150. Thanks guys.
    Will probably not bother with the Kangaroo TV then. We went to Belgium last year and a few people had them so I was not sure if I was missing out. I guess its much better seeing it for real than on a little screen!
    4 more sleeps!! :)

    1. We were at Belgium last year too Nat for the first time but it is totally different! The commentary at Silverstone is really good and the fact its all in English is handy, not like Belgium where every line is repeated in loads of languages! We were a bit lost in Belgium in that you didn’t know what was happening around the rest of the track. We are so excited too!!!

  151. Hi all, read through this thread and its been really useful. Ive bought my OH 3 day GA tickets for this year GP. but as a f1 virgin id like a must bring list! want to make the best of the days its cost enough! so what should we def not leave home without? Thinking camping chairs, picnic blanket, rain coat, then im getting stuck! please help! thank u

    1. Hi there! Sorry to resurrect this old message but I have bought my OH 3 day GA tickets for the 2011 GP which I’m going to give to him for his bday.

      However having researched a bit more since I’m worried that I should have just got him a Sunday ticket with a seat in the grandstand.

      Did your OH enjoy the GA ticket? Was it really difficult to find somewhere with a good view?

      Thanks!

  152. Hi doglady here’s a couple of things for the must bring list. suntan lotion and a hat, weather reports say its gonna be a warm one, don’t wanna be feeling bad with sun stroke just as the lights go green.

    Also a small radio with ear phones tuning in to radio siverstone on 87.7fm is great throughout the day and full race commentary as well. The ear phones will also help protect the ears to the deafening noise of the cars as they fly by, believe me either earphones or ear protectors from your chemist are a must.

    Always handy to take some food and drink as well the foodstalls know how to charge and it’ll save you queueing. Oh and of course your camera for those all action shots.

    Finally how about a bottle of champagne to help celebrate the Mclaren 1-2. Here’s hoping anyway, I hope this has been helpful to you. I’m buzzing my spare battery has just arrived for my Digital SLR I’m all ready now.

    1. Hi Mark. Sounds like you are a bit of a veteran at silverstone. Which is best in your opinion, views from grandstand Woodcote B or Copse E? Cheers

      1. Hi Eamonn,Both stands are good tbh i do prefer woodcote B to be honest you get to see the accelerating out of luffield and down the pit straight, you also get a good look at the cars as they enter the pits as well.

  153. Hi all

    My tickets have been lost in post . Silverstone say that if i turn up with loads of proof that they will re-issue. Has this happened to anyone else?

    Also is it possible to take push bikes in on Saturday?

    thanks Terry

  154. Hi Doglady,

    Just one thing, they don’t sell normal chocolate or crisps at Silverstone!!!! Mite sound silly but last year by Sunday I was craving a bar of dairymilk!!!! Leave your raincoat at home but definitely bring a small radio with earphones!!! Have a great time, we are so excited!!!

  155. lol Judith, that is only something a lady would write. No man is gonna be having an asthma attack if there is no dairy milk on sale at the circuit :o)

  156. Hello, I will be on Woodcote “A” on Sunday. It’s my first time at Silverston. My idea it’s take train to Northampton or Milton Keynes. I have read some but not so clear about the shuttle buses from. Are buses at frequently time on Sunday from that stations to the circuit? Were I have to get the ticket? My idea it´s arrive Northampton or Milton K. around 9,00h…

    Thank you in advance!
    Best Regards
    Maxi

  157. the first aid people do suntan lotion if you forget it , be prepared for all weathers! long queues for toilets and the popular hats etc sellout quick !

  158. Hi, does anyone know if there is a general access designated area at luffield?

  159. Hi guys, we have tickets to Luffield B Terrace, and though it says “roving ticket” for fri/sat, are there actual seats at the Terrace or should we bring little folding chairs?

  160. Thanks all! off to pack shortly! got a good list of stuff now! (special thanks to judith for the heads up on the chocolate!) starting to get excited now! tanks again x

  161. I am going to my first ever Grand Prix this weekend at Silverstone after I won tickets in a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes competition. Really loking forward to the whole experience and meeting many people who share my passion for Formula One.

    This page has been a great help with my planning. Many thanks everyone and here’s to a McLaren 1-2, with Lewis first of course :-)

  162. hi,me and my father have got general admission tickets and im wondering if we can spectate in the new arena complex with these?

  163. Hi Guys, can you tell me what time I should get to the circuit in the morning. I have general admission tickets for the Saturday qualifying. Thanks guys. Love this forum!

  164. OK so I have some answers to my question now!

    For Luffield Terrace:
    a) the letters on your booking form don’t matter. ABC are all the same terrace.
    b) you get to sit on a set of concrete terraced steps.
    c) bring a chair and a form of shade. The umbrellas they sell at the event are about 30-40 quid but provide quite excellent shade. Be nice and furl your umbrella while something’s going on on-track.
    d) get there ridiculously early (on Sunday it was full at 7.30am and packed at 8, not so full on Saturday at the same time)
    d) this is seriously the most awesome place to see the race from
    e) I put up a video of the view at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqLr5CPhMAo which also shows a bit of what the stand is like.

    Best weekend ever!!

  165. Another great weekend at the F1. Opinion on various grandstands –
    Friday morning – Becketts – This now has to be the best seats in the place. As ever great views through Maggotts / Becketts but now great views of the new section coming up from Abbey , round Village, the Loop and Aintree and back up the Wellington (National) Straight. If you can afford it this is the place to go to see most track time (you even get a very distant view of the cars through Vale).
    Friday Afternoon – Tried to watch from the new stands close to Village but there is no access to ‘The Centre stands’ unless you have a ticket for that area. Got stopped at ‘Bridge’, so same as previous years when the new area was part of the infield. Bit disappointed that Silverstone didn’t publish this restriction better. Went to watch a Woodcote. Better than ever as you now get to see the cars coming full blast down the straight.
    Saturday Morning – Stowe – No change… still a great place to see the cars down hangar and through Vale.
    Saturday Afternoon – Back to Woodcote. A great place to watch quali, loads of noise, great atmosphere.
    Sunday – Back to our seats in Stowe. Still a great spot for over-taking on race day and the cheapest grandstand ticket too.
    Overall the track changes have hugely improved the viewing (even if the drivers aren’t that impressed). The whole place felt fresher with grandstands moved slightly and brightened up.

  166. Visited for the 3 days in 2010, and had a great time. Stayed in Milton Keynes, and drove in each morning… a journey that ought to take around 30 minutes according to the TomTom.
    Had platinum tickets, for Woodcote A on Sunday.

    Travel:
    – Friday took 35 mins to get in at 8AM, with a small queue through Silverstone village. Poor signs meant I missed the turn to the north-eastern car-parks, and ended up right down in the SW corner by Club. There was a serious queue at the pedestrian gates between Club & Abbey, so we walked up to the entrance near bridge, and got in with no hassle. Leaving *was* a hassle, with cars using both lanes to exit, but other cars still trying to enter on one lane. I gave up, and turned left down the Dadford road, and went back via Buckingham.
    – Saturday took 45 mins to get in at 7:30AM, properly going to the eastern car-parks this time, and getting to the front of the car park behind the pit straight. Other family commitments meant we had to leave straight after qualifying, and we encountered no problems leaving whatsoever.
    – Sunday took just over an hour to get to the same car-park behind the pit straight stand at 8AM, this time ending in the very furthest section. Leaving was a nightmare, with an ambulance trying to get into the area at the same time as two lanes were trying to leave. The 2 lanes then inched along, taking 30 minutes to get to the bridge over the (strangely empty) A43. After another 45 minutes of inching into Silverstone village, I gave up, and just followed the back lanes north through the village, and out north of Towcester, before swinging back east at Weedon, and south via Northampton. The M1 was also a nightmare, but that wasn’t really due to the F1 traffic.

    The event itself made up for the travel out on the Sunday…
    – Friday morning we went over Bridge, and into the new Arena stands. People were checking tickets – both to get over Bridge and to then get into the arena stands, even though you should have been able to rove anywhere with any ticket. Ours were platinum for Woodcote, and we got through without a hitch, so I’m not sure what restriction the previous poster hit. This gave a good view of drivers mucking up Village, but not really much of a view of them coming from Abbey/Farm – which seemed to be the cause of the problems. While you could see cars over on Becketts, it wasn’t a very good feel for what was going on there.
    – We briefly sat in Luffield B, but felt it wasn’t a brilliant spot. We then decided to check what our race-day view was like in Woodcote A, and decided to stay for FP2. A view from the distant Aintree, through Brooklands, Luffield and Woodcote, then a view along the start/finish straight until the cars suddenly dart out of view as they turned into Copse. There was the bonus of the pit entry in front of us, with a view straight along the pit lane itself. We thought it was well worthwhile, which the security guard agreed with – guys were coming over from the BRDC stand as this had a much better view!
    – On Saturday we stuck with a game plan of hanging around Woodcote B, as we ended up with seats with great room. With the heat predicted to be even higher than Friday, we didn’t fancy lugging the cool-box around too much. Not bad, but not as good as A, so I can see why they’ve changed the designation for next year.
    – On Sunday it was back to Woodcote A. Excellent, with a good view of antics approaching Brooklands. The loop around Luffield meant it was *very* easy to visualise the decreasing gap between Vettel and Webber, when Seb was so close to getting lapped.

    So this was a good spot, although it will be a bit diminished when the pits move next year.

  167. Here’s some comments from people who were at the 2010 race:

    Ten F1 fans’ stories from Silverstone

  168. When you visited the track
    2010 – Saturday and Sunday

    Where you watched from
    Saturday practice – Woodcote grandstand
    Qualifying – Luffield grandstand
    Race – Copse “A” grandstand

    How easy it was to get to
    We stayed in Northampton for the weekend so we travelled to and from Silverstone using the Stagecoach F1 service which was running from Northampton bus station. We were dropped off in Silverstone High Street on both days and it was around a 20 minute walk from there to Gate 3 behind the Woodcote grandstands.

    How much of the track you could see
    As we arrived at the gate behind Woodcote and we had Platinum tickets which allowed us access to the main grandstands, we didn’t leave the pit straight area. This meant we could only see the complex before Luffield, Luffield itself, Woodcote, Copse and the exit from Copse throughout the weekend.

    What support races there were
    GP2, GP3 and Porsche Supercup. I think there was BMW race aswell but we didn’t see this.

    What you liked and didn’t like
    Everything seemed to be well organised and layed out, which meant it was easy to find what we wanted and easy to get around. Only down points were the food stalls, £4 for a baguette with two slices of cold bacon, and £1.80 for a warm bottle of coke – when they were advertised as “ice cold drinks”.

    How much it cost and whether it was good value
    I didn’t pay for tickets as I won them in a competition, but if I were to pay the amount that the tickets were worth, then I would be very pleased with the value for money. A great weekend and I would recommend it to anyone who hasn’t been to a Grand Prix before. I would certainly consider going back!!

  169. please can someone help me with information??

    for my partners 40th birthday (it is a surprise) i wnat to get tickets where he can have the best views of cars (and maclaren drivers) as he is a HUGE Huge grand prix fan.

    so..best tickets to get and where we should sit..anyhelp really..i have no idea what woodcote etc means..i am learning though by reading up on the circuit but i dont wnat to ask hiome to give the game
    away!!!

    thank you for any replies

    erica

  170. (oh..add on infor from message just left which i forgot to add)..which are the best tickets to get for a surprise 40th presant for silverstone granad prix 2011.

    1. Phillip from Denmark
      15th August 2010, 10:10

      Hi Erica,
      At this years race we sat in a few of the grandstands for friday practice and found that Becketts and the new arena grandstands gave the best views so I would say either of those for your fellas 40th birthday.
      Also buy the 3 day tickets( they dont cost much more than the 1 day ticket) as that will give you the whole weekend to enjoy the unique Silverstone atmosphere,probably one of the best of all the grand prix´s. enjoy !! ;)

      1. thank you for your reply

  171. Thank you for this great post. Waiting for much. ciao.

  172. I’m a new fan of F1 and I’ve just booked tickets for me and my hubby to go to Silverstone for the 2011 GP.

    One question – how do you listen to the commentary when you’re actually at the Grand Prix? I’m assuming you use headphones and radio – anyone know the best headphones to get for the race?

    1. Hi Sharon, there’s an FM radio station that provides excellent commentary all day which you can tune into via a radio. So bring a little portable radio! As for headphones, we found the “ear plug” in-ear ones (i.e. the ones that really screw into your ears) were pretty good if you want a cheapie option. Others around us had these rather impressive full-covering style ear protection that you’d see on building sites, with what looked to be a built in radio. I think if I go back I’ll probably try to hunt some of them down — they looked pretty comfy and you didn’t have to worry about the earplugs falling out!

