Attending first Grand Prix advice

[iamdjdz]

Hi all,

I've been watching F1 since 1998 and have still never been to a race. My dad is also keen to go so we have been looking at where for 2020. Does anyone have any experience of where the viewing and trackside experience is best? We will be making it into a holiday too. I know it's subjective but it would be interesting to hear opinions.

Few considerations:

We don't want to go to Silverstone, I've been there for many WEC and sportscar races, I know it's a good atmosphere but we want to go abroad
Don't want to go to Monaco as we've walked the track twice and feel it wouldn't be the best experience.
Australia is out for distance.
Canada and America he's not keen on going to.

At the moment the feeling is Japan sitting in B2 if we can get tickets. But don't know anyone who's been as to whether it's worth it.

Also kudos to my wife who is allowing me to go away for a couple of weeks with my dad with the main purpose of going to watch a race.

 

[EddScott]

Can't help you but I have Japan on my list maybe for 2020.

I have a plan to spend 2 weeks in Japan with the last weekend taking in the GP before coming home.

 

[bazzabear]

My BIL has done Singapore a couple of times. The reason is that he can get free flights there, but it seems they make a massive event of the entire weekend across the entire city. Very big bands playing each night etc.

 

[Stumble Bum]

Spa

OR

The first Dutch Grand Prix.

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/...ndvoort-from-2020.1OTLRqLZB6mXdD1VPyHiNx.html

 

[kitfit1]

I would strongly recommend Baku. My Nephew and myself went for this years GP and were well impressed with Baku itself, the facilities are faultless. The food is fantastic and the people are very friendly. A bigger plus for Baku is that it's also the cheapest GP to watch, this year a ticket for Thursday to Sunday including Grand stand seats for both of us was £294 (Thursday included a pit lane walk) On the Monday after the race we were talking with the Vietnamese delegates from the FIA, they did point out that Vietnam next year will be cheaper than Baku................so that could be a good option to think about as well.

 

[wonder_lander]

I did Japan in 2007, it was an immense experience and one I would definitely recommend others to do!
In 2007 it was held at Fuji and we commuted in from Tokoyo by train and then shuttle bus.

 

[Jester*]

Suzuka is quite probably my favourite circuit alongside Spa.

It is definitely worth it, also the culture is so different so it is a spectacle like no other.

 

[GravyMonster]

If you want to stay relatively close to home, then Austria or Hungary are supposed to be great for spectators as there's grandstands available in both which let you see most of the track.

Spa goes without saying.

You want atmosphere and are a Ferrari fan, Monza. Or if you want atmosphere and are a Verstappen fan, Zandvoort. Although I don't expect the racing to be great there, or to be able to see much due to the nature of the track.

 

[unKle]

I would say Spa/Austria for first time. I went to Austria this year and Spa last year, atmosphere at both was brilliant especially if you're a Red Bull fan, the orange army are in force at both of these venues.

I've also been to British/Spanish/Italian GPs - I wouldn't do the British again.

Spectating at Austria was better as was getting to and from the circuit. Spa had mental queues getting out of the circuit and we were stuck in the car park for 2 hours before being able to move.

You can do Spa in a day, Austria you'll need to plan for accomodation.

If I could only pick one it'd be Austria.

 

[danb21t]

Hungaroring, my family did this in 2017 on recommendation from my fathers friend who has been most, if not all of the tracks that were on the calendar back then.

It was awesome, massively tiring due to the amount of walking involved at a race track and the weather being low/mid 30s. The only negative is the actual F1 coverage was pretty lame tbh, but that's just how it is compared to watching it on TV unfortunately.

Plus Budapest is worth a visit if you haven't been.

I have an itch to go and do Singapore and possibly America in the future.

 

[Terminal_Boy]

Did Monza in 2015 spending a week exploring the northern end of Lake Como before staying in cheap hotel 30 minutes from the track for the race weekend.

Take the following with you:

- Wet weather gear
- Another layer of clothing
- Waterproof backpack
- Quality ear protection - current hybrid F1 cars are quieter than their predecessors, but they’re not quiet.

 

[poosemon]

Did Monza in 2015 spending a week exploring the northern end of Lake Como before staying in cheap hotel 30 minutes from the track for the race weekend.

Take the following with you:

- Wet weather gear
- Another layer of clothing
- Waterproof backpack
- Quality ear protection - current hybrid F1 cars are quieter than their predecessors, but they’re not quiet.

If tying in with a Holiday can recommend this area of italy too, especially for an automotive centric trip. Tie in Monza with the Italian Motor Valley. Was at Lake Garda the week before the Italian Grand Prix and saw the following (crammed into 1 day);

- Abandoned Bugatti Factory (where the EB110 was made i believe)
- Lamborghini Factory (Museum there too however knew i was going to Ferrari and Pagani so didn't have time to go in)
- Pagani Factory (did a factory tour also, unlike Lamborghini and Ferrari, Pagani open this up to normal punters, well worth doing)
- Ferrari Museum
- Maserati Factory/Showroom

Other things that could be seen in the area which i didn't get to;

- Enzo Ferrari Museum (we only got to the main ferrari factory)
- If budget allows then hire a Ferrari as loads of places that offer it in the Modena/Maranello area
- Ducati Factory and Museum
- Moto Poggi Collection
- Imola
- Dallara Factory and Exhibition
- Return to Monza for a track walk on old banking etc

 

[RobHu]

I've been to every current GP (bar Hockenheim), quick thoughts on the locations rather than the racing (I know you ruled some out):

