Do celebrities buy access to F1 garages?

[nsa]

Is there a hospitality package you can buy to stand at the back of the garage or are they invited by the teams?

Just curious.

[Voldemort]

If you recognise them they're not paying.

[Durzel]

Voldemort said:

If you recognise them they're not paying.

Beautifully put.

[supertouring]

Having celebrities in your garage I assume is a draw for the paying guests or for the corporate clients to hob-nob with over a glass of bubbly.

Some good PR for both sides too.

[RichB]

Voldemort said:

If you recognise them they're not paying.

Must be loads who do then.

[nsa]

Any idea how much it costs to stand at the back of the garage as a paying guest? I understand it's likely to be variable depending on the team.

[DeltonaS]

I've heard that at the Austrian GP prices for the boxes/hospitality above the pidlane were 3.500 euros pp.

Taking a peak inside the F1 boxes or pitlane access, would probably require an invitation of one of the mayor F1 team sponsors.

Edited by DeltonaS on Thursday 26th June 15:40

[eps]

nsa said:

Any idea how much it costs to stand at the back of the garage as a paying guest? I understand it's likely to be variable depending on the team.

If you have to ask....

[CraigyMc]

DeltonaS said:

I've heard that at the Austrian GP prices for the boxes/hospitality above the pidlane were 3.500 euros pp.

Taking a peak inside the F1 boxes or pitlane excess, would probably require an invitation of one of the mayor F1 team sponsors.

Oddly enough a few years ago, I was in the pits as the guest of a team, and it was free.
I'm not sure if they actually sell that sort of thing on the open market.

The pass I was issued was an FIA one, given to me by the team and access-most-areas (they don't let you into the sensitive data places for example) - but you can sit and have food with the drivers and the rest of the team.
While there I saw busloads of fanclub people coming and going through the day (they get access to the paddock for like 30 minutes, then get back on the bus out to make space for the next busload).

I got in off the back of a small favour I did for one of the team's sponsors that dug him out of a deep hole.

If you just want paddock access, then the fanclub route may work for you.

[Rochester TVR]

I was lucky enough to have VIP Infiniti/Red Bull treatment at Silverstone a few years ago. I was told the ticket cost north of £6000 just for race day.

This ticket got me picked up outside the circuit in an Infiniti, full paddock access, access to Red Bulls hospitality suit (free food and drink all day) above their garage, access to the Paddock club (more free food and drink) a Radio to listen to commentry a bag of Red Bull freebies, earplugs, T-Shirt, Hat, paper weight with a piece of F1 carbon inside it, signed Red Bull F1 book and a poster). Access to Paddock Clubs own grandstand just past the pits, and an Infiniti car to take me back to my car after the race.

This however wasn't the top tier ticket, I would guess that would be 8-10k?... I didn't have access to stand at the back of the garage during the race (before and after was allowed) and I couldn't do the grid walk either...

Webber and Vettel were meant to do an interview / Q&A in the RB suit for us VIPs after the drivers conference but it didn't happen as they weren't talking to each other...

[KarlMac]

Rochester TVR said:

I was lucky enough to have VIP Infiniti/Red Bull treatment at Silverstone a few years ago. I was told the ticket cost north of £6000 just for race day.

This ticket got me picked up outside the circuit in an Infiniti, full paddock access, access to Red Bulls hospitality suit (free food and drink all day) above their garage, access to the Paddock club (more free food and drink) a Radio to listen to commentry a bag of Red Bull freebies, earplugs, T-Shirt, Hat, paper weight with a piece of F1 carbon inside it, signed Red Bull F1 book and a poster). Access to Paddock Clubs own grandstand just past the pits, and an Infiniti car to take me back to my car after the race.

This however wasn't the top tier ticket, I would guess that would be 8-10k?... I didn't have access to stand at the back of the garage during the race (before and after was allowed) and I couldn't do the grid walk either...

Webber and Vettel were meant to do an interview / Q&A in the RB suit for us VIPs after the drivers conference but it didn't happen as they weren't talking to each other...

Santander used to run the same package as a prize for their staff charity raffle. Great day out and I wasn't even slightly annoyed when my car hating sister in law got to go.

[Rochester TVR]

KarlMac said:

Rochester TVR said:

I was lucky enough to have VIP Infiniti/Red Bull treatment at Silverstone a few years ago. I was told the ticket cost north of £6000 just for race day.

