Has anybody been to a F1 GP W/End? (UK Members)

[priesty_lfc]

Hiya,

Just after a little help, myself and a few mates are looking to get tickets for 1 of either Spa/Monza/Valencia or if all else fails Siverstone in 2013.

Spa, as it's a Classic plus I imagne you can get the Euro Star pretty much all the way so should be pretty straight forward to get there.

Monza, as i'm a Ferrari fan plus again it's a classic.

Valencia, as although the actual race can be boring it's pretty much on the beach so that is quite good and gives us the option to chill out in the sun!

Silverstone, again is a classic and in theory logistically it should be the easist to sort altho UK weather could put a dampner on the whole weekend so it's probably the last option of the 4

We're pretty open to camping but depending on the price the hotel option would also be considered.

I've looked on Thomas Cook as at this point I dont know where else to start but as it's still pretty early they dont have any info at this point.

Does any body know what the prices were this year? I'm trying to get a ball park figure of what a 'typical' GP weekend will cost, non of us have ever been to a GP before so we literally have no idea.

We're kinda thinking that we'll probably need to book 3-4 days off as we'd like to be there for practice and not have to rush back Sunday night, but to make things more complicated 1 of my friends doesnt do flying so that could rule out Monza.

I know it's still pretty early but the majority of us have just bought house's and 1 of us have just had a baby so i'm trying to take the initiative and try and get things rolling now so I can get everybody as prepared and we can start saving.

If anybody could throw a few pointers my way it would be very much appriciated!

Thanks 👍

 

[Clark]

I've been to the past 6 British GP's (although may be going to Spa or Monza) next year for something different), its expensive but worth it in my opinion. If you want to go you want to be booking tickets now. We usually go for the covered grandstand at Club, more expensive than open grandstand or just roving access but more protection from the weather.

We camp usally and apart from this year it's great, the rain can annoy sometimes, but even this year was fine as long as you pack stuff like wellies/walking boots etc. Once you're in the circuit each day you forget about the campsite anyway. And the mud's not a problem if you're reasonably adpet at driving in low grip, i.e. not flooring it every where (my old little Clio was fine).

There's always a mahussive crowd there, and a great atmospehere for all drivers, but HUGE support for LH and JB. If you're a Macca fan (which I'm not) it makes it a must see whatever.
In FP1,2,3 we always walk around to see the cars at different points and not much compares to seeing an F1 car at full tilt round Copse or through Maggotts and Becketts (you're stood right next to the track and they come past at unreal speeds).

The track has a good amount of big screens aswell so you can follow the quali, races etc. when the cars aren't coming past you.

Bottom line is though, it's expensive (£400-500 each with all costs factored in) for 3 days enterainment, but well worth it if you're an F1 fan. And let's face it, everybody needs to see/hear an F1 in person at least once in their life.

Hope this helps a bit, Clark.

 

[TheCracker]

I know a few British people who've been to GP's other than the British GP, but they've always done it as part of a holiday, rather than going just for the GP.

There are plenty of travel companies that offer itineraries to suit different budgets. Here are a couple of links:

http://www.motorsportcircuits.co.uk/html/motorsport_holidays.html

http://www.grandstandmotorsports.co.uk/events/formula-one.aspx

I've been over to Spa before and it is pretty straight forward to get to without having to fly. A Eurostar to Brussels with a connection to Liege will get you to within 30km of the circuit. I'd imagine that on GP weekend there will be plenty of transport to and from the circuit from there. I know there are plenty of campsites near by too.

Monza and Valencia are obviously well situated for air travel (Monza being close to Milan) But if part of your group doesn't want to fly, these two are not going to be as straight forward to get to if you are planning the journeys yourselves.

 

[PeterJB]

I went to Silverstone this year and the year before. I camped last year and stayed in a B&B this year. The weather was quite unpleasant both times so it was very cold, wet, windy, and most of all, muddy.

If you camp you avoid all the traffic problems. Though it isn't very pleasant so if you don't like camping it's best to avoid it. I stayed in a B&B this year about 10 minutes away from the circuit. Everyone knows about the parking issues the circuit had this year, though I was lucky enough to get a space each time. However, it takes a long time to get in and out, especially on race day, because northbound is an A Road which leads to a motorway, so everyone takes that one up, and southbound is single country which goes through a few villages, it's arguably the most isolated circuit on the calendar. It took three hours to finally escape to clear roads on the Sunday.

Staying in a B&B is much nicer, though it means getting up earlier each morning. I was up at 7 on Friday and Saturday and 6 on Sunday. A good pair of wellies or walking boots it's essentially as it gets extremely muddy when it rains, even with all the gravel footpaths. Expect long queues for food stands and toilets, even though they're all over the place.

Obviously earplugs are vital for the F1 sessions, but I didn't need them for the others. They tended to block out the engines more than the loudspeakers, so it makes the commentary much clearer.

For me and my dad to go it cost somewhere in the region of £750 for the whole weekend. Consisting of 3 nights in a B&B, a parking permit, 2 general admission tickets and 2 grandstand seats for Monday. Food, petrol and general merchandise will increase this quite a bit.

 

[priesty_lfc]

Thanks for the tips.

Like I mentioned ideally we'd like to go to Europe but I think realistically Silverstone is gonna be the easiest option especially as its going to be our first GP.

It's still early doors but I think if I say a budget of £600-£750 that should cover it!

 

[MatskiMonk]

Having done F1 at Silverstone once, I'd say try one of the other European venues instead!