A Punter's view - Silverstone thoughts

Eff One · A Punter's view - Silverstone thoughts

How can they not have another F1 race at Silverstone? By 8.30am on Friday there were already 50,000 people through the gates and the place was buzzing.

Even after all these years I can't suppress the shiver, the raised hairs on the back of my neck when, on the big screens, the pitlane lights blink green and the wind carries the first hint of V8 scream.

What a brilliant place to be a spectator. You can kick back in the Vale grandstand and get a birdseye view of the drivers trying to wrestle the power down, or you can stand at track level at the end of the Hangar Straight, less than five metres from the cars as they turn in at 160mph. And everything in between.

Despite the doom and gloom over the tannoy - imminent F1 meltdown - the atmosphere was positively festive, with huge and vocal support for Hamilton and Button.

I'm sure Webber could have done without conking out at Stowe at the end of P2, but he got a warm reception from everyone in the grandstands. And made a lot of people's day by stopping to chat and sign autographs. Top man.

Piquet and Alonso aren't especially easy to pick out at a distance - their helmets are quite similar - but their driving styles are night and day. Alonso confident, aggressive, clambering up every kerb; Piquet more hesitant, visibly earlier on the brakes for Abbey.

Button really does look like he's out for a Sunday cruise, whereas Hamilton - partly because of the Mclaren's crapness - always looks like he's on a last-ditch qualifier. Great entertainment.

The Red Bull's superiority was visible to the naked eye even without the benefit of TV or laptimes - absolutely nailed down, both drivers clearly loving it. There were raised eyebrows all round when they broke into the 1.19s by midway through first practice.

The GP2 cars are bloody quick. Grosjean's pole time was only four seconds slower than Buemi's Friday best in the STR.

The Porsche Supercup 997s and dinky little Formula BMW single seaters look like an absolute riot to drive.

I very nearly didn't go to Silverstone - it was a last-minute decision and I nearly missed the ticket deadline - but I'm absolutely delighted I did.

TimR

Nice write up and it sounds like Silverstone might see more of F1 in the future.

From the TV coverage I saw last year it seems the GP2 cars sound pretty good and their appearance reminded me so much of older F1 cars.
Is that just a trick of TV?

DaveGibson

TimR

I don't think it was just that.
I think they had a bigger difference in tyre sizes front to rear than the F1 cars - like F1 from the '70s say - and a narrower track that would predate a mid 90s F1 car.

Eff One

The GP2 cars have a narrow track but I don't think the tyre size difference is particularly huge front to rear.

They do sound impressive - a deeper, coarser sound than the F1 cars, and barely less loud. And their upshifts are the most brutal I have ever heard - you can feel them through your chest at 100 metres.

Guitar Zero

I got free grandstand tickets to Jaguar F1s first ever UK GP - Silverstone in 2000 if memory serves.

That was the year that they had to car park problems (over 3 hours to get out of the car park), but even ignoring the awful travel issues, I did not enjoy the experience at all.

First off - in the grandstand, you cannot see anything - not the big TV, not the track - just the pit wall and all the mothering foes sat in front of you.

Secondly - the noise is amplified by the roof of the grandstand, it's the first time my ears actually hurt due to excess volume. It wasn't a nice noise either.

So - 15 minutes after the start, not knowing who was in lead and having not seen a car, we left to go check out the dolly birds in the merchandising bit. I can safely say I've never seen as many fake jubblies in one place before (and will probably never see again).

Glad I didn't pay £160 for the privilege and I pittied to poor fools who had paid £90 to sit on the grass on one of the corners.

Eff One

Guitar Zero

Or a big telly, a big bag of crisps and a nice cold drink

Dr. Hfuhruhurr

There's definitely something to be said for attending at least one Grand Prix in your life. I went to Spa in 2004 and while the organisation was fairly crap (worse than Silverstone, I'm sure), and the race itself was about the only time all weekend that it didn't rain, it was a wonderful and unforgettable experience. Though I imagine there are few grandstands that offer as majestic a view as the Gold Stand at the top of Eau Rouge.

Big TC

I used to go to every British Grand Prix in the late 70s/early 80s, whether it was at Brands Hatch or Silverstone. I hardly ever paid, either, because in those days there was very little security the evening before.... As long as you didn't mind sleeping in your car, you got a Grand Prix for free!

Brands was a much better circuit for spectating at, as you can see all of the club circuit section - virtually half the circuit.

The best race I ever saw? Mansell's hunting down of Piquet in the Williams's in 1987. The atmosphere that day was quite something...

Eff One

Although I'm by no means a regular - before Friday I hadn't been since 2005 - I've been to Silverstone eight times since 1992. But I've only ever attended two Grands Prix - Mansell's dominant win at Silverstone '92 and Monaco 2004 - generally preferring to attend practice or qualy. You still get the spectacle and atmosphere, and as a spectator it gets progressively harder to discern what's going on during the race.

However, we did the whole weekend at Monaco which was phenomenal; these days the Kangaroo TV portables ensure that you miss nothing if you're trackside.

I don't think I'd ever go more than once or twice a year, it should be a rare treat rather than the norm - but I think every petrolhead should see F1 cars at full chat at least once.

Humphrey The Pug

I went to Silverstone in 1996, Jaques Villeneuve won the race.

I was stood on the in field where Vale meets Club. It was th efirst time that I'd heard an F1 engine in the flesh and my god what an amazing sound.

I haven't been to a GP since but would love to go again at some point.

gonnabuildabuggy

Big TC

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but my dad took me to my first Grand Prix at Silverstone, must be 35+ years ago. We went to the practice day the day before too, and as we were walking through the paddock we spied a F3 driver sat on a wheel of his car, getting ready for the race.

My dad suggested I get his autograph..

"Nah," said I, "it's only Niki Lauda..."

Not a great spotter of driving talent, was I?

DaveGibson

I think you miss things whether you watch on TV or at the race but the things you miss are different.

I was at Brands Hatch for the 1970 GP when this new chap, by the name of Emerson Fittipaldi, was given a seat in a third Lotus works car. Rindt was in the new 72 but Fittipaldi was in a 49. about two-thirds through the race, Rindt lapped Fittipaldi but then Fittipaldi followed him at the same pace. We all remarked, at the time, that he seemed to be rather quick. I don't think you pick up on that sort of thing if you're watching on TV.

Two races later, Rindt was killed and the next time Lotus entered (they missed a race), Fittipaldi won the US GP in the 72.