This ticket got me picked up outside the circuit in an Infiniti, full paddock access, access to Red Bulls hospitality suit (free food and drink all day) above their garage, access to the Paddock club (more free food and drink) a Radio to listen to commentry a bag of Red Bull freebies, earplugs, T-Shirt, Hat, paper weight with a piece of F1 carbon inside it, signed Red Bull F1 book and a poster). Access to Paddock Clubs own grandstand just past the pits, and an Infiniti car to take me back to my car after the race.

This however wasn't the top tier ticket, I would guess that would be 8-10k?... I didn't have access to stand at the back of the garage during the race (before and after was allowed) and I couldn't do the grid walk either...

Webber and Vettel were meant to do an interview / Q&A in the RB suit for us VIPs after the drivers conference but it didn't happen as they weren't talking to each other...

Santander used to run the same package as a prize for their staff charity raffle. Great day out and I wasn't even slightly annoyed when my car hating sister in law got to go.

This was a freeby from a mate that worked for a company that did Red Bulls PR, they managed the relationship between them and their sponsors. Apparently his company order over 100 of these tickets for employees Silverstone (less on other races). Obviously they are not on the jolly as its their job to be there, but needless to say some tickets don't get used up and then employees are able to offer them to friends or family members.

I'd be surprised if anyone in the Paddock club actually directly pays for a ticket themselves.

[coppice]

Because I am an old fart I have happy memories of standing in the pit garages of most of the F1 teams , usually after practice had ended and the cars were being worked on for the next day. I did this until the late 80s and it now seems incredible that it was possible. Mind you , I'd pay good money not to share the garage with some of the micro celebs who now infect F1 , most of whom I suspect have never been near a racetrack except for F1 events and the sainted bloody Goodwood...

[RichB]

coppice said:

... the sainted bloody Goodwood...

And that's where you allow your prejudices to show because Goodwood is one of the meetings where you can get right up close to the cars and stick you head right inside the engine bay of a Ferrari 250GTO - if you so desire

[CraigyMc]

RichB said:

coppice said:

... the sainted bloody Goodwood...

And that's where you allow your prejudices to show because Goodwood is one of the meetings where you can get right up close to the cars and stick you head right inside the engine bay of a Ferrari 250GTO - if you so desire

Quite.

The 250 GTO itself doesn't tend to have the bonnet open much, it's a fairly reliable old bus. You can sometimes have a chat with Mark Hales or whoever is driving it that weekend though.

Here's another interesting engine from the goodwood paddock:

[Hybrids]

BRM H16, my favourite engine, for no other reason than I find it fascinating.
(edited to add, I remember the first time I saw it in the flesh was in the last hall of the Donington Collection, I gawped at it for far too long)

[coppice]

RichB said:

coppice said:

... the sainted bloody Goodwood...

And that's where you allow your prejudices to show because Goodwood is one of the meetings where you can get right up close to the cars and stick you head right inside the engine bay of a Ferrari 250GTO - if you so desire

Yeah , done that and enjoyed it hugely. Just went off the daft prices , high hooray henry count and the general air of elitism that permeates Goodwood- which I acknowledge is a great event on a super circuit. Just wish most of the spectators weren't dressed like panto extras.

[belleair302]

Teams will 'invite' certain people to Grand Prix for additional media coverage and certain 'partners or sponsors' will have PR agencies who will use celebrities for additional coverage. Bernie also issues a few passes to celebs for coverage in certain markets. Many moons ago I used to 'help' VIP's get garage and Paddock Club access and always laughed when Bernie's sidekick asked me who I needed a pass for. When I told him she was the model and actress in X men and was on every bus in London.....Pasquale had them biked over within the day.

Does it wok for teams, no.....does it work for sponsors, oh yes. TAG Heuer and Hugo Boss get huge exposure from using celebs and models at GP's....but just having a popstar or a Beckham, no it adds nothing to the event. Just look at the people on grids in Monaco or Singapore...who are these people and what do they know about the sport or the engineering.....nothing.

[rubystone]

RichB said:

nd that's where you allow your prejudices to show because Goodwood is one of the meetings where you can get right up close to the cars and stick you head right inside the engine bay of a Ferrari 250GTO - if you so desire

I agree with Coppice (is that, you John?) but that's based on being spoilt by years of the wonderful Coy's Festival. For years I attended for a pittance, rubbed shoulders with everyone from Fangio to Fittipaldi and fed my tinnitus in the back of garages rammed full of bloody GTOs. To experience ALL the surviving ERAs (forget your GTOs...I'd kill to own Remus) in one place made my day. All this without having to wear gardeners' clothes or navigate a multi storey car park full of Fiestas on the front lawn of a stately home.

[otolith]

Withnail: Free to those that can afford it, very expensive to those that can't.