      1. Addendum: I just did some quick googling and found these: http://www.abbeypro.co.uk/subprod/ear-defenders-0000822.aspx

        Something like that with a radio built in might be good! anyone else with any experience of using these at the F1?

        1. Thanks for your help – great advice! =)

        2. phillip from denmark
          30th September 2010, 10:57

          Hi liedra,
          We have used these type of ear defender/ radios for years now and are fantastic as you hear the commentary and protect your hearing.
          In Denmark we can get these for around £15 just not as expensive as the price shown in the link you provided. ;)

  173. phillip from denmark
    30th September 2010, 11:04

    Hi liedra / sharon,
    just found this link and these work out at just £9 !! If you need any help buying any of these,just drop me a mail.
    http://www.harald-nyborg.dk/merinfo.asp?varenr=1180&Grp=&n=20100

    1. Hi,
      can anyone explain how much these would cost shipped to the UK, and how I do it. I can;t speak Danish and Google can’t do an autotranslate on the site…

      1. Phillip from Denmark
        6th January 2011, 12:56

        Hi Gavin,if your wanting them for the gp then we could bring them over with us. I have noticed that the price has gone up since I posted back in september but sometimes they have them on special offer.
        If you or anybody else are interested then get in touch through this forum and we´ll get something sorted,hope this helps ;)

        1. Nice idea but I fear we’d never meet up. We’d be deaf you’d have loads of spare ear defenders…

          I am interested in 2 pairs though, and if they are on special and you can get a pair I’ll re-emburse you the cost and shipping. Cheapest I see them on Fleabay are £30 a pair

        2. Thanks for the offer but I think I need to hold on for a while. Looks like my wife has the same idea and is buying the same things..

          No doubt we could sell them on but at the moment I’ll hold off buying them

  174. I just bought some =)

    Can’t wait for the race – cheers guys

  175. i have read every message from 2007 – am still unsure..please help me..
    steve will be 40 next year…he loves f1. iam planning him a surprise bday of a f1 weekend..have the accommodation booked for 2011. however tickets??? it seems i cant buy yet and i dnt want to miss out??? where do i book…which is best tickets…i want him him to see the pits, cARS etc. i hear croft, luffield etc.. i have looked at the circuit via internet but as a novice please tell me what is best..he likes overtaking, bends, crashes (not mclaren), he has the games, (xbox you have a lot to answer for) books and knowledge of F1 and i love him for his passion…i have a budget…at least £300 each …only because he is 40…what do i do???

    1. phillip from denmark
      1st October 2010, 10:55

      Hi Erica,see my post above regarding where the best spots were this year to see the race from.
      Regarding tickets,they have been on sale since this years race.
      Try the website below:
      http://www.silverstone.co.uk/events/2011-Formula-1-Santander-British-Grand-Prix1/

      All the prices,grandstand etc are there.

  176. Hi
    Thanks to all for the information you’ve shared. I am going to the 2011 GP for the first time and I’ve read loads of useful stuff, although I still have no idea which seats to book. I’m taking my partner, but hoping to keep it as a surprise, so lots of secret surfing going on.

    I know he will want to see the whole race, so I wonder if anyone can tell me where the big screens are traditionally located (I gather that the decision hasn’t been made for next year yet – but a clue might be helpful). Also, does anyone know if there is such a thing as a seating plan, or whether you are just allocated tickets for the next available seat numbers. I’m trying to pinpoint somewhere near to a big screen if possible.
    Thanks

  177. Hi

    not a big F1 fan myself (but willing to give it a try)but have an 11 year old on who is an F1 fanatic, thinking of treating him for his birthday by taking him on the saturday qualifying at silverstone 2011 .Im posting just to enquire about what else goes on on the saturday apart from the actual qualifying?? is there other things going on around the circuit (ie stalls/exhibitions/other races/ etc) to keep an 11 year old lad amused ?

    any feedback would be much appreciated, and who knows if we like it could go for all 3 days in 2012.

    cheers in advance

    1. Hi Gary. On Saturday you’ll also have the one-hour F1 practice session plus the GP2 feature race (over an hour) and some other support events too. Silverstone usually have a series of stages around the track where they have entertainment and competitions for children too.

    2. Hi, yes, there was lots going on around the track. This year they had a slotcar racing area, one of those simulators, and a whole load of other bits and pieces you could go and take a look at. There were other races on too (iirc), GP2 and some of the Porsches and BMWs (not sure if they’ll be running next year though?). I’m sure it’ll be enough to keep him occupied! :)

      Have fun!

      1. thanks very much for the speedy,helpful replies keith and liedra. on the strengh of your input i shall be booking our tickets later . once again thanks

    3. I’ve been a number of times, and spectated from every stand.

      There is plenty to do for a day trip, you’ll struggle to get everything in.

      There are a number of what silverstone call “e zones” where there are bands and entertainers on stage to entertain children – I’ve never been with children, so I’m not sure if the entertainment is too ‘young’ for your lad.

      With the start moving for 2011, they may move things around, but along what was the pit straight is the F1 village. Here there are merchandising and sponsors stands. The sponsors stands have diminished in recent years, but in 2010, vodafone had a McLaren show car out, and I think it was Santander who had slot car racing and a Ferrari on display. That’s the closest you’ll get to an F1 car, so if your lad has never seen an F1 car in the flesh, they’re worth visiting.

      I think the track action has been covered, but there are races and qualifying sessions happening all day, and there’s usually an air display of some form.

      The F1 Qualifying will be the focus of the day, so I’d get your pitch for that at least an hour before it starts. If I remember correctly, the grandstand seats on the Saturday are roving, so you can use any stand. If you don’t go for a stand, then there are raised banking areas around Copse, becketts, Vale which can offer good views of the track.

      The queues to get out will start straight after the F1 quali, so if you can stop around for the races after the quali, it does get easier to get out.

      Take a radio with you, Silverstone Radio broadcast throughout the weekend, and will keep you updated with what’s happening on and around the track. The PA system is a bit poor, and next to useless when the F1 cars are out.

      Finally, it’s worth looking at the Silverstone website and the F1 teams websites to see if they have any special guests appearing. We met Jackie Stewart just after he’d done a promotional stint for RBS in 2009.

      1. thanks Andy, very helpful

  178. Paul Hastings & Janofsky Atlanta Lawyer
    600 Peachtree St NE # 2400, Atlanta, GA 30308-2222
    (404)815-2400

  179. Hi! a couple of weeks ago I bought some tickets for my OH for the 2011 f1 grand prix. Not know anything about f1, I just bought two 3-day general admission tickets.

    Now having read a lot more about it I’m regretting my hasty decision and really wish I’d picked just a sunday ticket but silver with a grandstand seat.

    Could anyone tell me what general admission is like? Do you still have a good time even without having a seat? Do you have to get there ridiculously early to even have a view?

    At the moment I’m considering ringing up Silverstone and begging them to let me exchange my tickets (though i’m pretty sure its a lost cause having read their t&cs)

    Any info would be much appreciated, thanks!

    1. Hi Mary, dont worry. I have had a general ticket for the past few years your OH will have a fantastic time. All they will need to do is ensure they are at the gates for the 5am opening time. They will then be able to pick and choose the best vantage spot. You can do this by looking at the circuit view on http://www.silverstone.co.uk/events/2011-Formula-1-Santander-British-Grand-Prix1/ all the lines marked in Orange are general access vantage points. It does get busy but the atmosphere is fantastic. Each time we’ve gone you get to know the people your sat next to, they looked after our stuff whilst we went and had a look around the stores and then we repaid the compliment. Take your own food and drink unless you enjoy getting your wallet raped. Prices are high. You can take your own food and drink in so why pay extortionate prices!! Need any other help let me know. Hope this helps

      Mark.

    2. one other thing. Everyone takes there own camping chairs, they only cost £5 but its a long old weekend and they are a god save. Make sure you get the ones with the beer tin holder (these will be handy)

      1. Thanks so much Mark! That’s really reassuring!

        Would you suggest getting there so early on Saturday as well, or just Sunday? It’ll probably be an hour and a half travel to get there so would be nice if he didn’t have to get up at 3.30 both days!

        1. Yeah I understand it is a long old day, me personally I would be there early and then perhaps get my head down for a sleep in the car. There will still be in the region of 90-100,000 spectators attending on Saturday. I got there for 6AM on the Sunday and 7.30AM on the Saturday, both days the traffic was fine for me. I didnt wanna run the risk of getting there and having to make do. You find that by 8am the best vantage points are nearly all full. Use Saturday to roam around and find the best spot for Sunday, always best to plan ahead. Then when you get there Sunday you know exactly where you need to be. Dont worry about not having a good time, It really is special. Take a radio with headphones or if your mobile has fm radio even better. The circuit has its own radio station that keeps you up to date all throughout the day and the races, this is really good also.

          1. Hi,
            I’m thinking of getting a 3 day ticket for Silverstone 2011 and just had a few questions for you guys that have been before,

            Can you get in the paddock/close to the cars?

            And are there any good locations to take photos?

            Thanks in advance.

          2. Mark has summed up GA to an absolute T. I have been a GA ticket holder every year since 2004 and have had a fantastic time at silverstone. The atmosphere in GA is perfect, no corporate bods with their free tickets cos they work for the sponsor of an f1 team etc. Every single GA ticket holder is a fan which creates the unique and unrivalled atmosphere. As for the bit about leaving your stuff with others this genuinely does happen! A couple of years ago me and my dad took a small trowel to dig into the banking at club so that our seats were perfectly level and to ensure they did not cause any distractions for the race! Having leant the trowel to the guy next to us after he had helped me dig my space out (note that he found it funny to watch me struggle for a few mins before helping)we eventually had it returned around an hour and a half later by a random person who we had never seen before (he was sat near the other end of the bank) who had also organised to buy me and my dad a beer to say thanks. This is why F1 is so good. Pure fans who just love the sport. GA is the only way to go!

  180. Hey fellas, I need some advice and help. Now, I have been going to GPs since 1980 and am no stranger to the early rises, damp tents and drunken parties. However, age and time is catching up and yes, I have now got a caravan. Do any of you know the best site for a, shall we say, civilised and less noisy stay. Dont get me wrong, I like a few beers and a BBQ, but banging music at 2:00am aint my idea of fun anymore. So any ideas about a nice, quietish site for caravans. Cheers.

    1. Hi Whittlebury Park take caravans, I’d book soon if you want a hook up though. Quietens down around midnight.

    2. I would recommend you book into the official campsite within the circuit grounds mate.
      I live 10 miles from Silverstone but have camped for 3 nights over the GP weekend for 19 of the last 20 years. The old Sawmills site is good in the village, although quite a walk to the circuit.
      The campsite opposite (Litchlake) is moronic generally and whilst great fun and a wicked atmosphere…it will keep you awake!

      The site inside the circuit is being completed as we speak with proper shower houses, catering, bands, and …a curfew of midnight for loud music and generators!

      Do what I do….take a pair of foam ear plugs and a bottle of nightnurse….you’ll sleep like a baby!

      Have fun mate!

  181. stephanie isherwood
    21st December 2010, 22:27

    Have been every year since 1999. Have stayed in a hotel and camped, been general admission and had grandstand tickets.
    Personally I prefer to camp. The atmosphere is brilliant. Everyone in the campsites are massive racing fans. Take a radio and tune in to radio Silverstone. The last few years I’ve camped at Litchlake which is opposite the circuit. You don’t need to book. We get there for Thursday lunchtime. It has a reputation for being a loud campsite but apart from the funfair next door it’s fine. I’ve never found it too rowdy and it’s so easy for getting to the circuit.
    Have done general admission a few times but once you go grandstand you never go back. Basically if you have general admission you need to do all your shopping and walking round the rest of the weekend cos race day you get your spot and you stay there.
    It’s so much nicer with a grandstand seat and you can just rock up whenever.
    There’s not much chance to get close to cars or drivers at Silverstone unless you look out for appearances on the merchandise stands (met Michael Schumacher this year!) or go to the after race party on the Sunday night.
    The atmosphere really makes it though so go for the whole weekend and camp if you can

  182. Richard Huggins
    29th December 2010, 7:03

    Gosh – looking at the websites, tickets for the new International Pit Straight Grandstand are all gone already. So I am thinking Abbey: still see the start/finish, pit exit and right there at the first corner. Main downside seem to be miles from a screen.

    I was at Luffield last year – and a bit disappointed as I could not see down the pit straight.

    Views? RSVP ASAP as tickets seem to be going fast.

    Thanks

  183. Luffield and Woodcote are over-rated in my opinion. I was around there and pit-straight a few years ago, and there’s no action. Stowe seems a better bet for more track time view of the cars.

    1. Richard Huggins
      3rd January 2011, 22:30

      Scratch Abbey. The stands are positioned away so you don’t see the start of the race, and all you get is a short view of the cars through Abbey and Farm – not worth £272.

