Silverstone GP Ticket Price Hike

[Jacko]

For my sins I am a Silverstone faithful but I have just taken a huge hit on my wallet and feel the need to let off steam.

In previous years I have bought a number of GP tickets for my family. Last year 3-Day general admission £99 each. This year £115, not too bad an increase I hear you say, and that is a price rise I can accept.

However these 3-Day tickets are no longer available. There is an alternative, 3 seperate one day tickets. The price? Friday £49, Saturday £69 and Sunday £99 plus £2.50 booking fee for EACH ticket. My maths makes that £224.50.

So last years £99 has gone up to £224.50. My maths won't allow me to work out what percentage that is but its a lot more than my pension has increased.

Happy Days

[brickkicker]

That almost 227%.

[The STIG]

How much for a Sunday ticket!? Ridiculous!

[John Robinson]

Welcome to the Lewis Hamilton effect ...

[gachjoel]

well there`s the pay cheque for the circuit upgrade sorted

[The STIG]

Originally Posted by gachjoel

well there`s the pay cheque for the circuit upgrade sorted

Hah! I wonder how much of it Silverstone will actually get, and how much Bernie will get instead.

I also wonder how much of it goes to marshalling costs.

[sydney herbert]

Jacko. I would say some one has made a fopa those prices could be right when taken one at a time but there should be a three day ticket .but then as a BRDC member what do I know what SCL are doing, I would wright the booking office asking for an explanation as to how they come to these prices, HOPE YOU GET A RESULT. SYD,

[Jacko]

Originally Posted by sydney herbert

Jacko. I would say some one has made a fopa those prices could be right when taken one at a time but there should be a three day ticket .but then as a BRDC member what do I know what SCL are doing, I would wright the booking office asking for an explanation as to how they come to these prices, HOPE YOU GET A RESULT. SYD,

Thanks Syd I appreciate what you say. I am about to start a campaign with Silverstone to see what happens.

Heads and Brick Walls come to mind

[Alan Green]

I'm currently waiting for the Valencia tickets to go on sale for August - The cheapest three-day ticket is €195 (£155) for a seat with minimal view, but to get a seat with a decent view, or anywhere near the harbour (which is kind of the point of it being there) or any decent cornering it's going to be either €375 (£295) or €480 (£375).

In Silverstones defence, The £115 tickets have been on sales since last years event (so 7 months or so), and the weekend does appear to be more or less sold out completely now.

[Jacko]

Originally Posted by Alan Green

I'm currently waiting for the Valencia tickets to go on sale for August - The cheapest three-day ticket is €195 (£155) for a seat with minimal view, but to get a seat with a decent view, or anywhere near the harbour (which is kind of the point of it being there) or any decent cornering it's going to be either €375 (£295) or €480 (£375).

In Silverstones defence, The £115 tickets have been on sales since last years event (so 7 months or so), and the weekend does appear to be more or less sold out completely now.

Alan Point taken but you are getting a seat in Valencia. All I want to do is get in.

Why by a ticket 12 months in advance? I prefer money (best part of £1,200 for 10 tickets) to be in my bank account not Silverstones.

[dazbaz_99]

I dont understand how they can say that the 3 day ticket is sold out, but still let you go all 3 days by paying seperately. I am suprised they gave you that option. Surely the whole point of having a limited amount of tickets is to control the crowd numbers. If another few thousand did the same as you then Silverstone would be overcrowded.

The tickets for this years GP went on sale more or less a few weeks after last years race i seem to recall. For a limited period you could purchase tickets at last years prices. It was something like a 20% saving.

[blueoval2]

I purchased 3 day ticket by telephone on 9th March couldn't get them via internet had to use telephone. Try using telephone rather than internet.

[chunder]

I have no time for this circuit's policy of demand and effect.
They have been doing this every year since F1 started getting really popular during the Mansell era.

But moaning about it on here really doesnt make any difference.

The people BRDC lose here will only be gained back with corporate clients and that is what they want.

For a start WHY would anyone play that sort of money to sit on aggregate all day and watch three races?

Pay extortionate prices for any kind of amenity?

Queue for hours to get in or out?

Please tell me why it is worth it? I guess it's the same as going to Wimbledon, being at the Grand National or the Cup Final, the 'being there for the atmosphere' phenomenon that seems to pass me by!

I can understand first timers getting caught up int eh Lewis thing and mayeb who ahve never seen F1 before, but for most fabs, surely there are better ways to throw your money away, go to a foreign race!!

[Jacko]

SITUATION UPDATE

I was so frustrated that I e-mailed Richard Phillips, Managing Director of Silverstone Circuit Limited

To my total suprise I got a reply which said that it was mainly due to the Lewis effect.

All general admission tickets for Sunday have now sold out, as have most other ticket combinations. Last year I bought my tickets in the middle of May!!!

However I did manage to buy tickets for the Luffield enclosure which includes admission for all 3 days.

So I am now happy but broke.

[The STIG]

Originally Posted by chunder

For a start WHY would anyone play that sort of money to sit on aggregate all day and watch three races?

I agree with your post Chunder, Why indeed?

