2012 F1 Grand Prix at Silverstone
Discussion
Hi
I'm looking to take my dad to Silverstone next year (neither of us have been before). I've done some research and looking at the following.
Club corner - gold stand (unconvered) for the sunday.
We don't want general admission as don't want to get there at 5:30am for a decent spot and also want to minimise amount of walking. Neither of us are that mobile.
With regards to the grandstands do I want a seat nearer the back? higher up? When booking tickets can you stipulate where you want to sit?
I can't justify platinum price for covered stand - will take waterproofs and an umbrella should it rain.
Also opted to do the park and ride rather than parking on site. Is this a good idea?
Any comments or advice for a first timer? I will be taking a radio and hot flask.
I had considered the new international pitstraight but sounds like roof obscures view. Also considered Farm area but sounds like Club gives a better view / atmosphere.
Appreciate everyone has a different opinion ref best place to watch.
thanks
I'm looking to take my dad to Silverstone next year (neither of us have been before). I've done some research and looking at the following.
Club corner - gold stand (unconvered) for the sunday.
We don't want general admission as don't want to get there at 5:30am for a decent spot and also want to minimise amount of walking. Neither of us are that mobile.
With regards to the grandstands do I want a seat nearer the back? higher up? When booking tickets can you stipulate where you want to sit?
I can't justify platinum price for covered stand - will take waterproofs and an umbrella should it rain.
Also opted to do the park and ride rather than parking on site. Is this a good idea?
Any comments or advice for a first timer? I will be taking a radio and hot flask.
I had considered the new international pitstraight but sounds like roof obscures view. Also considered Farm area but sounds like Club gives a better view / atmosphere.
Appreciate everyone has a different opinion ref best place to watch.
thanks
Park and Ride is a good choice; we used it in 2010 (the only GP I've been to) and it was very well run. With regards to the grandstands, I don't think we were allowed to choose our seats, although we booked late (1 week before) ended up sitting right on the (old) finish line, half way up the (old) pits straight grandstand (turned out to be excellent seats)... but be honest, you want to be as close to the action as possible 
Take waterproofs if the forecast is dubious, but when we were there it was scorching and we were glad of the shaded grandstand to stay out of the direct sunlight.
Where are you buying your tickets from? If it's bookf1.com I think you can choose your seats.
Take waterproofs if the forecast is dubious, but when we were there it was scorching and we were glad of the shaded grandstand to stay out of the direct sunlight.
Where are you buying your tickets from? If it's bookf1.com I think you can choose your seats.
Farm grandstand was good this year giving a view across as much of the circuit as you can probably hope to see at Silverstone. Lots of regulars in the stands were commenting about booking the same stand for 2012 based on the view offered. Think we were in Farm B which was uncovered with Farm A being covered, probably a bit cheaper uncovered.
HTH
HTH
cheers for Replys. nick - how close were you to the track at Farm curve? From pics I've seen looks like you are quite a distance due to run off area.
With club corner if I can get a seat far left, we should be able to see the podium too. (but probably not much overtaking going to happen on this corner).
With club corner if I can get a seat far left, we should be able to see the podium too. (but probably not much overtaking going to happen on this corner).
When me and my dad went this year we did the park and ride which worked out great. Though we said next year for race day we would park up near the circuit in one of the fields turned car parks as it would be a little easier for us to get back on the route home.
I would say to spring the bit extra for platinum for the covered grandstand if you can, we sat in village B and with the weather alone made it worth the extra pennies in my opinion.
All in all it was a brilliant trip and one which we shall keep on doing year on year.
Have fun.
Also to add, we sat at becketts for qualy which was a good view.
I would say to spring the bit extra for platinum for the covered grandstand if you can, we sat in village B and with the weather alone made it worth the extra pennies in my opinion.
All in all it was a brilliant trip and one which we shall keep on doing year on year.
Have fun.
Also to add, we sat at becketts for qualy which was a good view.
Aydogflipper said:
we sat in village B and with the weather alone made it worth the extra pennies in my opinion.
How did you rate the village complex? Close to the action? See much overtaking? Do you need to cross the circuit to get to the village complex? remember your seat location (high up)?does the roof restrict your viewing? i.e could you still see the red arrows?
could be swayed from the club corner if Village really good.
thanks
Edited by bigfoot99 on Thursday 8th September 17:42
bigfoot99 said:
How did you rate the village complex? Close to the action? See much overtaking? Do you need to cross the circuit to get to the village complex? remember your seat location (high up)?
could be swayed from the club corner if Village really good.
thanks
We found it very good, though lacking toilet facilities unfortunatley.could be swayed from the club corner if Village really good.
thanks
We saw some moves and some action in porsches and GP2 but more so than in the formula one.
You dont need to cross the circuit, just come in from gate 3 i think it was, then take a steady walk over in the desired direction.
We were right up near the top of the grandstand which was a good view point.
We found from sitting in other spots on the friday and saturday that this was one of our favourites along with the becketts complex.
Adam
I've decided to go for club platinum - not planning on doing this again!
Seats available so far are rows A-F. Most footage I've seen from this grandstand has been from the back (rows P-U). Anyone know if I should avoid the lower rows or not? Helpful lady on phone reckoned lower rows would still be above the fence and although I might see a little less of the action I would be closer to what I could see.