      Stowe is a posibility, good for seeing fast cars, but not sure about seeing any overtaking action.

  184. Hi everyone,
    My OH and I are going to the Silverstone F1 this year for the very first time, I’v been a fan since I was very young (I’m 30 and grew up watching it with my dad from as early as I can remember, around age 4/5)and as you can imagine I can’t wait to finally be there. We purchased the silver national pit straight tickets and have been given seats K165 and K166 it appears. Can anyone tell me what these seats will be like for viewing the race on the Sunday?? We are also camping on-site as we booked the Lively camping at the time of ordering our 3 day tickets. Any help advice would be appreciated.x

    1. Hi Lesley, my OH & I went to Silverstone for the F1 British GP last year and are now hooked! We had weekend Copse E tickets which allowed us to rove on the Friday, so we took the opportunity to sit up in the ‘then’ Pit Straight (now National Pits) grandstand to watch the action. The view was awesome, obviously because at that time you could see into the Pits. Altho the Pits have moved you’ll still be able to see the cars exiting Woodcote and speeding down the straight into Copse. I recon this will be a key overtaking point this year…

      We camped in the lively site which was a 15min walk out of the south entrance/exit by Stowe corner. Arrived at 7am on the Friday morning and the site was already 90% full with racegoers! But nonetheless it was easy to find a good spot (try and get as near to the portaloos as poss ;-)). Noise wise it can be quite loud until around midnight/1am, but this soon dies down. Not having camped much, the one thing I found strange were the queues for the showers/toilets…..long long lines for the mens and none for the ladies! Not something you see very often!
      We left at around 4-5pm on the Sunday after the main event and got stuck in a queue for about 2hrs with everyone wanting to leave at the same time. My advice here would be to stick around for the F1 party later on the Sunday eve. This way you’ll get to see the Drivers and miss the hefty queues ;-)

      We’ve just booked Copse E grandstand tkts for this year and are now very excited! Not camping this year tho as we live relatively close-by in Aylesbury which is a 40min drive away.

      Hope this helps

      André

      1. Thanks for the reply, tes we are in the lively camp and can’t wait. Waiting till the Monday before we leave and arriving on the Thursday so will be enjoying an excellent long weekend of race craziness. Super excited lol. OH is doing his nut trying to keep me calm haha.x

  185. Richard Huggins
    17th January 2011, 22:43

    Just checking, but you do know they have changed the start this year to a different straight, renamed the International Pit Straight, just before Abbey?

    I almost missed that.

    1. Yeah I know, the best of the tickets are gone so this was the next best thing. Checked the map on the Silverstone site and still seems like our stands(from national straight round copse)should be decent for viewing the race on Sunday (didn’t fancy the fight you get over the GA tickets)

  186. Notice a few people criticising luffield and woodcote! I reckon this year luffield might be a good place to watch the race as in last years race, with the new layout, most of the over taking seemed to be at brooklands after the new wellington straight!

    What do people think? Agree?

  187. ……Or perhaps even better than luffield would be woodcote? Any one in Woodcote last year? Would be interested to know what you thought and whether you saw much action? That seemed to be where most the overtaking was last year!

  188. Chris G,

    i sat in Woodcote A last yr for the race having sat in Luffied A the previous yr

    Woodcote A was fantastic. Really excellent seats. You got to see the cars come down the new national straight, around the complex, accelerate towards you and then (in Woodcote A) around to the start / finish line

    The seats also benefited greatly from being opposite the entry to the pit lane, I think Massa almost crashed diving in to the pits during the race, and the seats gave great views down the pit lane – Alas, this yr with the new pit layout these two features will not be on offer at Woodcote

    I sat in the second row (B) I think, and the only critism that I had of the sats was that i was slightly too low down, had i been a few rows higher, row N say, the perspective in my view was much greater. Very small critism, but if you are paying out 300 notes a ticket something to at least be aware of

    The previous yr at Luffield A was also excellent, but I felt that i missed the sensation of the cars really accelerating towards you and as such I prefered Woodcote A

    The rage last yr when I was there and walking around on the Saturday was the club silverstone and then becketts (where i believe you get views across the track as well and to see some of the national striaght)

    whatever you decide, I hope you all have a great experience if you make it this yr

    best,
    nick

  189. Richard Huggins
    18th January 2011, 9:16

    I would say Woodcote is better than Luffield for the reasons stated above. For most of Luffield you don’t see the pit straight, but you do get to see quite a few seconds of the action as the cars slow down into the Luffield complex. However, last year was beautiful and dry and there was only 1 extraordinary moment – Massa’s spin and entry into the pits, so I came away a bit dissapointed.

    Personally I am thinking of GA around Stowe. This year, I feel the need, the need for speed!

  190. Cheers guys! I was in luffield a couple of years ago for 2009 and really enjoyed it but there wasn’t much action in terms of overtaking etc. I was on the pits straight last year as well which I obviously loved and was hoping to go for this year too but missed out with it selling out so quickly! So looking for the next best option, and just thought from what I saw on the tv there seemed to be a lot of overtaking as people raced down to the end of the new straight before coming into luffield, so thought Woodcote would be good!

    Nick did you get to see much overtaking last year? That certainly seemed to be where most of it was happening from what I saw.

    Since I’ve missed out on the pits straight, just fancy somewhere where I might see a bit of action this year.

  191. Woodcote A offers a lot of potential for overtaking yes — for one as the cars come down the national striaght they all seemed to try or at least looking for opportunities and Woodcote A gives you a good perspective of this, in addition you get the possibilities as they accelerate up from Luffield as well

    Personally, I think Woodcote A offers a fantastic place to view the race. You get to see the cars for 17 odd seconds and you get a wide range of perspectives

    I would recommend asking for a row around the middle of the stand, like row N or something, as opposed to the very front rows (I was in row B and the angle or perspective was a little flat – but this is a vvvvvv minor critical point)

    The one thing that I am sure you are aware of is that this yr, with the new layout, two great parts to woodcote A from the 2010 race are no longer, 1. the entry to the pit lane and 2. being able to look striaght up the pit lane as the cars went in

    everyone has their own preferences, i searched google and the internet for weeks in search of the perfect silverstone seat (when you buy 4 and spend that kind of cash it matters) and all i will say is that I loved the experience that i got at Woodcote A

    be interesting to see how they play out this yr with the new layout

    If you put up your personal e mail i will send you a e mail with a video of the race view that i had last yr if you wish

    Nick

  192. Thanks Nick! Think I’ll definitely go for either Woodcote or Club. Think Club should be good this year too given the new layout. Considered Becketts too but think regarding the race it will only really be good for the first lap.

    Anyway my email is chris_gouge@hotmail.com

    Cheers

  193. REALLY wanting to go again this year but potentially by myself…if anyone else is in a similar predicament get in touch via Facebook (link on my profile) or Twitter @andrewdtanner and we could organise a meet up.

  194. hi all,
    booked ticket for stowe A , me and my brother in law are GP VIRGINS, so looking foreward to july 10th.
    driving down on the day, what time do you think is best to arrive??
    thanks

    1. Well if you have an allocated seat you won’t be jostling for position. I’d say arrive around 10am. Soak up the atmosphere and you should catch some other racing and maybe an air show!

  195. Hi all! I got ticket to Village B. I think, after PIT Straight has been moved Village B will be the action place. With 24 cars driving toward slow right corner, new tyres AND with kers, all together will bring excitement! And of course UK’s never predictable weather.
    This will be my first F1 Grand Prix and I can’t wait!!
    Has anyone know how often buses will ride between Northampton and track???

  196. Daniel Lavender
    27th February 2011, 20:07

    Hi all, have just purchased general admission tickets for me and my brother. Its our 1st trip to a grand prix, and was wondering where was the best place to watch all the action with our limited general admission tickets? We have tickets for qualifying and race day, any help would be appreciated.

    1. The circuit has changed recently mate so the first bend is no longer Copse but Village.
      The key thing to remember is this…F1 has some serious enthusiasts.

      People sit outside the gates from 8pm Saturday night waiting for them to open a 4am Sunday.
      This is the only way to guarantee a great view. Take deck chairs, brollies, cold box etc and be prepared for a race to position and then a long early morning reading the sunday papers as Silverstone wakes up around you.

      It’s great fun but tiring. I buy seats now because it really does take it out of you.

      My personal fave place is the entrance to Beckets where you are very close to the track and you see the insane speed and change of direction of the cars.

      All I’d say mate, is get there early (poss Sat very early say 4.am) and then pick your spot and stay there.

      General admission saves you lots of money for reason…

      Have a fab weekend mate…it’s brilliant every time!

    2. Craig Woollard
      28th February 2011, 1:34

      Try the inside of Copse corner… It’s no longer turn 1, I know… But it should still be fantastic. You’re right opposite the TV screens and it’s the closest to the cars you’ll get! Personally I would look elsewere for quali though…

    3. Spend the quali day checking out all the places you can go on general admission. Then 5am Sunday be at the gate closest to where you like best. Last year I chose maggotts, you get to see them race from copse to stowe, and bits of the loop in the distance, also the big screens for becketts stand are visible.

  197. Craig Woollard
    28th February 2011, 1:33

    Standing on the inside of Copse corner… You’re right opposite a massive TV. :)

  198. Daniel Lavender
    28th February 2011, 18:54

    Thank you all for your help.

  199. Daniel Lavender
    28th February 2011, 19:08

    thanks for your reply’s

  200. f1fantisco (@)
    7th March 2011, 18:33

    Hey folks,

    I am returning to Silverstone for the third time….last time I was there was 2000! Looking forward to it, decided to book with the circuit camping. Can anyone tell me when the best time to get there? Also, booked grandstand seats in village a…hoping these seats should be good?

    1. Glen Cousner
      8th April 2011, 16:27

      The Village gradstand is very good, I watched the BSB racing there last year.

  201. Can’t for the life of me decide between Club and Woodcote a this year! Can anyone offer their opinions to hopefully help me decide??

  202. Was anyone in Club last year? Was it any good?

  203. I’m staying at Woodlands this year (my first GP) can anyone answer the following for me?

    What time can you set up camp to on the Thursday evening?
    Do they have phone charging points? like the ones you have at services? I love my I phone but the thing needs charging every day.
    Can you park your car next to your tent? if not how far is it to take your tent etc?

    I’m sure there will be lots more questions soon ;-)

  204. you will love it this will be the 2nd year we are going food and beer are available everywhere, camping is strongly recommended its half the buzz of going to silverstone

  205. I’m sure I will, I cant wait now, just wish it was July!

    Looking forward to the GA and camping, esp seeing I’m going alone. Sure it’s going be a great way to meet loads of other like minded fans.

    And of course all the beer!

  206. I stayed at Woodlands last year

    You can camp next to your car, but don’t think theres anywhere to charge you phone, my advice is a car charger and a spare battery for you phone.

    Woodlands had really good entertainment last year

  207. Thanks Steve. Have an I phone so cant take a spare battery, but if I can camp next to my car I can use my car charger any way.

      1. nickyhammerton
        25th March 2011, 13:56

        Thanks Steve that’s a great idea, I will be picking one of those up very soon. I will need it now that I purchased the F1 Timings app.

  208. Salvador Padilla
    8th April 2011, 15:39

    Hi !!

    Can anyone please help me !!! i´m trying to buy some tickets for the GP Silverstone of F1 but i´m from Mexico !! i have no idea where is the best place to see the action !! please help i will really appreciat them …!!!
    My e – mail mustang64_chava@hotmail.com !!!!

    1. Hi Salvador,

      The good thing with Silverstone is that if you get a grandstand ticket you can sit in any of the grandstands on the Friday and Saturday and then have a numbered seat for the Sunday so you can see many parts of the circuit. Luffield is always a good spot but with the new part of the track which was opened last year I would also reccommend Becketts or Village as you can see 2 different parts of the circuit.

      tbh pretty much anywhere is good. Make sure you have a view of the TV screen too

  209. I’ve just got seats three rows from the top of the Becketts Grandstand which means we will see the fast sweepers through Beckets and the new Arena loop before the international straight. Seeeing the cars twice per lap has gotta be good. Top 10 rows of Becketts allows this I was told.

  210. Hi,

    I’ve bought tickets for Club Corner Grandstand.

    Seat numbers are A121 and A122 – Anyone know exactly where on the grandstand these are? – If you were sitting in the seats and looking towards the track would ‘A’ be the left or right hand side of the grandstand? Does the 1 specify front row, seats 21 and 22? – I can’t find a seating plan on the internet.

    Thanks.

    1. would have thought that row A is the first row with seats 122 and 122 sat next to each other.

