Are you going to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix this year?
That’s a coincidence, so am I. And being the kind hearted soul that I am, I thought I would share some of my pearls of wisdom for making it through the big weekend.
Feel free to chip in with any titbits of information you think I may have missed…
Friday
Friday is when the spectator banks aren’t quite so rammed, and it’s when some of the most enjoyable moments of the weekend can happen.
While the majority of folk are busy at work, you can walk relatively unhindered around the track and be wowed at Copse, Becketts and Stowe. As well as hours of F1 free practice, there’s some GP2 qualifying for you to enjoy.
Oh, and make sure you walk anti-clockwise around the circuit. Better to have the cars coming towards you than having your back to them.
Get there nice and early
The good news is that even on a general admission ticket, there are still some good vantage points to be found – but you will need to get up at the crack of sparrows to grab them.
Not only does this ensure that you have a pitch that doesn’t require a contortionist’s feat of neck-cricking to see anything, but it also means you’re certain of catching some of the excellent support races. GP3, Porsche Supercup and the reverse-top-eight GP2 sprint races are likely to provide some decent action in the lead up to the main event.
Maggots
Head for this corner at some point during the course of the weekend. There are better places to watch the race from, but the outside of Maggots is where you will see and hear an F1 car pushed to the limit, and you don’t even need an expensive grandstand ticket to see it either.
Cool box
These bulky horrible looking things can be a life saver.
Imagine it: it’s midday Sunday and there’s a decision to be made. Having arrived at the crack of sparrows to stake your claim in a decent spot, you have minutes to go before the race starts. While at 6am you were shivering like mad, the temperature has risen and you’re now sweating buckets. Only an over-priced burger and beer will do. But you want to keep your sacred patch. What to do?!!
Should have brought a cool box along with you, that’s what. Ram it full of beverages and various treats. You’ll save yourself time negotiating the maze of stands and your wallet will love you as well.
When the race starts, you can then just hop on top of your box, obstructing the idiot who has been annoying you all morning, and get a better view of the action. Tada!
Sunscreen
It never amazes me to see the number of painfully pink-looking people dotted around the circuit each year. Even if it is overcast (which it will probably be), there’s no sense in taking any chances with the sun.
As the circuit is built upon what was once a wartime airfield, it is out in the open, and as such, the wind has a good habit of masking the fact you are slowly sizzling away.
Umbrella.
It’s Britain. Take one.
Camping
It’s probably too late to advise you not to bother, but heed my advice when it comes to next year’s race.
Access to Silverstone along the A43 is actually pretty good, so it’s easy to commute from nearby towns like Bicester, Aylesbury, or the roundabout laden metropolis that is Milton Keynes. You’ll enjoy hot running water and a nice comfy bed, as opposed to looking like you’ve spent the weekend with the Territorial Army.
Queues
One of the biggest drawbacks to visiting the grand prix is the massive queues to get out of the car park as quickly as possible after the race. Even though the nearby road network was vastly improved some years ago, it can still take a couple of hours to get out of the car park alone.
So instead of baking inside your Fiesta waiting to reach asphalt, you could dive into the middle of the circuit for the traditional ‘Grand Prix Party’ for a few hours, where no doubt Eddie Jordan will be taking to the mic once again…
On second thoughts, probably a better idea to bring a bicycle along and chain it to anything solid while you watch the racing. Jump back on it in double-quick time when it’s all over, and you’ll be back in your car and off down the road while everybody else is still packing away their deckchairs.
An extra tip – take a camera! ;-)
If you really, really can’t bear either the queues or Eddie Jordan, feel free to have a leisurely snack in the now-miraculously-empty seating area on the pit straight public catering area, then use the toilets that aren’t in the infield area (which by that point will have just the cleaners in them, as opposed to the massive queues for the infield toilets), go into the infield. Then you can take photos of the paddock area and lounge around, eating a picnic tea on the outer edges of the field. If you’re at the very outer edge, you’ll only hear any sound when some of the louder performers are playing (and an MP3 player can block that out if you really detest rock covers). You can miss the traffic and the music that way and still get a lovely end to the
Alternatively have the snack on the grass bank near Copse E (not in Copse E itself because the crowd marshals may close the seating area after the last track performance) and then you can see who wins the unofficial paddock exit race. Let me explain. Each of the teams pride themselves on their speed. This includes the speed at which they pack away their race stuff. They typically take several lorries to the circuit with their components and cars on board. The first team with all their lorries out of the circuit has won the “paddock exit” race. Force India won in 2008 but were pipped to the post by Renault in 2009.