However, I have my own theory about this - you see it's a long held belief of mine that there are 2 sorts of people when it comes to F1 - F1 fans and motorsport Fans.

The latter are quite happy to go to anything on wheels. They'll be found at clubbies, touring cars, F3 et-cetera. They may be interested in F1, but it's not the be all and end all to them.

the Former are only interested in F1. They'll ignore most of the fine selection of motorsport from around the world in favour of F1 only.

For the motorsport fan. The GP could be regarded as just another race, and a extortionately expensive one, but for the F1 fan, it is quite simply the must do event of the year. There's nothing else to fork out for, so an expensive ticket simply doesn't matter. It's this group that Silverstone/BRDC/whoever the hell is organising the GP are trying to attract.

Well, them and the corporate guests of sponsors/teams/etc.

Or am I just being Cynical?

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by The STIG

...

the Former are only interested in F1. They'll ignore most of the fine selection of motorsport from around the world in favour of F1 only.

Ah! You mean Autosport's intended audience.......

It's all a criminal waste of money, IMO. And one of the reasons I don't go to the British Grand Prix any more.....

[bella]

right, honesty time. i get REALLY fed up of all the self-righteous "anyone who watches f1 is gullible" nonsense that is pedalled around here.

i go to f1. i LIKE it. admittedly, i never watch the race, but yes, i paid to get into 2 grand prix weekends in different countries last year because i *like* it. i like the buzz and the pomp and the noise and the amateur dramatics you just don't get with clubbies or national motorsport.

so if people choose to pay more for f1, that's ok. and if you don't want to pay more for f1, that's ok too. but *please*. it doesn't make you more right or justified in getting on your high horses about it, or give you a right to think less of people who do.

[Knowlesy]

I love all motorsport, and predominately take an interest in American motorsport, but you can't deny F1 is a special event to attend.

It is so thin with support events and probably isn't all that exciting as a race at times. But there is a real buzz about being at a major international event like that. You get a shiver down the spine that you just don't get attending the BTCC or some clubbie grass track event attended by sheep and earthy types with interesting facial topiary.

Even now, in my permanently fed up with F1 state, I'd love to attend the event. I can't afford it sadly, but that isn't the circuits fault, it is mine for not saving/being in work at the right time.

So don't look down on people who like to attend the GP (although feel free to look down on those who left the circuit in 2006 to go and watch the England match instead of the support races. That is a waste of money and tickets).

[MGDavid]

Originally Posted by bella

right, honesty time. i get REALLY fed up of all the self-righteous "anyone who watches f1 is gullible" nonsense that is pedalled around here.

i go to f1. i LIKE it. admittedly, i never watch the race, but yes, i paid to get into 2 grand prix weekends in different countries last year because i *like* it. i like the buzz and the pomp and the noise and the amateur dramatics you just don't get with clubbies or national motorsport.

so if people choose to pay more for f1, that's ok. and if you don't want to pay more for f1, that's ok too. but *please*. it doesn't make you more right or justified in getting on your high horses about it, or give you a right to think less of people who do.

I do wonder sometimes if I live in a parallel universe and read another version of this forum ! I agree entirely with STIG's post; but cannot for the life of me find any reference to 'self-righteous' or 'gullible' or 'high horse' or 'thinking less', merely a simple question along the lines of 'I don't understand why you go to F1, can someone help me understand by explaining?'

[The STIG]

Just to clarify, I didn't suggests that F1 fans were gullible - just if you're only going to do one meeting a year, then it doesn't really matter about the cost.

[ss_collins]

To be honest if I wanted to attend a GP this year I'd be driving to Spa. Better place to be than Silverstone, cheaper (at that price maybe even with fuel costs), and much much better beer.

Those of you who like the pagentry and festival of a Grand Prix should really try a NASCAR race - its impossible not to grin all the way home!

[Woolley]

As a marshal, I could go to the GP free and gratis every year, but I don't. Regardless of the thrill of a 'big meeting' I really don't get the fuss over a below par event over hyped by it's own importance. I completely fail to understand the whole hoop-la surrounding F1. Not only is it extremely dull (I actually slept through the last one I went to even though I was standing up throughout) I find it has a malign effect on the whole of the rest of motorsports.

[The STIG]

Give that man a coconut! That's exactly what I think. You could also add certain other high profile series into that list - BTCC for a start.

[fraggs]

Originally Posted by The STIG

Hah! I wonder how much of it Silverstone will actually get, and how much Bernie will get instead.

If the figures I've recently read are anything to go by. Silverstone only pays 8 million to host the BGP, whereas some of the newer circuits like China are paying 20 million to host their respective races.

[bludvl_x19]

Originally Posted by Woolley

As a marshal, I could go to the GP free and gratis every year, but I don't. Regardless of the thrill of a 'big meeting' I really don't get the fuss over a below par event over hyped by it's own importance. I completely fail to understand the whole hoop-la surrounding F1. Not only is it extremely dull (I actually slept through the last one I went to even though I was standing up throughout) I find it has a malign effect on the whole of the rest of motorsports.

Thank god for that!!! I managed to sleep trackside on the Thursday and Friday of the AGP this year, at my first GP, something that I have never done at any other meeting, from club right up to V8's.

Mick