  211. Hi!
    Sorry ppl but this is a same-o post re traffic times seating and so on.
    This will be my 1st time at Silverstone and i have managed to grab tickets for myself and my family at Club-A. Does anyone know of there will be a TV screen opposite these stands and what are ameneties like, i.e. WC, Food, Stand, etc.
    And also with regards to getting there i am staying in Oxford. About what time should i make my way to the circuit on Fri/Sat/Sun so as not to lose the action.
    Thanks

    1. Hi Douglas,

      I can’t really help with traffic times etc but I can with the other stuff, sort of! We have sat at the south end of the circuit for the last five years and there’s great facilities down there. The toilet block is behind the Vale grandstand and this can get very busy at peak times, so basically anytime between the drivers track parade and the start of the race, although this may be improved this year with more spectators at that end of the circuit. Food stalls run pretty much all the way round the circuit, and theres always some behind stowe club and what is now called the ‘international pits straight’ Again I would expect Silverstone to ramp up these facilities as the ‘big-money’ seats have switched to this end of the circuit. Hope this helps and have an excellent GP weekend!

  212. Have 3 Day Platinum tickets with seats in Village B on the sunday, F132 / F133, anyone have any ideas if these seats will be so low down the stand that we run the risk of not getting a great view etc? interference from fencing, advertising boards etc etc? Theres no seating plans so if anyone has been in the new stand and has any idea where these seats may be that would be great :)

    Camping in Woodlands lively camping, was planning to arrive first thing on thursday a.m and hoping to be able to get an electrical hook up…not counting my chickens though! :)

    1. You’ll be fine mate….all the stands are highly elevated now (I’ve been at Silverstone today).
      I watched the MotoGP from that stand last year and its a great place to watch them coming out of turn one and up into the hairpin….brilliant.

    2. Charlie,

      I agree with Ben in his post. We sat in Village B last year in row c or something and there was no problems with fencing! Silverstone seem to have realised that people hate there cameras focussing on the fencing and not on cars so have made all the stands really high :)

  213. hi im thinking of taking my lad aged 12 for a suprise as he loves F1 will prob camp.. how far is whitlebury camp site from the track? and what other races will be on from the friday to sunday?

    cheers

    1. A bit of a late reply but Whittlebury Park is right by the track. It is a big site but most pitches are within a 5-10 minute walk to the entrances near Copse.

  214. Hi I have been lucky to get Club Silverstone tickets for my birthday – does anyone know if there is a dress code and if so what is acceptable. Thanks for your help.

    1. Hi, this will be our 3rd year at Club Silverstone and there has never been a dress code that we have been aware of.

  215. Whittlebury is in easy walking distance – straight into the track, the programme for the race is normally published on the Silverstone website and there are a number of races to see eg Formula BMW, GP2, Porsche, etc – live entertainment also – Jamie (Afro) Archer was there last year – really good atmosphere. You’ll both enjoy it!

  216. Hi,

    Couple of questions for you Silverstone experts:

    For Whittlebury, what time is it best to arrive on Thursday? Is there any action on Thursday at all?
    For leaving the circuit, for how long is it bedlam – is it worth/possible staying Sunday night to skip the rush?
    What’s a reasonable time to get in on Sunday to get reasonable viewing positions? I see the gates open at 4am, but let’s say we didn’t want to get up at 4 and perhaps decided to enter the circuit at 6, would there be space available?

    Any advice would be appreciated :)

    1. For Whittlebury, what time is it best to arrive on Thursday? Is there any action on Thursday at all? > Don’t think there is any on track action on Thursday, though those with Paddock tours etc will usually have them thurs/friday

      For leaving the circuit, for how long is it bedlam – is it worth/possible staying Sunday night to skip the rush? >

      We did this last year – saved a lot of hassle getting out of silverstone! I would highly recommend it. Most campsites give you the option, it’s best to check out the campsite website.

      What’s a reasonable time to get in on Sunday to get reasonable viewing positions? >

      I presume they have destroyed most if all GA access at Club – Last year, we got to the circuit quite late (7am!) so some of the better spots were already taken but we did manage to find a good place to sit eventually. This year, with the track layout and GA changes, I would do a circuit walk on Friday, find the best viewing spots and get there ASAP on Sunday :)

      I see the gates open at 4am, but let’s say we didn’t want to get up at 4 and perhaps decided to enter the circuit at 6, would there be space available? > 6am should be OK, but as I said, it’s really hard to know with the new layout.

      1. Thanks a lot for your information, I really appreciate it :)

  217. As a newbie to F1, having only bought tickets for my boyfriend’s birthday, I’m wondering about whether there are any tv screens or radio commentary? And if so how do you get the radio commentary – do you need to bring a radio or do they play it outloud?

    I just worry that you miss everything else that happens in the race not in front of your grandstand!

    We have 3 day tickets with seats in Stowe B grandstand.

    Sorry if it’s a naive question!! Thanks everyone

    1. There are big screens (not sure where, someone else will know) and they also broadcast commentary on the PA system as well as on 87.7FM.

      In addition, you can book a ‘FanVision’ TV which is a handheld device with the TV footage, driver tracker and 5Live commentary. They’re £50 for the weekend.

        1. thanks so much, that’s exactly the sort of thing I was looking for!

          1. I hope it is too, we’ve rented one too but having never used one before it’s a £50 gamble that it will be good…

    2. tv screen is usually on the inside of the track opposite stowe c grandstand, just next to your grandstand so you should be fine.

    3. Hi Jenny.. I have sat at Stowe B many times, it’s my favorite stand.. TV right opposite on the inside of the corner and you’ll have a great view of hanger straight all the way through to club.
      In terms of following the race, I would suggest a great way is just to make sure you have personal FM radio’s tuned in Radio
      Silverstone. What my son and I do is have these radios with ear protectors over the top so you hear the commentry really clearly..

  218. Still haven’t bought my GA tickets!

    Wondering what the GA is like around Stowe. Looking at the pictures, there does not seem to be much of a bank for a crowd to sit on, and only standing at the front of the stands. comments?

    Also, where else is a good place for GA?

    Thanks

    Richard

    1. Richard,

      We’ve sat at Stowe for the last three years and it’s a really good place to sit. The GA area is situated on the exit of Stowe (to the side of Stowe C) between the Stowe Apex and the Vale. The best place to sit on this bank is as close to Stowe C grandstand as you can get as this is the older gravel section that has a good degree of banking and also the catch fencing here is lower. This accompanied with the bank means you can get great pics with the fencing not in the way! As a precaution though this area fills up fast! We have been queueing at around 4:15 (45mins before gate opens)to ensure we got the spot! I believe the nearest gate is gate 15 (at the very southermost point of the circuit just behind the vale grandstand. Hope this info helps!

      Ash

      1. Great reply thanks. The bit I don’t like is 4.15am!!

        What if I showed up at 7am, would I get a view?

        1. Sorry for late reply Richard! The GA area round stowe is massive now so you should be ok I’d guess

  219. You will still get a spot if you turn up at 7, TBH it would be best if you queued up at half 4 ready for the gates opening at 5. That way you will be sure of a spot you are happy with instead of making do. Get your spot set your chairs out a quick brew and get your head down for an hour or so. Time soon passes. By 7 you will see that most of the best general access spots will already be taken. And like I said you would just have to make do with whats left.

  220. Forgot to mention. I am sat in Stowe C Grandstand this year. The general access around there is good. I did general acces opposite the new wing last year, was ok but if you wanna take pics the fence is a pain. The banking for the general access beside stowe c is good, get there early its only one day of the year.

  221. Hi
    I went to the 2010 GP and it was fab, Lots of walking though. So i thought about bring an old Mountain bike, is this allowed ?

    1. Hi There,
      Yes its allowed, One of my mates does it… but I prefer to walk!

    2. You should deffo take a bike, after all the racing has finished they open up the track for people to walk on, i’ve always thought what a good idea it would be to take a bike so you could bike it round!

  222. I have general tickets for hubby and two sons (birthday presents), booked one night camping at Hamilton Fields, also pre booked park and ride just incase they do not want to camp (have not given them the tickets yet!!) has anyone else camped at Hamilton fields and is it far away?

    1. Hamilton Fields is a good family site Sue… it’s away from the noise, partying and drunkeness that is Woodlands and Litchlake. You’ll be just outside the village on the old A43 (not the dual carraigeway lol). It’s a good 30 minute walk to the track from there, but it’s worth it so your family can get some sleep! Park n Ride goes from Northampton Town FC or from somewhere near the M40 towards Oxford… go camping…you’ll love the buzz!

  223. HI there. I booked the 3 day tickets with camping for my husband as a surprise for his Birthday in July. I was wondering if it is worth staying for the after race party on Sunday or if we should head back home on the Sunday.

    1. To be honest we tend to stay as the traffic out of the circuit after the race is a nightmare. The road system that is in place to get people out is very good but when it is a sell out, which it looks like it is going to be his year, it is always going to take a long time for traffic to disperse. A lot of the drivers go up to chat although not too sure about Eddie Jordan’s playing!

  224. HELP – Like the post above, I have the 3 day camping ticket and I need to buy tickets to get to Northampton however I am indecisive if I should stay until Monday or head back to London on Sunday. Is the after race party worth staying for?

  225. Hi My wife and I having just retired have booked for all 3 days. Our seats are in Woodcote B and we are camping at Litchlake which I understand is ‘Lively’ and will be arriving on Thursday and leaving on the Monday.

    Now the questions… Will Woodcote B be a good place to watch from and are there any big screens near there? We are taking our radio and earphones to listen to Radio Silverstone. Since we will get to the campsite early afternoon on the Thursday is there an area on the Litchlake site that is fairly well out of the way of those that arrive later? Lastly are there laid out paths within the circuit or is it all grassed over.

    We are experienced campers but it’s our first actual F1 race although we have been avid fans for many years and are looking forward to the weekend it will make a change to our normal diet of stately homes!

    1. I have stayed at Litchlake for the last three years. We aim to go to the very back of the site to try and keep away from the noise of the majority of the people and the fun-fair though you have to understand that it can get a bit loud. Having said that access to the stand is excellent, merely a few minutes walk away. There is a big screen near to the stand and it is a great place to view from (we witnessed Massa spinning in front of us three times in the rain three year’s ago!). Enjoy.

  226. Alex Maunders
    21st June 2011, 21:28

    Hello,

    I was wondering if anyone has any spare tickets for camping in the ‘lively area’ at Woodlands available?

    Regards

    Alex

  227. Hi everyone,

    First visit to F1, Silverstone and just wondered how parking worked on the Friday, was planning on arriving around 8.30am, but am concerned that I won’t get parking at that time? What time do you regulars usually get there for Friday and is parking a problem?

    Thanks for any info.

  228. Hi Been an f1 fan a very long time but never been able to afford to go havin a wife and 2.4 children who also are big fans but this year my wife bought two sunday GA tickets for my 40th. Been told club is a good place to go want to make it a experiance to remember does anyone agree or think somewhere else is better. Thanks

    1. hi stowe is excellent, you get a good view of the cars coming down Hangar straight and in to stowe, also the tv screen is there. Hope this helps

  229. We will be in Northamptonshire on 9,10 July on holiday from South Africa and would like to go the the race on Sunday (general admission) but according to all website, all tickets are sold out. Anybody any idea if there will be any tickets sold at the day of the race or any other alternative for tickets?

  230. Abrie – there’s usually a huge load of people who show up along the roads coming into Silverstone asking for spare tickets, so unless you want to join them you’re probably out of luck :(

  231. There’s always tickets available through agencies or you can risk it and buy from touts. Saturday night by the fun fair is a great place to find them….I bought from one a few years back and got a drivers tickets who’d gone home after failing to qualify for the races on Sunday.

  232. Going to Silverstone for the first time tomorrow.

    Me & my mate have 2 grand stand weekend tickets. Another one of our mate wants to go see Friday practice but we cant make it that day. Could we give him one of our tickets to gain access on Friday then use ours for Saturday & Sunday?

    basically, can multiple people use a weekend ticket on different days?

    1. Yep, should not be a problem mate. All they do is remove the “Friday” bit on the ticket.

    2. yeah this is fine

  233. Hi,
    Me and my hubs have booked a coach trip with superbreak for this years silverstone. Was wondering if anyone had gone with these and could give us indication of intinary etc. We stopping in birmingham with coach transfers to the circuit. It will be our first ever gp so really excited. What to wear would be useful, as well as best place to sit (GA tickets).

    Thank you in advance

    1. Go to the Silverstone website, the full itinerary is there to print off.
      ENJOY

    2. Keep an eye on the internet and go off of there. Normally a good comfy pair of trainers a t shirt light jumper and a light rain mac. Make sure you take your camping chairs. Me Personally I am a fan of stowe as i have advised in previous posts watching the cars come down hangar straight is good, you also have a large screen in front of you there. if you have a mobile with a radio take your headphones as you will be able to tune into radio silverstone all day and throughout the race. Your head phones will double up as ear detectors, the roar from the engines is immense.

