Silverstone : Thursday 4th July 2024
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As a British F1 fan for 44 years, it will always be the home of F1 to me yet I have only been to this hallowed circuit once before for the British Grand Prix of 2007. According to a survey by Salesforce, only 1% of the 500 million F1 fans around the world will ever see a race live. We all see the content from celebrities in the grid and content creators with full access. But what about the average fan, with general admission tickets that they scrimped and saved for? What is an F1 weekend experience really like?
So, as this year marks my 50th birthday, an age I never thought I’d reach after battling cancer, I decided to treat myself and my son to tickets for all three days. Could I afford them? Not really but hey, you have to enjoy life while you can
Thursday 4th July 2024
We decided to camp. Hotels and B&Bs are booked up months in advance, ridiculously expensive and not very close to the circuit. Camping is legendary at Silverstone; I remember watching Martin Brundle and David Coulthard going wandering round the tents to talk to fans and it always looked so much fun! Mind you, campsite envy is a thing, for sure. We picked Dadford Road campsite and there was everything from 6 person tents to huge motor homes and everyone had gazebos, generators, fairy lights and gas barbecues . And then there was us in a two man tent with only my little car for storage space! We had air mattresses, our duvets from home, plenty of food, a kettle and a little gas stove. Perfect
We’d never set up a tent before but we did a good job and decided to wander to the circuit. We didn’t have tickets for Thursday but wanted to see how far we’d be walking every day and just get a general feel. Turns out we were only a 10 minute walk away, with coffee outlets and merch stands on the way, perfect for the early starts for the rest of the weekend
Our entrance was the gates by Vale, of which there were three. We thought there were just two big ones but as we were wandering, who should drive by but Lando Norris in a papaya McLaren!!! Of course I immediately became a fan girl and chased fruitlessly after the car, only to discover a much smaller and quieter gate further down the lane. This would prove crucial for race day.