The reason the Copse E banking is such a good place to watch this “race” is because the lorries come out of the pit exit and drive partway down the start/finish straight to exit the track and join the traffic. It’s also a long way from the inevitable mass queues and confusion of people pouring into the infield.
Other tips for Silverstone:
If you don’t want to take a cool box to the circuit, take several 2-litre bottles of drink (plain or flavoured still water works best for this). Take 1/4 of the contents out of each bottle (put it in other bottles for the journey to Silverstone or drink before setting out). Then place the bottles in the freezer until you set off for Silverstone. Admittedly last year’s temperatures were relatively cool, but Dad and I took 6 bottles to Silverstone. We used one bottle each per day to keep the contents of our bags cool. Despite the fact we were camping, the bottles we took on Sunday were still partially frozen and continued to keep the food cool. Taking the bottles to the track results in them melting gradually, ensuring you don’t drink all your liquid at 7am and then dehydrate for the rest of the day (note that dehydrating not only makes you exhausted and thirsty, it makes you more prone to sunburn).
If you’re camping, take advantage of the fact and get to the gates as they open. Remember that for the race, that means 5am, so try not to get too engrossed in any Saturday night mass kareoke sessions that might be in session.
Keep a careful eye on your valuables. This goes double for your money. The police are good and campsite staff tend to be helpful, but they can’t replace money that you’ve stolen. Crime tends towards the opportunistic though, so if your card goes missing and is returned, there’s a good chance your bank account won’t have been touched (but check your balance and change your PIN anyway just in case).
When the letter comes through that you are only meant to take a small seat to the terraces, please only turn up with a small seat (and a bag that fits under said seat). It’s not 100% clear what “small” means, but spreading clutter across half the terrace will *not* lead to a happy situation when it fills up.
If you want a Kangaroo, bring your payment method with you. Proof of purchase will *not* suffice, as I found out the hard way last year.
Horns are to F1 what vuvuzuelas are to the World Cup. They make a lot of noise and force you to wear earplugs against them, but some people really, really can’t help themselves and some consider it an insult to suggest they shouldn’t be part of the event. If you do want to bring one, please only use it at a time that makes some sort of sense. Random blowing of horns when absolutely nothing is going on may result in hard stares…
Don’t bank on your mobile phone working at Silverstone unless you’ve tested it there. Some carriers have excellent coverage, others (Virgin I’m looking at you) have absolutely none. I wonder if Virgin will have mobile phone coverage at Silverstone now it’s got a team racing in F1 there?
Remember not to get too fixated on the giant screen if you can see one. I missed a lovely spin by Nelson Piquet Jr. that way last year, much to the amusement of everyone to whom the story has been told.
If there’s something about F1 you don’t know – ask. F1 supporters are lovely people who love sharing their passion. For example, last year on Sunday morning, part of Copse E was covered in little paper notes because people were sharing the fuel weights and predicted stop laps with one another. On a connected point, if you’re wearing a particular team or driver memorabillia item, expect a polite question or comment concerning that team or driver at some stage in the weekend. Especially if you’re camping and want to use the showers at some point in the weekend!
If you want to use the camping showers, go there in the middle of the night or plan to spend at least an hour each time. Either be prepared to talk F1 with someone to pass the time (don’t worry, they’re as bored in that queue as you are) or take a book with you.
Take binoculars. They help a lot in reading the giant screens.
Take good hearing protection (at least earplugs, preferably ear defenders and separate earphones for the radio able to access 87.7 FM that should also form part of your “essentials” kit). The number of sore ears resulting from Grands Prix is second only to the number of suburn cases and the consequences can be just as painful, serious and long-term.
Finally, enjoy yourself. Let the spontaneity and spirit of the weekend take over – you’ll never forget a Silverstone F1 racing weekend :)