      1. I’ve got tickets for Stowe B, does anyone know if the seats are allocated?

        1. roving seat friday and saturday and sunday allocated seat in your grandstand

          1. sorry should say fri and sat roving. Then Sunday allocated seat in stowe B grandstand

  234. Just been to the supermarket to shop for supplies. I’m getting there Thursday and camping in Litchlake. It’s pretty lively but not too bad. We were quite close to the funfair last year but that finished at midnight so it was fine. To answer some of the questions on here.

    There is no pit walk unfortunately. They have been doing a drivers signing but you have to win competitions to go so listen to Silverstone radio and go to the Ezones for that. Hopefully there may be 1 or 2 driver appearances on the merchandise stands though. Keep an eye out for signs up on the stands.

    For anyone sitting at Woodcote or Luffield there is a big screen no problem but I always take binoculars too so you can see the graphics better.

    I’ll be on the new pit straight this year for the race so that’ll be a new experience. Can’t wait!!

  235. Hi.
    Is it right your allowed on track once all the racing has finised, and what time is a good time to get to circuit as i have GA tickets, once you’ve found your spot and set your chairs up is that it then you dare not move or can you leave your chairs and go looking around.
    As much info as possible would be more than welcome
    thanks

    1. Yes you can get on the track when the racing has finished but note that there is another race after the GP so it’s usually about 4ish.

      It’s been a while since I did GA but I always got there not much after 5am. You could probably leave your chairs but depending on where you are you may not have much room when you get back. I remember sitting at Luffield some years back and there was plenty of room to start off with but by race time we were jammed in like sardines. If you’re going for all 3 days I’d do all your walking around on Friday and Saturday.

  236. Hi. We are camping at Woodlands for the first time this year (Family area). We plan to arrive on Friday afternoon. Would anyone be able to give me a rough idea of what happens when you arrive at the campsite? Is it just a huge field and simply a case of pitch the tent wherever you can find a space etc. Or is it a bit more controlled?

    I’m sorry it’s probably a silly question!!

    Thanks

    1. Anyone?

      1. It’s a bit more controlled but not much! there are defined rows to camp in to enable access.. pretty stress free!

        1. Thanks Robbie, I appreciate it! I’ve no idea what to expect and was starting to worry, as we can’t arrive before Friday afternoon!!

  237. Hi steph thanks very much
    Another quick question once the gp is finished is that it i know you said theres another race after gp but as far as f1 goes is there any parade or partys or is that just on the camping fields. Stupid question i know but i dont want to pack up and leave if theres things going on.

    cheers

    1. Julian – Stay sun night if you can, there is the GP party inside the circuit featuring many of the drivers and Eddie….It is FREE!

  238. actually just had a look at the official timetable and there doesn’t appear to be a race after the GP this year but the GP party starts at 4.15pm inside the circuit. I’m gonna go home Sunday night but will stay for a bit for the party.

  239. Hi guys!! I’m taking my boyfriend to the gp next weekend and wanted to buy him a last surprise present of a mclaren tshirt. I dont know much about f1 so this is probs a stupid question but do people actually wear them at the races? And could anyone advise me, should i get the black one or the red one?

    Thanks for your help, sorry to sound so stupid!!

    1. Hi Katie!

      Yeah loads of people wear them at races! Which one you buy is up to you! The black is the one the team wear all weekend whereas the red is the one they wear when the drivers win. There are loads of stalls selling these at the GP so you won’t be short of choice!
      Hope this helps and have a great weekend!

    2. The black one is really nice Katie, there are stalls all around the circuit, the tops are about £40

  240. Hi hoping some one can give me some advice… There are a group of us going to silverstone next week for the first time but my partner is now 5 months pregnant and was just wondering where would be the best place to go as we have got general admission tickets and camping at the woodlands camp site does anyone know what it’s like and how hard is it going to be to get a group of us together as all arriving at 7ish on the Friday. Will it be a case of take what you can or more organised…. Any advice will be great and one last thing can you take fold up camping chairs in to the circuit? Thanks Michael

    1. Hi Michael..
      Firstly the easy answer, yes you can take in folding chairs – pretty much everyone does.. I havent camped at woodlands for a couple of years ( now use the Dadford road site) but assuming you have already booked then if you turn up together you take your pick of plots. Is that 7ish am or pm? By Friday night space will be extremley tight.. As a rule the site is quite noisy and although you can get a quiet pitch at the far end, you may be too late as it fills up through Thursday night.

      With the new pit lane I think it is hard to say the best view for general admission as there are a number of new grandstands that used to be general access, however looking at the general access areas and being pratical, the facilities (toilets etc) are better at the corners (around Copse, becketts, stowe & also vale). There is a general access around Luffied which is the closet part of the circuit to the campsite, but I would expect this to be super busy.. If I were you, on race day I would aim to watch at either becketts, hanger straight, stowe or vale.. Any one will tell you that Becketts is an amazing place to watch F1 and you can see the whole complex fron the general admission area.. The real trick is to take the time to walk the whole circuit on the Fri or Sat and pick the spot that’s right for you, find the nearest gate and get there as early as you can sunday morning. Once you “claim your space” with the chair, the crowd are pretty repectful, so you can get up grab a drink or something and still have the chair when you get back.. Goes as high as you can if you pick a raised area – best view especially if wet (i.e over umbrellas)… Biggest tip I’ve learned – Buy a personal FM radio and listen to the commentry on Radio Silverstone as the best viewing areas do not always have the best view of a giant TV.

  241. Hi all,

    I have Platinum weekend passes with allocated seats in row M of the Intl Pit Straight for raceday. Went last year and it was the best weekend I have ever had. We sat in Luffield last year for the race and various other spots for FP1, 2 and 3 etc.

    Plan for this year is Intl Pit Straight for FP1, Stowe for FP2, Becketts for FP3 and back to Intl Pit Straight for Quali and race day. Can’t wait to see the new wing and watch LH complete a massive victory….fingers crossed.

    Looking at the timetable on http://www.silverstone.co.uk it says FP1 starts at 9am on the Friday however on this site it says 10am…..which one is it?

    Excited does not even begin to cover it…..

    1. Hi Benny, can’t wait either. we have seats in Stowe, we plan to do Becketts on Friday, Intl Pit Straight for quali on Sat and then to our seats in Stowe on Sunday. Hope your right about Lewis winning !! Not sure about practice one. Just starting to get my gear already now Camera batteries charging , plenty of memory cards. The weather report doesnt look great Rain Friday and Sunday. Ya never know if its rainy race day could be the helping hand Lewis and Jenson need. Fingers crossed anyway !

  242. Daniel Lavender
    4th July 2011, 18:43

    Hi all, its my 1st time at the silverstone track and looking to watch the race from stowe. I have General Admission ticket, if stowe is to crowded can anyone suggest other good view points to watch the action?

    1. Hi Daniel, you should be fine at Stowe there is plenty of room. Ofcourse you would be best off getting there early for Sunday to choose your spot, believe me it is well worth the effort. Have a great time, can’t wait now !!!

      1. Daniel Lavender
        4th July 2011, 20:11

        thanks Mark, got a coach bringing us down for sat & sun. Hope the coach driver drives like Mr Button on the way down to the track.

        1. Stowe is good Daniel as there is usually a large tv screen there to watch as well.

  243. I’m not camping this year but driving in all three days and have parking permit for Sat and Sun.
    I’m prepared to get there early but just how early would you recommend for each day?

  244. Hi!

    I have the same question as katederby, driving in each day (including Friday when the parking is apparently a free for all?) how early should we aim to get there? Would 7-8am be too late?

    Also, we have tickets with a seat on Sunday but a “roving grandstand” on the other 2 days. Will we likely get a seat in a grandstand on Friday and Saturday or should we bring camping chairs in case we have to just sit in general admission?

    Thanks for any advice people can give!!

    x

  245. Hi all,

    Just bought tickets from ebay they say “Silverstone Six Hospitality” on them but the guy who sold them to me hasn’t included the VIP wristbands to access the hospitality area.

    They are General admission “Centre” tickets – has anyone experienced these tickets before?

    Last two times I’ve been I’ve sat at Becketts so this should be somewhat different.

  246. Have got woodcote b ticket for sunday seat no k134,135 it is mine and my misses first time and was wondering what the view is like from there. Also we are staying in hotel 12miles away, is it much hassel getting in from that far out.

  247. First time this weekend!

    Paranoid that I won’t be able to get parking at the circuit on Friday or that I won’t get there in time for FP1 starting (it’s at 9am!).

    Does anyone have any idea how long it will take to get from the M1 to the car parks at the circuit?

    Coming from Newmarket, Suffolk and thinking about leaving at 6am. Normally this journey would take just under 2 hours, but wondering if leaving an extra hour for congestion at circuit is enough.

  248. cantonakeano (@)
    6th July 2011, 8:13

    Im going to Silverstone on Sunday for the Grand Prix for the first time.
    I was wondering if anyone could give me an idea of travel time as i live in Bromsgrove.
    I have Grandstand tickets so my view is already sorted and not too fussed about early morning races.
    Can anyone help.
    Cheers

  249. Sorry to post again, but it seems everyone has the same question! It would be great if someone who’s been before could help us! :-)

    1) What time should someone aim get to the circuit on Friday, Saturday and Sunday if they have tickets with a seat for Sunday.

    2) Is there any problem with Friday parking?

    3) With roving grandstand on Friday and Saturday is there any chance of not getting a grandstand seat, and therefore should we bring camping chairs etc?

    1. Parking on Friday is usually OK, though the sooner you get there the closer to the track you’ll be able to park. I wouldn’t bother bringing chairs on Friday or Saturday – people move around a lot and it’s quite easy to get a seat.

      As for what time to get there, depends if you want to see everything or just the F1.

      1. Thanks so much for the reply!

        I guess we want to see as much as we can for the whole experience but obviously the F1 is the main attraction and we wouldn’t want to miss the practices (eg. at 9am Friday). People keep saying “get there as early as possible, to avoid traffic” but having no frame of reference we’re not sure if it means “get there at 8am” or “get there at 4am”!!

  250. Got 2 GA tickets for myself and husband, and it’s our first time to attend, any hints and tips about best place to ‘set up camp to watch the race, time to get there, what to take etc? Help and advice much appreciated

    1. Tickets are for Sunday Race Day

  251. Hi,

    First timer with GA tickets for all 3 days – wondering how worthwhile it is to bring some form of fold up chair?

    Thanks

  252. Marc – Shouldn’t think you would need it fri as you can freely enter the grandstands. Sat you also tend to do a lot of roaming so you never stay in the same long enough to get comfortable as you are trying to find the best possible location for race day. Sunday (Defo) I tend to start queing to get in at 5ish and then have some Zzzz in my prime spot waiting for start haha.

  253. Does anyone know if you can take in your own food & drink?? If not we’re thinking of leaving some in the car in a cool box, what does anyone think?

    1. Yes you can.

  254. Hi,

    I received 2 tickets today for Silverstone Hospitality Six.

    The Tickets each say :

    Hospitality
    Silverstone Six Hospitality
    Seat No.
    Includes General Admission Sunday and Centre Access

    Dress Code: Smart / Casual

    The tickets haven’t come with any VIP passes or Lanyards etc. does that mean we will still be able to access the Centre, and if so will we be able to sit in the seat numbers stated on the tickets or will we have to bring our own chairs.

    It would be greatly appreciated to whomever can advise me on this. Thank you.

  255. is woodcote b a good seat for the race ?

  256. Got my 3 day ticket for the whole weekend, really looking forward to going, just one question:
    Are there facilities where you can charge stuff like phones and cameras?
    I’m hoping there is at the campsite (camping at the circuit), otherwise I’m going to have to do some serious battery management!

  257. Hi.
    Its our first time to grand prix this weekend. Just wanted to ask what people had experienced of Litchlake campsite and if we are likely to get stuck in the noisey bit arriving on thursday evening? Also anyone know what Copse E seats are like and if there is a large screen in view?
    Many Thanks.

  258. First time this year, got General Admission tickets for Sunday only. Bit nervous about not getting to see much (i’d have bought grandstand tickets, but the wife got these for my birthday and went for the cheaper option! lol).

    We are planning to arrive early to get a good spot, and i’ve seen lots of suggestions of good places ….i’m just curious as to how early we should arrive? We are using the park and ride if that helps.

  259. Anyone have any experience of Silverstone staying i Travelodges?

    I’m thinking of either getting the one in Northampton for £64 (14 miles away, A43) or Towcaster Silverstone £98 for 3 miles away.

    How busy will the A43 get for getting from Northampton to Silverstone? I’m feeling really overwhelmed, would love some advice.

    1. hi literalf1, iam staying in northamton as well been trying to find out how early to get up on sat and sun but no answers as yet,
      in woodcote b for sunday so hopefully not have to get up to early, have a good time anyway, cheers nick ps if you find out let me know !!!!