I'm guessing the roof will offer less cover at the lower levels - but might give me more of a view of the red arrows.
comments welcome.
Seats available so far are rows A-F. Most footage I've seen from this grandstand has been from the back (rows P-U). Anyone know if I should avoid the lower rows or not? Helpful lady on phone reckoned lower rows would still be above the fence and although I might see a little less of the action I would be closer to what I could see.
I'm guessing the roof will offer less cover at the lower levels - but might give me more of a view of the red arrows.
comments welcome.
bigfoot99 said:
cheers for Replys. nick - how close were you to the track at Farm curve? From pics I've seen looks like you are quite a distance due to run off area.
With club corner if I can get a seat far left, we should be able to see the podium too. (but probably not much overtaking going to happen on this corner).
Ooops, just checked the circuit map and realised I lied!! We were actually in Village A not Farm and was about as close to the circuit as you can get at Silverstone. The benefit of Village being the view to other areas of the circuit, all the way across down to the Hanger straight and Becketts opposite. There was a handy big screen available directly opposite too but think most grandstands have that nowdays.With club corner if I can get a seat far left, we should be able to see the podium too. (but probably not much overtaking going to happen on this corner).
As you say Club gives the possibility of a podium view. I would say Village allows for a better view of cars racing each other. So whatever is the more important to you really, sure you'll have a good day out whereever you end up.
Have fun
Nick
front row of any covered grandstand may get wet if it rains.
stowe c is excellent vfm and has a good view of hangar straight, stowe all the way through to club. we were then in 2010 and would go back there again.
park and ride is very good. we went to hinton airfield and it was faultless. getting out was easy and the buses get priority. obviously the site depends which direction you are travelling from.
do wander round the trade stands and make the most of it, there is nopoint being in your seat until something is happening and the soaking up the atmosphere on a nice day is great.
stowe c is excellent vfm and has a good view of hangar straight, stowe all the way through to club. we were then in 2010 and would go back there again.
park and ride is very good. we went to hinton airfield and it was faultless. getting out was easy and the buses get priority. obviously the site depends which direction you are travelling from.
do wander round the trade stands and make the most of it, there is nopoint being in your seat until something is happening and the soaking up the atmosphere on a nice day is great.
bigfoot99 said:
I've decided to go for club platinum - not planning on doing this again!
Seats available so far are rows A-F. Most footage I've seen from this grandstand has been from the back (rows P-U). Anyone know if I should avoid the lower rows or not? Helpful lady on phone reckoned lower rows would still be above the fence and although I might see a little less of the action I would be closer to what I could see.
I'm guessing the roof will offer less cover at the lower levels - but might give me more of a view of the red arrows.
comments welcome.
IPad isn't showing where Club Platinum is?Seats available so far are rows A-F. Most footage I've seen from this grandstand has been from the back (rows P-U). Anyone know if I should avoid the lower rows or not? Helpful lady on phone reckoned lower rows would still be above the fence and although I might see a little less of the action I would be closer to what I could see.
I'm guessing the roof will offer less cover at the lower levels - but might give me more of a view of the red arrows.
comments welcome.
You should have time to watch Red Arrows & then take your seat.
Don't worry about seeing the red arrows from the stand, seats are allocated so just leave the stand and find an open space to go watch them. Trust me you will be more than happy to stetch your legs after sitting on those plastic seats for any period of time!
We sat in Village B which was a covered stand, saw a few over takes and the first couple of laps was exciting but once the field spread out the spectacle was much less there. Because its slowish corner complex you don't get the wow factor of seeing the cars cornering at high speed.
My tips would be find a seat with a big screen in view so you can see roughly what is going on elsewhere on the track and check timings and things, and take a radio with in ear headphones and wear proper full ear defenders over the top. I tried to listen to radio without and its impossible.
Stick around for the after show party after the race, great to see a lot of the drivers doing interviews and listen to some reasonable(ish) music too.
And don't drink too much beer, queues for the toilets on race day are crazy!
We sat in Village B which was a covered stand, saw a few over takes and the first couple of laps was exciting but once the field spread out the spectacle was much less there. Because its slowish corner complex you don't get the wow factor of seeing the cars cornering at high speed.
My tips would be find a seat with a big screen in view so you can see roughly what is going on elsewhere on the track and check timings and things, and take a radio with in ear headphones and wear proper full ear defenders over the top. I tried to listen to radio without and its impossible.
Stick around for the after show party after the race, great to see a lot of the drivers doing interviews and listen to some reasonable(ish) music too.
And don't drink too much beer, queues for the toilets on race day are crazy!
Interesting thread- its been over a decade since I went (gave up going) as there was nowhere decent left for general admission (IMVHO) and I couldn't follow what was going on- lack of screens at the time.
A friend of mine who's never seen F1 live is tempted to go and I am thinking of going back, was looking at Luffield (see the end of the Wellington stright right round to the old pit straight) as a viewing location.
Is there a better way of keeping tabs of whats going on these days? Screens, radio etc, phone apps? previously the tannoy was useless the second a single F1 car fired up :-)
A friend of mine who's never seen F1 live is tempted to go and I am thinking of going back, was looking at Luffield (see the end of the Wellington stright right round to the old pit straight) as a viewing location.
Is there a better way of keeping tabs of whats going on these days? Screens, radio etc, phone apps? previously the tannoy was useless the second a single F1 car fired up :-)
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