First live F1, going to Silverstone!

teh_captain

teh_captain

teh_captain

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Bristol UK
Hey all, for my 30th the wife has got us tickets for the whole weekend (Practice, Qualy & Race) at Silverstone this coming weekend! We'll be arriving early afternoon Thursday as she also won us entry to get into the pitlane for an hour on Thursday afternoon!

We're camping but no electric hookup. It's both our first F1 experience - has anyone else done this and if so what would your essentials be? We'll have a great time anyway I'm sure but anything to make life a little easier would be great!

Cheers!
 
There are a few threads in previous years which are worth a look at. I'm going to both test days on the tues & wed after this time :)
 
Wellies and suncream :D It's Silverstone afterall...

But yeah prepare for changeable weather although the forecast looks pretty decent so far but the place does seem to have it's own weather system. Where are you camping? We normally camp in the SRC campsite but this year we are going to Woodlands due to it being way cheaper and it looks to have plenty of stuff going on in the site to keep us entertained away from the track.

Food is really expensive at the track so if possible take your own in with you, try and plan toilet breaks if you can around the less busy periods before and after a session, especially on Saturday and Sunday when the track gets pretty full.
 
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I'd forgotten about the testing - I was going to go Friday but tbh testing is no different really so I might do that instead. Queues etc. won't be an issue then.
 
GP2 cars are still seriously loud. F1 cars are nothing like as loud any more :( I remember sitting about 2ft from the track just before the Parabolica at Monza and the noise there was basically unbearable. Those days are gone now, sadly :(

If you're GA, get there very, very early - all the good spots are filled up by people who go there often and have a sorted plan to be there... If you have grandstand seats, you can come and go when you like. Take advantage of the roving access on the Friday and Saturday to experience different bits of the track :)
 
Personally I'd take:

* Wellies
* Sunscreen
* Those rain coats that fold really small
* Decent camera
* Lots of money, food and stuff on site isn't cheap
* Airbed, proper pillows and big sleeping bag
* Some of those battery pack things to charge your phone/electronic devices. They have charging locations but you don't really want to sit there while somethings charging. (I fell asleep sat on the floor of one once while it charged. :D) Your other half can also use her hair dryer/straighteners at these locations. I know how important these can be for ladies and the difference it will make to YOUR day because of it!
* Fold up chairs
* Torch/light for the tent

I think that's about it. Served me well for 2 out of the 3 years I've been.

1st time was with work in a posh marquee that gave us free food and beer all day. 2nd time was just me and my mate and we were hideously under prepared. The 3rd time we literally had everything. Two massive tents, bbq, cooler for all our bbq food, multiple battery based chargers etc. The last visit was easily the best. :)
 
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KiNgPiN83 said:
* Wellies
* Sunscreen
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This :)

CaptainRAVE said:
How come?
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We used to get a couple of free tickets from a friend of my dads each year. Then we would buy few more and split the cost acorss all of them so that it was cheaper for us to go. In 2008 we bought 2 tickets expecting the other 2 to come from my dads mate, but they didn't come in the end so we had 4 people wanting to go with only 2 tickets and by then the event had sold out, so we sold the 2 we had :(.

I was there in 2007 for Lewis to get pole, and in 2006 for his epic GP2 race. Both times the crowd were mental. I was at Silverstone in 2014 for Lewis' win and it was great again.

Being at an F1 race is great.

DRZ said:
GP2 cars are still seriously loud. F1 cars are nothing like as loud any more :( I remember sitting about 2ft from the track just before the Parabolica at Monza and the noise there was basically unbearable. Those days are gone now, sadly :(
Click to expand...

It's swings and roundabouts. Having experienced both the noise of the V6s is far more interesting than the all enveloping V8 scream. Its also a LOT easier to follow a race when your able to hear comentary and hold a conversation with the people sat next to you. I love the V8 scream, but I've also seen children coweing into their parents screaming because the sound is terrifying them. F1 is more accessable to a different, younger audience now its a bit quieter.

Or at least it would be if GP2 wasn't stil about. I just find their sound annoying and harsh now. Its not a nice sound, its just loud. At Spain we had to leave the grandstand during the GP2 sessions as the sound reverberating around the covered stand was painful and gave my GF and I a headache within minutes.

Listening to 24 V8s sing through the Belgium forests will stay with me forever however.
 
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Got tickets for Friday practice in a work raffle for charity. Never been but going to see how it goes. Anyone got tips for Friday? I have roving tickets but not sure if that is just everyone or not. Paid for my parking but have to collect that on the day on the way in. Thinking of getting there around half 8 or 9.
 
Roving grandstand on Friday means you can get into any of the non Premium stands (i.e. everything that isn't a corporate one or the BRDC stand, etc).

If you have never bene before then use this as an oportunity to walk around the whole track, dropping into all the stands you cna to get an experience of all the views.

9am is a bit late to get there. Parking is likely to be a bit of a mess given its rained like hell for a month. They also don't operate the full one way system or the PArk and Ride on Fridays so you will be in a queue with litterally everyone else trying to get there.
 
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