  260. Well the camping gear is loaded, all camera batteries charged and with a bit of luck we should be there by lunchtime tomorrow. Just hope the rain holds off until the tent is up. Thanks to all those who have given us advice on this, our first visit to Silverstone, especially Belinda. Here hoping we all have a brilliant weekend

  261. Hi all
    First time this weekend for me at the GP. We have seats at the Luffield stand. Can anyone suggest what time to get to the car parks as ive heard there can be queues to get in, we are coming from the south. I have booked reserved parking. Looking forward to it all.

    cheers

  262. first time at silverstone guys can we arrive at the campsite at any time thaks alot gail.

    1. We leave home in 20 mins :)

      I called them they said anytiome to midnight should be OK, and after that there should be a skeleton staff to help.

      1. thank you gav have a fantastic wkend. c’mon lewis

  263. Does anyone know if we can “pass” tickets around on the same day? So one person enter in the morning for practice 1, come out & then another use the same ticket to see practice 2?

  264. Here, tent up as it went dark. Supposed to be in lively but got directed to quit which is to be honest better ad far as we are concerned.

    11pm and some people are still arriving. Pity them putting tents up in the dark!!

    1. Oh I’m so jealous of you guys already there!! We are loaded up and hope to arrive by 4pm tomorrow afternoon.

      Gavin – we are also in family area of Woodlands. Hope there’s space left for us tomorrow!! Eackk!!

      What happens at Woodlands when you arrive etc?

      Enjoy your first night!!

      Sharon

  265. Should be lots of space. Marshals are doing a good job in keeping people together well not too spread out.

    Hissing down though here. On the one hand may make an interesting race. On the other we are in a tent. :-)

  266. Thanks Gavin! I’m counting down the hours now!!

    Hope you enjoyed morning practise. I agree about the weather. Fab for the race, but a shame for us camping. Heyho.

    Have a great day

  267. This will be my first time at theGP and i need to know a few things 1) got tickets for stowe so what time is it good to be there for 2) what to wear? 3) are there places to eat and is it expensive? 4) got parking at circuit whats it like getting out 5) is the view from stowe a good one? if anybody can help i would be grateful

  268. Just a note to say thanks to the guys and gals on this website who’s tips and advice (months ago)helped make my sons birthday present of a day at qualifying a very special one. My son is (was) the F1 nut, but yesterday has converted me. Once again thank you. Roll on next year..time to invest in a tent

  269. Hi guys have read alot here and some great info.
    Was wondering about people opinions for the best seats given the new layout.
    I quite fancy a 3 day ticket with seats for Woodcote B for next year as it seems you can see alot of the track.
    Anyone got any opinions of what they saw yesterday?
    Cheers

    1. Euan, becketts is top notch. Superb views of the cars through the village complex, becketts itself and down hangar straight. For my money the best in the house.

  270. I watched in Becketts Stand and it is top notch the only place other than this I would go is the Paddock!!

  271. Matt, I had a look at Becketts too. Only thing that made me go Woodcote is that there is such a good saving on the early bird tickets, £57 which when your buying a couple works out a really good deal.

  272. WOW!! What a weekend!!! I’m counting down the days till next year already!

  273. Daniel Lavender
    11th July 2011, 16:23

    Had a blinding weekend at the track, watched from various places on saturday(Stowe, Hangar Straight, Chapel, Copse and Woodcote). On sunday we watched from Copse right in front of big screen, had a great view and watched everything we couldn’t see on screen. Would like to thank everyone how helped me when I asked a few questions. Thinking of going again next year, and camping onsite. Can anyone recommend that?

    1. Daniel Lavender
      11th July 2011, 16:25

      ^Who helped me even^ (sorry)

  274. Just visited the 2011 F1 GP at Silverstone for the 1st time. Thoroughly enjoyed the weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun).
    Overall experience was 8/10. Great treat for a weekend away!
    A few pointers for other 1st time goers and things we would do differently next time….

    We found the actual race coverage quite poor with the screens being too small to see lap times and other info. Other spectators had obviously realised this from previous visits and had come equipped with binoculars – this is a must! (To give you an idea, we left feeling that the race was pretty average with little action, however after watching the BBC TV coverage later we realsied that it was far from it!)

    Race commentary was also poor for spectators with the speakers being too quiet even when the cars were at the other side of the track. You can hire/buy radios to tune into the commentary however these were not heavily advertised and encouraged. Having sat through the race with little clue of some of the key events going on (Hamilton running low on fuel, Webber being told to hold his position, various 10 secong stop/go penalties etc) it would have been of great benefit to have live commentary in your ear to at least help keep you in the loop!

    Drinks and food prices are expectedly high from the vans/bars, but you can bring your own in – especially alcohol! This works out a much cheaper option!

    It is defo worth investing in an allocated seat ticket for the Sunday for just a bit more money. This ticket will allow you “roaving” access to all other stands on the Fri and Sat (general doesn’t allow this) and is a great way of watching practices and the qualifying from parts of the track other than where you are on Sunday.

    We sat in Stowe for the actual race and really enjoyed the view. Other good spots are Becketts, Club and International Pitts Straight.

    Hope this helps anyone else going for the 1st time :-)

    1. I’d agree that race commentry was quiet over the loudspeakers, but there are enough places (even this blog) that tell you it’s broadcast on the radio and to take one.

      We had a fanvision box, they were not avaialable to rent as they rented them all out in advance, but all the Silverstone merchandice stands had radios, and we had Ear defenders over the earphones too to allow us to hear the commentry in comfort.

      We also had binoculars but I’d agree the TV’s were not great, we were in platinum Village B seats but the TV was not easily seen and read.

      Food wasn’t as high as I’ve seen at other places, such as festivals, but the F1 merchandise is way too expensive for me at £40 a t Shirt.

      I also think the circuit needs better facilities, proper stands with plenty of loo’s under each stand, loo queues were 20-30 min which is too long if you need to go, no wonder people were using bushes.

      Finally one really good point was that Silverstone gave away foam ear plugs on race day at the gates, Brilliant gesture but I don’t think too many people were using them,

  275. claire Firminger
    11th July 2011, 17:53

    First time at a Grand Prix, absolutely loved it. We had general admission and ended up watching the race itself on the large grassy area at Vale. Good view of a screen and also the cars all have to slow down for the chicane so you can see them easily. Thinking of booking for next year, while the early bird offers are on. Thinking of club to hopefully see the podium but these seats are pricey and not sure if you can see a screen. Has anyone sat in Club B? Wondering if you can see the podium from there?

    1. Hi Claire, yeah you can see the podium fine from club B, This stand is exceptional you get to see so much track time and also have the opportunity to watch the race from the same tv you were watching on from the general access grassy area at Vale.

      1. claire Firminger
        14th July 2011, 13:41

        can you see the podium from Club A aswell?

  276. First time to the British GP this year. I watched from Vale (so would have been overlooking Claire). I was in seat 17, so down closer to the Stowe corner than towards Club.

    On the plus sides, the atmosphere was amazing. Tons of people, and everyone was really up. Got decent views of the cars at Vale, though would have preferred seats closer to Club so I could see the action a little better down that way. Was good to be able to see the cars going into the pits as well, because it made the race easier to follow once they came around again. (Instead of wondering why it was that a driver was suddenly four positions back).

    Cons – I wasn’t so impressed with the Vale stand. The stands are far from the track, with a large grassy area in front of the stand, and I was really far from a screen (though there was one almost directly behind me – got some funny pictures of cars racing by on the track and everyone on the grass facing away from the track because they were watching the screen). As others have noted, you can’t really hear the commentary either. I also found it hard to get to Vale. I walked through the Village area and all the way down to the Farm curve stands before I found out I had to turn around and walk all the way back and take a different route. Signage could have been better.

    Other stuff:
    – Took the Megabus from Milton Keynes. Very quick getting there, but a long wait getting out. Not as bad as the bus from Spa was three years ago, though, which took hours.
    – Post race party was interesting. All the British drivers, and many others, came out and spoke to the crowd. Plus Sir Jackie Stewart! Eddie Jordan’s band.
    – Didn’t find food and drink all that expensive. Perhaps I am just too use to Central London prices.

    Greg

  277. sophieboon (@)
    11th July 2011, 20:26

    We stayed at the campingf1 the weekend just gone for the Silverstone grand prix and found it disgusting.
    The side we stayed on was the self pitch side and there wasn’t any toilets or showers on that side, it was a 5 minute walk to the toilet and we drove to the showers it was that far away.
    Their website is wrong, it says the circuit is a 15 minute walk away and it took us about 30 minutes to get there.
    When I had a shower on the Saturday the water was freezing cold and it didn’t come out as a shower, more like when you turn a tap on!
    The staff were all very rude, when we went to get some food in the morning we changed our order to add an egg to one of the bacon butties and the person who served us rolled her eyes and had a little moan about it.
    When I went to ask about the shuttle bus to the circuit there was two men who worked at the campsite standing in the door way and didn’t even move to let me through, just looked at me like I was a piece of dirt! Which was not appreciated at all! When I went in to ask, I was stood there for a few minutes before anyone even acknowledged that I was in there then one of the girls started to deal with me and got a phone call and interrupted me to say the other girl will deal with me which i found was a disgusting attitude to have.
    I know its only a camping site, but you pay so much for a service and you expect to get what you pay for!
    Nothing good to say about this camp site.

    Absolutely dreadful!

    However, the formula one was AMAZING. We sat in Woodcote B and you can see the hole of luffield corner and right down the old pit straight. I loved every second of it, even if the weather was rubbish!

  278. Daniel Lavender
    11th July 2011, 21:33

    did anyone camp at woodlands? Can they recommend it for next years race? Stayed in hotel a hour and half away and had to keep rushing back for coach after races each day, want to relax and enjoy it all next year.

    1. Hi,

      We stayed at woodlands.

      First it’s big, was a 15-20 minute walk form the circuit to out pitch but they do tractor shuttles to various points.

      Friday was a mudbath, not a lot that could be done but it dried off a lot and Sunday it was solid again. Not sure there was anything anyone could do about that, short of making it a permanant campsite you’ll get mud in a farmers field

      We were here

      http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=52.05476,-1.026278&hl=en&ll=52.059483,-1.021128&spn=0.020001,0.038581&sll=52.061172,-1.02675&sspn=0.02,0.038581&num=1&t=h&dirflg=w&z=15

      Good points
      Toilets were checked and restocked reguarly, never once needed own loo roll.
      On site pub was OK, £3.50 for a pint of the local beer, Not cheap but not bad, I pay about £3 in most pubs near me.
      Showers, Yea, well we didn’t just used deoderant, although to be honest if it had been a hotter day Friday and Sat we would have. The Google map is old does not show the new pits, or the two shower/toilet blocks in the campsite., Theree were portaloo’s too so it wasn’t a long walk, we were 2 or 3 mins form the loo.
      Marshalls were pretty good at getting people to came in the minimum space you needed not to feel crowded so even by sunday there was still space, rather than people camping everywhere and reservicne a big space around them.
      Big top of entertainment and foodwere available but we didn’t use either (fish and chips £6 I think), also had on site cash machines but didn’t use them so didnt see the cost to get your cash.
      Tractor shuttle to the circuit gates and back to the top of the camp site
      On site shop that wasn’t overly expensive, (high end of reasonable but just still reasonable)

      Cons
      Nothing big really, Bit pricey at £50 for a farmers field but like the food they know they can charge it.
      Quiet / Family camping is right next to the liveley camping, so not really quiet, we booked Lively but got directed to quiet, which as i said before was fine by us.
      Very limited Veggie choices on campsite, not a bother as we took our own food but something to know.

      We probably won’t go again, but watch it on TV overall it’s an pretty expensive weekend for tickets and camping.

  279. Hi there

    Me and my boyfriend went to our first Grand Prix this weekend and absolutely loved it. We had 3 day general admission tickets; on Friday we sat in the grandstand opposite the new pit lane and spent Saturday and Sunday sat at Luffield Terrace.

    We camped on a site about 5 minutes drive away which was perfectly fine and very cheap. We arrived at 5am on Saturday and qued up at the gates and on Sunday we arrived at around 4:15am and again qued at the gates. we were lucky because we managed to get right near the front of the que and get on the front row of Luffield Terrace.

    I am already saving to buy tickets again for next years grand prix but would like to stay in a hotel/travelodge/b&b as I like to have a proper bed, shower and somewhere to plug my straighteners in! Does anyone know of any cheapish hotels etc near the track, no longer than half an hour away?

    I would highly recommend the general admission tickets to anyone but you definitely need to get there early to get a decent spot! Luffield Terrace was already full by 7am on Sunday! I do agree with other people about the speakers not being loud enough but overall it was amazing; the best weekend of my life!

