Sport The Formula 1 Thread

[kiroquai]

Excellent .

My favourite place used to be the old Abbey chicane - the grandstands were nice and high there and you could get a good view (few of my photos from 2009 below). Copse is an experience as you see them flying toward you and no matter how much you want them to brake, they just zoom on through. For race day I always got Luffield though, as that enabled me to see the cars for the longest time as they came through Bridge, through the complex and then headed off down the pit straight. Of course, the changes to the circuit mean both Abbey and Luffield will no longer be the same.

Also, count on Formula One to have quality, accurate merchandise

[mexos]

Check this!

http://www.enterf1.com/f1-tickets/Where-to-sit-at-Silverstone.asp

[kiroquai]

Do remember though, once you go then you'll want to go back every year. There's just something about being there that makes you want to be there more and more.

Having said that, I never experienced rain in my 10 days at the circuit

[morcs]

Do remember though, once you go then you'll want to go back every year. There's just something about being there that makes you want to be there more and more.

Having said that, I never experienced rain in my 10 days at the circuit

I'm the opposite on all counts! Just made me want to go to circuits that aren't Silverstone, and when I had me Platinum tickets was the year Hamilton won in torrential rain

[Sidewaysbob]

only seats left at Vale on the Silverstone website.

Only £350 for a seat at club.

Just to put that into context.

I went to Le Mans via the Dover-Calais ferry for 6 days camping on the circuit at a site with clean showers and toilets had a Grandstand ticket over the pits. Met Darren Turner, Anthony Davidson, Jackie Stewart and a bunch of other drivers. Blagged my way into the drivers parade in the town on the friday and had a bloody good time of it.

All for £206 and I spent £200 on beer and food

[mexos]

Fuck Silverstone - go visit the BOSS.

For the price of a seat alone at Silverstone you could fly to and from Brussels, have a few nights in the city with meals, drinks and sightseeing, get the train to and from the circuit, camp and party all night at the amazing festival like campsites where people give you food and drink for free - we hardly paid for anything (apart from a few thank you crates we got the especially generous). Then watch the GP with a GA ticket - brilliant views all round the circuit. All for the same money as a seat at Becketts.

Just saying...

[myoozikk]

berniecountingmoneyinbackofacar.jpeg

[kiroquai]

Oh aye, certain other places are better value for sure - F1 carries a premium. Would love to do Le Mans... am planning some sort of wicked motorsport tour in 2012 that'll see me at the British GP, the Le Mans 24 Hours and perhaps (very perhaps) the Indy 500.

[Dudley]

My trip to the Bahrain grand prix cost me less than the seat at Silverstone plus driving the 3 days would have.

[mexos]

My trip to the Bahrain grand prix cost me less than the seat at Silverstone plus driving the 3 days would have.

What did you do for accom? Is that in the price?

[morcs]

berniecountingmoneyinbackofacar.jpeg

[kiroquai]

We need to set up some sort of company that means we can be paid to be there and travel around providing something for the teams.

Any good at cooking? Or maybe we could join forces with Myoozikk and perform live gigs in the paddock each race

[myoozikk]

If i win the lottery i would do exactly that, follow the F1 circus around the world for a season.

[Bruciebabie]

We need to set up some sort of company that means we can be paid to be there and travel around providing something for the teams.

Any good at cooking? Or maybe we could join forces with Myoozikk and perform live gigs in the paddock each race

Become a BBC technician of some kind. Cameraman, sound man, editor etc

[morcs]

Set up a company with the help of Codemasters and Bernie, whereby you purchase a space in the hospitality areas of each GP and set up a network of 360s or PCs, replete with racing seats and fanatec wheels, and invite the public (for a price) and stars alike to have a go at the track for themselves. Probably already been done.

That Vodafone stand included an F1 "simulator" which was actually a PS2. I beat Lewis Hamilton's time

The best bit was that they gave us all Vodafone caps so the whole stand was orange, and with 3 laps to go we all stood up to cheer Lewis to the finish. In the post race interview he said "I could see all the McLaren fans standing up at Copse and I really just wanted to bring it home for them"

My mate took that video, it's me you can hear shouting

[Wools]

If i win the lottery i would do exactly that, follow the F1 circus around the world for a season.

That sounds marvellous.

On the topic of Motorsport holidays, has anyone got any advice, tips or recommendations for camping at the Goodwood Festival of Speed?

Ive been to the event on Sunday, race day, in 2006 & 2009 but Ive just booked tickets for this years event but decided to camp on the grounds of the Estate for the entire race weekend.

Although Im familiar with the layout, hill climb, rally stage and the general areas, Im clueless on what the camping facilities are like and what I should look out for. Has anyone been before?

[Bruciebabie]

Set up a company with the help of Codemasters and Bernie, whereby you purchase a space in the hospitality areas of each GP and set up a network of 360s or PCs, replete with racing seats and fanatec wheels, and invite the public (for a price) and stars alike to have a go at the track for themselves. Probably already been done.

At Codies we set up Toca in the paddock of a British F1 GP. Several F1 drivers got themselves on the high score.