• Australia: Amazing fun city, very random weather. General access at the track is decent iirc and they have lots of cool cars to look at in the punter area! Very expensive though.
• Bahrain: Boring city, weather good (obvs), expensive, probably a pain getting to and from the track as a punter. No/poor general access.
• China: Track is in the middle of nowhere, traffic is insane in shanghai. Lots to do in the city obviously. Weather is meh. Cheap. Don't think there's much general access.
• Baku: Surprisingly really fun city. Everything is walking distance from the track. Very cheap food/drink. Not sure when it's being held in 2020 but if it's a summer race it's extremely hot...and the windiest place I think I've ever been! Also there's lots of things to see at the track aside from racing.
• Spain: If you stay in Barcelona it's obviously going to be pretty fun/lots to do. Perfect weather that time of year normally.
• Monaco: Some lovely towns around Monaco to stay in along that coast. Decent public transport into Monaco. Nice extras as a punter e.g. the free for all pit lane walk on the Friday afternoon.
• Canada: Montreal is pretty awesome and the track is close to the city. Weather is pretty random each year. Good prices on food/drink.
• France: Avoid in my opinion. Getting to/from the track is an utter nightmare due to there being about 2 roads in/out of the area.
• Austria: Similar to Monaco there are some lovely towns close(ish) to the track, you'd probably want a rental car though.
• Silverstone: Probably doesn't need any description.
• Hungary: Budapest is pretty amazing and fairly cheap. Great weather usually. Think there's decent general access too.
• Belgium: Probably the best general access of any track (lots of walking involved). Really random weather. Fair distance from any decent sized towns.
• Italy: Great atmosphere at the track, decent general access iirc.
• Singapore: Fantastic city, great public transport, lots to do, incredibly hot and expensive (booze) though.
• Russia: Pretty strange place, almost as if no locals live anywhere nearby. Not much to do/see.
• Japan: Interesting entertainment at the track. Nearby towns aren't great (but if you're there a while you can spend the time outside of race weekend in any of the major cities which would be great). Prices reasonable though. Decent weather obviously can turn nasty.
• Mexico: Fairly interesting city but the traffic is completely insane. Feels a bit edgy at times!
• USA: Austin is probably my favourite city on the calendar. Lots to do/see (nightlife), good prices, nice weather, pretty easy drive out to the track.
• Brazil: Epic steak restaurants but not a lot else in Sao Paulo. Feels quite dangerous anywhere outside of the business district.
• Abu Dhabi: A bit like a posher version of Bahrain. Very expensive but nice weather. Ferrari world is fun and there's a good water park there too. No/poor general access.

Any questions about any of the tracks/locations let me know and I'll try to answer.

 

[Megahurtz400]

I went to Spa this year and to see the track was amazing, the TV and pictures just does not do it justice! The elevation changes are insane.

I can be a bit expensive if you want good grandstand tickets however, but if you're talking about going to Japan I don't think this would be so much of an issue.

You could always rent a motorhome or campervan and do Spa one weekend, drive down to Monza via the alps for the race the following weekend?

 

[Gredawarha]

My partner and I did Spa, 2010. We camped at a site about 15 minutes walk away although there were shuttle buses.

Biggest memory was walking through the woods and hearing the cars (support races) starting up.

For the F1 we were sat in the stand toward the top of eau rouge. Watching 22 F1 cars come round the corner and up the hill full throttle was amazing.

Weather is unpredictable. One minute we were soaking wet, the next burning sunshine.

We did full race weekend and it was exhausting, didn't help that our campsite had a giant group of Dutch guys partying all night.

It was a fantastic experience.

 

[schumi84]

I did Hockenheim with my dad back in 2003 where we drove over there in his TVR Chimaera and it behaved impeccably there and back, attracting more attention than the Ferraris/Porsches in the surrounding area. We camped in the main area and surprisingly pitched up next to some Brits that were living in Germany at the time, it was around a 15-20min walk to the track but they ran shuttle buses that you could hop onto if you wanted.

We had grandstand tickets on the main straight towards the back of the grid which was a pretty decent position as we could see the cars coming into the stadium section. The screen were well placed so could view all the action from around the rest of the track.

At the time we went there was the Porsche Super Cup going on and a number of other support races that we had full access to and after the race you could obviously go down onto the track.

The weather went from one extreme to the other regarding rain but stayed warm/hot throughout and overall was a fantastic weekend.

 

[iamdjdz]

Thanks for your replies guys, lots to think about. I like the idea of Hungary and Japan. Need to work out dates and logistics to see which we can do. I'm excited and hoping we do actually go as I probably won't end up going to many races ever.

 

[DampCat]

My first F1 was Spa and it was superb!

 

[iamdjdz]

So we've made a decision, having been realistic with prices Japan is out (doesn't help my dad is going to Sri Lanka and possibly Kenya next year lol) so we are going to Hungary. Neither of us have been to Budapest before so few days either side to explore. Got a 3 corner Gold 4 ticket so Silver 2 (I think) for practice, though assume you can walk round a bit more on the Friday, Silver 5 for qually and Gold 4 (first corner) for the race.

Very excited to be honest! Booked a hotel in a town 15 mins drive away and plan to get taxis however might not be much fun getting back from the track so we may end up walking (6 miles) if we get totally stuck! Debating whether to stay in Budapest and cancel that though.

 

[Kanpai]

Singapore would have been my vote, my first race as part of a holiday too (amazing country), but I'm sure you'll enjoy Hungary too.

Enjoy!