    Dani :)

  280. Hi guys,

    My boyfriend and I are both turning 21 next year and I want to get us tickets for the 2012 British Grand Prix. I’m a student with a part-time job so I’m having to start saving now and need to know what kind of total I should be aiming for.
    Could anyone give me a basic run-down of the ticket prices from this year? I’ve looked everywhere online but can’t find them.
    I’d be looking at either a weekend pass with camping or a race day ticket, I have no preference for position yet.

    Thanks :)

    1. Prices for 2012 are on Silverstones web site and currently 10% off for early bookings for everything other than general admission.

      Currently they have 10% off, so 3 days budget £430 for Club Silverstone, £350 for Platinum with camping, dropping to £210 for general admission

      Once the 10% offer over budget £450 for club , dropping to £210 for Gemeral admission
      Thats Each…

      Sunday only think £250 for a platinum seat to £135 for general admission, camping is only avaialbe at Woodlands for 3 day bookings.

      Take own food and drink and you should only spend at most £40 each more on a few beers and snacks, but merchandise will be add more..

  281. We had a great time at the 2011 British GP. The atmophere at Silverstone is unique. Fans are great and very friendly. We sat at Becketts for the main race – there is so much to see from here, really good place to watch. Here are a couple of videos of our experience:

    Qualifying session on Saturday view from Abbey
    http://youtu.be/yJS-JApq20k

    Start from Becketts looking over to Village
    http://youtu.be/tbvQByq5YiI

    and then from Becketts itself
    http://youtu.be/xXvn57cTgJI

    Coulthard and Horner speaking at Whittlebury Camp Site on Saturday
    http://youtu.be/XruEv15KByw

    and finally a bit of the After Party
    http://youtu.be/bkyG61q1-_8

    The After Party has bands playing (including Eddie Jordan’s) and lots of drivers interviews which is great. Also Tony Hadley and Jamie Archer performed on Friday and Saturday – great atmosphere.

    To fully appreciate what is going on at the race weekend, you will need either a radio to listen to the commentary or hire a Fan Vision for the weekend where you get loads of information and full race video and commentary.

    Would recommend to anyone.

    Bev

  282. Another great weekend at Silverstone 2011.
    Sat in Village A and camped at Whittlebury Park.
    Village A was a very good gold (uncovered) stand. Good view of the track through Village, The Loop and round to Aintree and ok views across to Becketts. The screen opposite was well positioned and clear. I would recommend Village A to anyone looking at Gold level tickets in the future.
    Over the weekend also sat in Copse, Woodcote, Village B and International Pit Straight. All good, although the Pit Straight was slightly disapointing.
    Whittlebury camping was well organised as usual and considering the rain the site drained well. As always a good standard temporary camping experience (but don’t expect the same facilities as a permanent campsite).
    I thought the space available to GA ticket holders looked much improved with the new track layout, these cheaper (but still not cheap) tickets must now be a good option.
    A little surprised that people thought they would be able to hear the speakers during the F1 race. A FM radio is the easy solution, doesn’t have to be one of the ones available at the track, any FM radio tuned to Silverstone Radio will do the job.

  283. First went to Silverstone in 2007 and sat in Copse C stand. It was good seeing the sprint to the first corner but after that there wasn’t too much action. In 2008 we sat at Woodcote B. It was a wet race and it was fantastic. You get a good view of the cars as they pass but in this weather a few spun off in front of us. In 2009 we sat at Woodcote again and it was still a good place to see the cars. Missed 2010 GP. This year, 2011, we sat in the Vale stand and seen loads of action. Really good seats but no cover so you need to take a brolly and sunscreen cause you are open to the elements. While we were there we watched the GP2s from Becketts stand in the wet and it was pretty good with the cars tearing past so I just ordered my 2012 tickets for Becketts next year. The new stage area in the old paddock is good but a lot of the manufacturers display stands which were there in previous years were not there this year so there wasn’t as much to do in between races. Top tip is to get to the track early on Saturday and Sunday or you will sit in some heavy traffic. We try to get to the track by 9am and it’s already busy. You get to see all the support races too which are very good. Lastly the new pits look spectacular. Can’t wait for next years race. Hope this is of use to anyone thinking of going. If you have never been you should go. It’s so much better than watching it on TV and remember your ear plugs!

  284. Hi Ian, how have you ordered tickets for 2012 they are shwoing as not available on the website.

    1. sorry sent last reply from iphone and you might not have got it. heres the link again

      http://www.silverstone.co.uk/events/2012-Formula-1-Santander-British-Grand-Prix/?tab=Book-now

      :-)

  285. Dani – hotel prices near the track are a rip off. We stay in hotels in Stratford. This year stayed at the 4 star Stratford Manor. £350 for 4 nights bed and breakfast and is about a 40 minute drive to the track. The same quality hotel nearer the track would be over £1000. Stratford suits us as we travel down from the north. If you are coming from the south then just look for hotels about 40 miles from the track and you won’t get ripped off. The trick is stay in a hotel close to a motorway junction. Good luck hope this helps :-)

  286. RachDut

    Bought mine last night. Got a confirmation e mail telling met seat numbers. Bought 3 day Platinum tickets

  287. Daniel Lavender
    12th July 2011, 16:18

    We stayed at holiday inn express at jct10 of M6 walsall, had 2 nights with breakfast and coach took us to track and back each day. We was 1hour and half away, and had no hold ups on quali day or race day. Only cost us £300, that was all in hotel, breakfast and 2 day tickets.

  288. SayNoToTravelodge
    12th July 2011, 16:57

    Had a great time this weekend, had seats at Stowe and they provided a great view but I think next year we will try for Club or Becketts.

    We got there either at or before 6am every day, even on Sunday with our reserved seats because we wanted to get good parking and avoid long queues. There was still a queue when we got there at 5:45 but it moved pretty quick once they opened the gates at 6am.

    Next year I think we might just camp in the car. The Travelodge in Milton Keynes (Central) was complete rubbish. I know they raise the prices for special events but £250 for that was ridiculous. The room was barely clean, there were rips and tears in the curtains and the heater hardly emitted any air at all. Staff was not very helpful when it came to answering questions. Also, does anyone know if it’s standard practise for Travelodges to not have telephones in the rooms? I have never seen that at any hotel before and found it a bit odd.

    Anyway, our recommendation is get there early, bring your own food and drink, pack extra batteries, bring sunscreen, an umbrella and rain ponchos and have a fab time!

    1. We use travelodges all the time when we go away for sporting events & they do the job fine. Bed, shower,kettle & tv is all we need. This weekend we stayed in travelodge just outside Birmingham which was a 55 minute drive from Silverstone. Cost us £10 on the Friday & £15 on the Saturday night.

  289. Silverstone have said erarly bird tickets for International pit straight stand have sold
    out for 2012. Selling like hot cakes

    1. Possibly. Depends if how many they had, if they only had 2 at that price it’s not selling so fast….

      1. True, and a portion of that stand is reserved for Santander customers too but its a huge stand. Anyway, Becketts for me next year, can’t wait :-):-):-)

        1. And a big chunk for Vodafone customers too, although I think it’s Santanders Shareholders rather than customeres.

          1. No surprise there! The pit straights arn’t the best seats though, in my opinion, Much better at a corner somewhere. Hope Becketts is good. The GP2 drivers were all over the place in the wet. The cars were well twitchy – marvelous. I would love to get my hands on a corporate ticket though, pit lane access, helicopter ride, the full monty. Something else that made it good this year is I signed up to Twitter and got the app on my phone. I followed McLaren (TheFifthDriver) and Force India (clubforce) on Twitter during the weekend and during the race. They tweet from the pits as the event is going on so you get some good info.

  290. Sounds like you have the bug Daniel! Tickets are for sale for next year already

    1. Daniel Lavender
      13th July 2011, 19:34

      me and my brother have definetly got the bug big time, already priced up for next year just waiting on numbers going now.

  291. Shame there aren’t any early bird prices for general admission next year. I think last year we bought them at 20% off, may have been less? and the VAT was cheaper so I thought we had a bargain by buying early. Having been on the website yesterday ready to buy our 3 GA tickets for next year I was left a little disappointed that there is no advantage to booking early so have left the money sitting in my account and not Silverstones for now!

  292. Did anyone buy the black Mclaren Tee shirt for £40 ? The quality on them is terrible, mine and my dads has threads pulled all over them. We only wore them race day ! Feel totally ripped off. We bought the silver polo shirt last year and that was great.

    1. what McLaren shirts? i only saw Vodafone shirts. Really ****** me off and i did not buy any merchandise because of that. just terrible.
      I wanted a Sauber cap or shirt and i could not find it, but i saw some guy with a Kobayashi cap. Oh well.

    2. I bought my boyfriend that tshirt and yeah it was snagged all over the front by the end of the first day he wore it! Annoying cause he wanted to wear it for doing sport etc. but now probably won’t or it’ll be totally ruined in a few days. Not sure if he’s tried to wash it yet but can’t imagine it’ll cope well!

      1. Hi Jenny, sorry for the delay getting back to you (been away on hols). We have complained and are gonna get replacements. Not si=ure that is great as will only happen again. Looking for a full refund at the moment, awaiting reply.

    3. i did, it is really bad quality, my husband actually thought it was a fake, well gutted!!!

  293. Went to the race july 10/2011, not sure i needed a parking ticket which i paid £50 for…had my sticker on my windscreen but i’m sure i saw lots of cars without them!?

    Got ripped off for £2 after getting money from a kiosk cash machine ran by Thomas cook i think…a cashier made it clear i’d be charged £2, ok i said…i’ve checked my bank statement and i was charged £4! Just greed and a sneaky trick! gonna try and chase it up though if poss because of the cheekiness of it.

    What was with the insects!!!!!!!!!!!??????…anyone?

    1. claire Firminger
      14th July 2011, 21:27

      Yeah, the insects were unbelievable! Anything brightly coloured just attracted them. Didnt seem too bad all weekend apart from the Sunday. Are they a problem every year??

  294. The insects were bad. One of the stand stewards yellow bib was almost black. Yuk…. Never seen that before at Silverstone. Watching the Open Golf on TV from Kent just now and some of the camera shots have loads of flies on the lense. Is it just some sort of problem down south??? A plague of flies???

    1. They were terrible at Stowe. I live down south and have never seen those type of flies before that literally only went for bright/fluorescent stuff (felt very bad for the steward). Would say maybe it was all the food/rubbish but I have been at festivals recently that have’t had a fly problem at all!

  295. Complain to McLaren. If you are on Twitter tweet on #BBCF1 to see if any one else has a problem. I bought a McLaren hoodie when it rained. It’s not great quality for £50 but it hasn’t fallen to bits yet

  296. Wow early bird tickets weekend tickets have already sold out for Becketts, Club and International straight.

    I sat in Stowe B and saw lots of action, fancy somewhere a bit different next year. It’s a tough decision as everywhere has it’s own pros and cons, Luffield B looks like it would have been a good spot this year.

  297. Daniel Lavender
    15th July 2011, 18:16

    I bought the white Mclaren Vodafone t-shirt for £25, have had no problems with it what so ever with it. The insects at track was awful, guy next to us went to put his umbrella up and it was covered in them.

    1. Daniel Lavender
      15th July 2011, 18:21

      sorry for my bad grammar, I’ve just read it back to myself.

  298. Already i can see it’s poss to buy tickets for next year for the pit straight at £270…bargain! I’ve just been to the race in 2011 on a general admission ticket and have to say it would be worth spending a little extra for a seat high up and far back so there are no obstrucitons i.e. the fences!

    Though i’ve been already, and enjoyed the whole experience i’ve got no desire to go back…the noise!, interfears with work! to go back you gotta be a fan! best seat in the house is literally in the house and that said when i watch it and they go around and around…i fall asleep, every week! i had no idea who was leading or anything ha ha

    1. try taking a radio or tuning your phone in to radio silverstone, full race coverage is given, general admission spots give you the opportunity to position yourself near a 30 ft tv. Stowe and Vale for instance both had them.

    2. I always tune into radio Silverstone and wear ear defenders over my headphones so I can actually hear it – no problem following the race then! x

      1. exactly Lennie, no problem at all. and if you want a better view ya pay bigger money. Its the same with any sporting event.

  299. Daniel Lavender
    16th July 2011, 18:14

    Thats it 3 day passes booked with 3 days camping, roll on next July.

    1. well done Daniel !! you hooked now ha ha.

    1. Very good – thanks.
      One small point the Silverstone map indicates three large tv screens along International Pit Straight, including opposite Abbey grandstand.
      There isn’t one opposite Abbey near the corner, it would be great if there is next year.
      Igor’s youtube shows where the tv is properly.