Then one time, either TOCA WTC or TOCA Race Driver, I gave a Playstation to the BRDC to have in their Silverstone HQ. Also I mailed the BRDC membership list asking them all if they wanted a free copy of the game, quite a few of them wrote back in the affirmative.

[fragglerock]

cool story bro

[morcs]

cool story bro

That made me laugh out loud, not 100% sure why

[Bruciebabie]

Canadian GP lapchart. Full size: http://www.fia.com/public/f1-2011/documents/can-f1-2011-chart.pdf

[Sidewaysbob]

My plan if i won the lottery would be:

To start with the Daytona 24 hours, Maybe the NASCAR Daytona 500 too

then the Sebring 12 hours before the Indy 500, and the NASCAR Dover 500 race.

Back to Europe for the Spa 1000km and Monaco GP.

Then then Le Mans 24hours,

Catch Goodwood festival of speed If it doesn't clash with the Nordschielf 24hours.

Stay in Europe for the British, Italian and Belgium GP.

Watch the Silverstone 1000km from hospitality and have one of those golf buggies to take me round the circuit

Then time permitting, head to America for the Petite Le Mans 1000 miles

Over to Australia for the V8 supercars 1000km from mount Panarama

Rounding off the year with the Chinese 1000km and Zuhai and time permitting the Brazilian and Indian GPs.

I think that just about covers everything.

[Karzee]

BBC News: FIA removes Bahrain Grand Prix from 2011 F1 calendar

Formula 1 governing body the FIA has confirmed the Bahrain Grand Prix will not be part of this season's programme.

Full report to follow.

[donkeyk]

Fuck Silverstone - go visit the BOSS.

For the price of a seat alone at Silverstone you could fly to and from Brussels, have a few nights in the city with meals, drinks and sightseeing, get the train to and from the circuit, camp and party all night at the amazing festival like campsites where people give you food and drink for free - we hardly paid for anything (apart from a few thank you crates we got the especially generous). Then watch the GP with a GA ticket - brilliant views all round the circuit. All for the same money as a seat at Becketts.

Just saying...

If I had a sudden urge to do this, what would be the best way of doing it?

[Nick_L]

My mate took that video, it's me you can hear shouting

Sweet

Check this out, from the broadcast of the 2008 Canadian GP, look out for the Guy with the Union Jack flag (quality isnt great, recorded the TV )

Thats me

I'd love to do an entire season, in 2007 I went to three GP's and had a Williams factory tour on a corporate blag, that was pretty cool.

[morcs]

Thats me

[Huz]

Last year at Silverstone, I found that getting a Terrace ticket was a good compromise between keeping costs low and getting a good view. I was in the terrace at Luffield - not a grandstand, just a segregated, elevated area in front of one - which gave a great view of the entry to the complex. I didn't bother turning up early and I was glad I didn't - 9am was early enough for me and the front half of the terrace was already jam-packed with massive camping chairs, so I would have had to a) bring one of those ridiculous things myself or b) hang around in the same spot all day to gain any advantage. In fact, what I did was wander the course during the support races, then stake out a spot on the pit straight near the grid around an hour before the race. This allowed me to see all the grid activity (Brundle through binoculars ), the amazing power of the cars off the grid, then wander off to my allocated terrace after the first few laps. Admittedly I had to climb up onto a railing and stand on it to get a decent view by that point (the stewarts stopped me doing this earlier in the day but didn't bother when the actual race was on) but it was still far better than I would have got in General Admission!

The track layout has changed now, but I bet the Terraces are still good value. It's worth scoping out all the grandstand and terrace areas when they're open to all-comers during Friday practice, just for future reference. Or go to a British Touring Car race or something for the same reason.

I didn't find traffic too bad either. The free M40 Park & Ride was absolutely fine, and I didn't turn up ridiculously early on Saturday or Sunday - probably 8-ish at the park-and-ride, for a 9-ish arrival at the circuit. They keep you hanging around on the Sunday to spread out the traffic leaving the circuit - I still got stuck in a queue on the M40, but only for ten mins or so.

The worst trouble I had with traffic was when I was driving away from Silverstone village on Friday and encountered an Italian-registered car bombing along the wrong side of the road. Luckily I held my ground and he went entirely off the tarmac to my left(!) to get around me.

PS. I'd be interested in hearing about the best way to do Spa too. Preferably how to do it without driving there if that's plausible? I'd be the Italian in Belgium.

[The Bag]

Arena last year, Becketts this year's cannot wait!

[MrPogo]

Become a BBC technician of some kind. Cameraman, sound man, editor etc

I nearly fulfilled the dream by getting to the interview stage of a "Web Content Producer" job with Red Bull (which would have seen me doing photos, videos, interviews etc for their website), but didn't get it in the end Just as well in some respects, as being a McLaren fanboy I'd have struggled to hold in the customary jeering whenever some misfortune befalls Vettel, so I'd probably have been unceremoniously stripped of my paddock pass and dumped just outside a remote racetrack in some hostile foreign clime!

[Shimmyhill]

You could been the inside man for Mclaren

[Velse]

Just got back from Montreal today. Fucking brilliant it was too. Great race, great city.