  300. If you stayed at travellodge recently read this
    http://t.co/eqgRxKR

  301. Booked 3 day tickets for Club 2012, cant wait counting the days already!!

  302. Today I booked 3 day passes for the International Pit Straight, and camping at Woodlands. I’m going with my friend who has only just got into F1, it’ll be her 1st GP and my 2nd (although my 1st at Silverstone), look out for 2 rather excitable girls having the time of their lives!

    I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who posted here, I read every post and your advice and help have made it so much more easy to decide where to sit and what to do.

    Roll on July 2012!

  303. Preciousdaisybear
    28th July 2011, 13:59

    Help, want to take hubby to next year’s grand prix for his 40th bday but need help where is the most exciting place to watch race from. Any ideas gratefully recieved…

  304. Preciousdaisybear
    28th July 2011, 14:01

    I need your help. I want to take hubby to grand prix next year for his 40th but need advice as to where is best to watch race from. All ideas gratefully received…

  305. Daniel Lavender
    31st July 2011, 11:27

    I have got me 3 day passes for next year, but looking at it there’s not much point now. As I’m going to miss half the season, now bernie’s sold out and gone to sky sports. My F1 adventure is pretty much over, and thats is a shame as I’ve been watching F1 for 20+ years now.

  306. I am looking at getting platinum tickets for next year and having sat at Beckets in practice this seemed a fantastic place as you can see Village.

    Is the view the same from Village as i was thinking of getting Village tickets or should i stick with Becketts?

    1. I would say becketts is slightly better as from becketts you can see the Village complex and the rear view right down the staight to brooklands. Village B is a great view of the new twisty bit but I would say the secondary view over to becketts is not quite as good. But as you’ll know both are great places to watch from; just a slight preference for Becketts for me.

  307. Great circuit for the drivers and the cars, but Silverstone rates poor for me as a photographer. Only Club and Farm offer reasonable photo opportunities.
    Whilst I’m conscious of the need for substantial catch fencing – a few photo access areas could be created – heck I’d even be willing to pay extra and sign disclaimers to gain access to some decent viewing positions.
    Trying to carry 35 kg of photo gear up into one of the grandstands is always fun and doesn’t really offer the persepective one would wish for.
    Press passes are beyond the reach of ordinary mortals, though I am surprised at the number of folk who have gained a “purple tabbard” given their clearly poor photo technique and equipment.
    Pity that the F1 test days no longer happen, they were a more relaxed experience and a great opportunity to get close to the cars and drivers.

  308. hi guys hope your well :)

    we have just booked our tickets to attend my first grand prix at next years race at silverstone and are going to be sitting at the abbey grandstand. but i am not sure if we have made a good decision. we want to be able to see the most overtaking, but i dont think abbey offers that.

    if you could give me some advice on where it is best to sit, it would be really appreciated.

    thanks and best regards
    Jiten :)

  309. I desperately want to go to next years race but have no F1 loving friends to go with. I’m a 32 year old woman hoping to meet up with other women who are going it alone. Help, I have to see Mr Shumacher drive just once before he retires again.

  310. Hi WelshDana, I was in the same position as you this year…I’m 34 and my hubby and friends hate F1, so I went by myself :-))) I had the most amazing time and will be back next year. What really helped me was speaking to people on here, twitter and Facebook. By the time I arrived at woodlands campsite on the Wednesday I had so many meet ups planned I was hardly every alone. You will make loads of friends! I’ve even meet up with some of my silverstone buddies since. Well your welcome to pitch your tent next door to me if you wish xx

    1. WelshDana. Be warned, Nicky is a hard out Mclaren fan. All you will hear is Mclaren this and Jenson that and how good Lewis is….Just like me, we belong to the same TEAM. :o) You will have a great time, my first GP was in 1980, and I still get excited come time for the British Grand Prix. Linda and me are all booked and ready to go! Hot tip: Do not wear anything red, Nicky might faint then drink heavily!

      1. Hi Mike, Luckily I have no affiliation to any team so Nicky shouldn’t mind, I just love it all. I must say though that I think JB is under rated. I have a current admiration for Kobayashi because he’s a frit loop and made last season extra fun. I also have a shameful crush on Christian Horner which I find very odd myself!! lol

      2. Hi Mike, Luckily I have no affiliation to any team so Nicky shouldn’t mind, I just love it all. I must say though that I think JB is under rated. I have a current admiration for Kobayashi because he’s a fruit loop and made last season extra fun. I also have a shameful crush on Christian Horner which I find very odd myself!! lol

        1. Hi WelshDana. I am a huge Jenson fan along with my wife, who had to be prised away from him last year at the McLaren Centre…I had a man hug with him aswell! He is a genuinly great bloke. Kamui is awsome too, such a character at this years Grand Prix Party……..But having a crush on Mr Horner! I think you need help, perhaps a few days under canvas with Nicky will do it.

          1. Neil Wells-West
            26th October 2011, 18:32

            We were at the Hungarian GP this year and booked a table at Pampas restaurant in downtown Budapest on the Saturday night. Guess who was on the table next to us with his Dad and girlfriend, yep it was JB! What a lovely guy, came over after the meal and sat with us, had group photo and shook hands etc. He then went on to win his 200th race!!Going to Silverstone this year with my 2 boys – can’t wait!

    2. Nikki, thanks so much for the reply. I would love to pitch up next to you and be shown the ropes. Do you think I should go with a GA ticket for my first time until I work out in future which seat I really want?

      I’d love it if you could add me to FB so I can ask you a million questions about it all. Can you look me up please..dawn baker lari.

      1. Haha you remind me of me this time last year! I couldnt get enough information, think I drove everyone mad. I have friend requested you, so once you approve I can give you all the inside info as a single female.

        Mike seeing we have never managed a meet up you know me all too well, lol……..fingers crossed I will get to meet you and Linda next year, or how about AutoSport in January? by the way I wore mu McLaren shirt at the Renault Weekend ;-)

        1. Hi Nicky. You have a date for next year, bring Dana with you, perhaps we can make her see the light!. I wore my McLaren team Cap at the WSR, what a great event it was too. Put the Silverstone Classic in your diary too, it is awsome. Totally unrestricted access to both pit areas, real hands on stuff. Loved it. If we go to the Autosport I will let you know. Cheers.

          1. I was thinking about arranging an out of season meet up, maybe at the Donington GP Collection…keep your eyes on the McLaren members website for more details.

          2. Thanks to Nickys advice I have booked a GA ticket and the 3 nights camping. Now, how will I get my hands on Christian Horner ha ha.

  311. Hi everyone,

    I’m new on F1 Fantatic but I’m already loving it!

    I’m going to my first F1 Grand Prix next year at Silverstone and can’t wait. I’ve got tickets for the Luffield stand (as recommended by a friend) and I’m camping at Whittlebury. As the corner is quite slow and its a rolling ticket on Fri/Sat does anyone have any suggestions on where to sit during practice & qualifying to see some high-speed action?

    Any tips would be much appreciated :)

    1. Make sure you head for Becketts at some point over the weekend. The speed through Maggotts / becketss is awesome.
      Start / Finish straight is great for quali but you have to get in place at the start of the day to be sure of a place there on the Saturday.

      1. Thanks Jack!

        1. That is GREAT advice from Jack, but dont tell anyone else. I have done that a couple of times. Stand right at the entrance to the corner, you are just a few meters from the track, brace yourself and hold on tight, there cannot be many better sporting experiences than seeing an F1 car go through that corner without lifting. Wow, I just got goosebumps thinking about it. You FEEL the experience! Enjoy :o)

          1. Sounds fantastic – you are giving me goosebumps just talking about it!

            I know I’m 10 months in advance but is there anything else that I should know?

            Hoping to meet a few friends on here who share my F1 passion, especially as I’m camping!

        2. You seem to be organised. Great seats at Luffield, I will be next to you in the SRC Members stand. Give yourself some time on Friday and walk the circuit, it is easily done and friday is the less busy day. Good choice of campsite, fairly near to Luffield. Make sure you have a small radio with earphones, tune to 87.7 Radio Silverstone. Stay on sunday night and do not miss the GP Party, see lots of drivers.

          1. Thanks Mike :-)

  312. does anyone know if you can book particular seats in a stand? I want some towards the back of becketts as i have been there before and was a good position.

    cherrs

    1. I booked General Admission (no seats) online originally, but had a change of heart and rang up a few days later to ask to upgrade to silver (with seats).

      As she processed my upgrade the lady on the phone asked me where roughly I would like to be in the grandstand I chose (Front middle or back, like at the cinema!), so I should think you certainly can choose fairly specific seats if you book by phone

      Hopefully someone can confirm whether you can choose online also?

  313. Stub – you may be too late for Becketts. It sells out quick. I bought my Becketts tickets about a week after this years race. You might have to go for Club Silverstone if you want to sit in Becketts

  314. does anyone know where i can book camping for just the sat night, as i cant seem to find anywhere unless you want to book for the 3 nights?

    1. Beverly – Try Silverstone Golf Club, they have a good convenient site, I have used it twice in the past. They have a website. Good luck.

    2. phillip from Denmark
      16th September 2011, 17:37

      Hi Beverley,Try Hamilton fields,great campsite with friendly staff and good entertainment in the evenings AND you will be able to get a good nights sleep unlike some of the campsites around silverstone;)

    3. Great advice from everyone. Windmill is also very good, but It depends on how far you want to walk.

  315. Want to buy My boyfriend 3 day tickets for f1 2012 havent a clue where to start. What tickets do i book GA ones or GS ones. Hes mad on F1 and just want his experience to be the best.
    Any help anyone can give will be great.
    Lisa 072

    1. Lisa – It all depends on how much you want to spend. Go to the Silverstone website, all the info is there….The GA area into Club, however, is very good. Good luck.

  316. Thanks mike i will have a look on website. Can you book general admission for sat then grandstand for the sunday?

    1. Yep, pretty sure.

    2. phillip from Denmark
      16th September 2011, 17:33

      Think you should look at the 3 day grandstand ticket.Basically friday and saturday you can sit or stand where you want and sunday you will have a guaranteed grandstand seat
      hope this helps ?

  317. Hi
    I’m booking tickets for my boyf for 2012. I’m getting a silver ticket but should i choose copse a b or c. I also want to camp, do I just book the 1 on the silverstone website? Any help will be greatly appreciated as this will be his first time and i want it to be good

    1. The view is similar from all the Copse Stands, you will be able to see them along the National Staright and down towards Maggotts. The only difference is from A you will have a slightly rear view as they enter Copse but a better view of the Straight, B is right on the bend and C is on the exit. Personally slight preference for B or C, only downside is the large run-off area in front of the stand means you are a little further away from the action (but that is probably why these stands are a little cheaper than say Luffield). I see they still have some ‘early-bird’ tickets in Stowe, this is a great place to see the cars down Hangar Straight and through Stowe and Vale, a favourite spot for over-taking too, good value for money (if there is such a thing at F1 prices); the downside here is no roof!
      Campsite from the web-site is good, except that it is completely the wrong end of the track for Copse, so it depends how much time you plan to spend in your allocated seat (you can sit where you want on Friday / Saturday). If you want camping at Copse end of track google ‘Whittlebury Park’. Fairly quiet, good clean facilities (by F1 standards!!) and normally plenty to do in the evening. Wherever you end up, enjoy!

  318. Wow, this was a short but rather fantastic read. I’m recommending your blog to my friends, thank you!

  319. Hi everyone, 

    Just looking for some advice re. next year’s grand prix at Silverstone.

    I have booked silver tickets in Copse A grandstand front row, but I’m wondering if front row was a good idea. Do you still get a good view or are you too low to see everything? Would I be better changing them for a row further back/higher up? I don’t want to be at ground level pressed up against the fence!

    This will be my first grand prix so I have no clue! 

    Many Thanks!

    1. Hi Al, Copse is a raised stand with a terrace in front of it, so the front row is an excellent raised view.
      Only point to be aware of is bad weather, If it rains and the normal breeze is blowing,the front rows get a soaking. So as long as it doesn’t rain…great tickets.
      Don’t forget all tickets are roaming on friday and Saturday, so you can sit where you want, great to see the action from different points on the track and great for keeping out the weather if needed!

      1. Thanks Jack,

        Thant’s made me feel much happier about my choice, can’t wait now!

        Thanks again!

        Al

        1. Dont worry Al….It never rains at Silverstone! ;o)

          1. And the wind..that never blows through Silverstone making July seem like an Artic winter…thankfully the fast cars, atmosphere, noise, camping, beers and the laughs are what stick in the memory.
            There is hope on the weather for next year, I’m getting my F1 fix elsewhere…as the rain always follows me expect a ‘phew what a scorcher’ Silverstone.

  320. Hi, Just booke seats in Club B videos on line looked great. Have a local B+B Booked for 4 days.

  321. This discussion page is closed. If you want to discuss going to the British Grand Prix please go to the new discussion forum here: Going to the British Grand Prix

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