Accurate Attendance Figures for USGP?

[Liz]

The TG announced figures, which are intentionally vague, are 200,000.

The newspapers and magazines I have seen refer to the "crowd" as "the smallest crowd since its return to North America."

Does anybody have any accurate idea of how many attended this race?

[Adam43]

erm, lots.

Oh sorry, you want accuracy!

A problem I find is that they count everyone who went on each day. So if you go all three days they count you three times. That might be where the 200,000 comes from.

I heard it was very popular. There were some figures in this weeks Autosport (before the event), but presume they were based on pre-event sales. (can you buy tickets on the day?).

I'll find it...

[I am Tifosi]

The crowd was significantly down and was definitely the smallest since being at Indy. My personal guestimate, based on many visits, was about 150,000.

[Adam43]

OK. It compares the numbers to other events and other years. The figures for this year are "*estimated figure before the event"!

Anyway, for your info:

The change over the years:
2000: 200,000
2001: 175,000
2002: 150,000*

Other GP
German: 120,000
Australian: 145,000
USA: 150,000*

Other events
The 500:400,000
Brickyard 400: 300,000
US GP: 150,000

Although, they can't use all the grandstands for the GP!

[f1manoz]

I read the figures for race day were only around 130,000-150,000. And apparently 110,000 of them booed the drivers on the podium!

[Total-F1]

And the other 40,000 had fallen asleep...

[Neil C]

...and those empty seats were not really empty. They were filled by Invisible Racing League fans.

[Liz]

I heard 120,000 to 130,000 and if they were all counted 3 times that WAS a small crowd!

[Sato san]

Originally posted by Total-F1
And the other 40,000 had fallen asleep...

except for the people that was sitting next to the Montoya fans ...they found it impossible to sleep !!!!

Anyway , i expect next year there will be another rather large drop in attendance figures.

[I am Tifosi]

Rough crowd!

[Sato san]

Those fans with the columbian flags really made the atsmosphere look good throughout the weekend . They even made the Tifosi at Monza look quiet !...

[Speed]

Nice country, nice people...

[Bibendum]

Liz, there really were a great many people there; as much as you desperately wish to believe that it was a sombre event, it was actually quite populous, excited, exciting, and generally a great time. You can recalculate and deflate all manner of attendance figures, but on my estimate -- if previous years' final figures for race day were at all accurate -- the 150,000-on-Sunday number seems right. How many got to attend Silverstone, in the home of Formula one? 30,000? Maybe? The USGP is well-attended. I'm sorry this does not jibe with your evidently urgent desire that Ferrari have been/are/will be destroying the sport; but it just ain't so.

[I am Tifosi]

I doubt those numbers are the total attendees for 3 days. I have attended the Brickyard 400 and the Indy 500. The numbers I experienced for the last two years at the USGP would go with AdamAshmore's figures. If you have never been to Indy, you can't imagine the sheer size of the facility. 450,000 is not an unsual number for a big crowd. That is only counting the ones that come in the track. There are at least another 100,000 still outside of the track partying. It all makes Woodstock look like a neighborhood get-together.

The first USGP, we went down the grandstands to miss the crowd on Georgetown Ave after the race was over. I saw something I have never seen before. There was a human traffic jam on Georgetown. A mass of people gridlocked.

If you have never been to Indy, put it on your "to do" list.

[Jay]

"I saw something I have never seen before. There was a human traffic jam on Georgetown. A mass of people gridlocked."

You don't go to many F1 or Cart races do you? If there isn't a human traffic like that an F1 race it would be a sign of terrible attendance (f1-wise). The street races in Cart are the same way.

[Liz]

I'm asking for authenticated attendance figures -- nobody can guess accurately about how many people are in a room together, much less how many are in a stadium. You can look at the estimates for any march or rally -- the police estimates are usually 10% of the organizers' estimates, and the truth may be somewhere in between.

I'm not asking out of a perverse desire to "prove that Ferrari has screwed the USGP" but rather out of a desire to see if "America" is really taking to F1 this time or not. The indications I have seen are that they are not. I just want accurate information.

[Sato san]

i agree with Liz... If America doesnt properly take to F1 ...Bernie wont be happy , and then we will see things change ..

It wont be all Ferrari's fault , of course not , but jokes like we see over the finishing line certainly wont be helping matters .

[Adam43]

Bibendum

About 120,000 used to go to Silverstone. This year the tickets were restricted to 60,000 (because of traffic) and I think tehy sold an extra 5,000 on top of that when Max said the new road was good enough! - However it's OK because they more than doubled the price

An interview with Tony George on autosport.com said

Despite estimates ranging from 150,000 to 170,000 for Sunday, the figure was actually closer to 125,000.

http://www.autosport.com/newsitem.asp?id=20829&s=5

[Sato san]

and i think that Silverstone figures that they give out doesnt count the corporate hospitality people ....and there thousands of those buggers !

[theracegypsy]

Must go with Adam, the figure i saw was 125,000 for Sunday, and I would say the 200,000 was for all 3 days (there were very few in the stands Friday, no more than about 10,000 on a rough block seat count. The crowd was definately down on previous years, and does seem to be a trend. However it was an enthusiastic crowd, and the Columbians made sure they were noticed, though not in any way troublesome.
Shame about the result but thats F1 for you. At least it is still the most laidback F1 to work in the world.

[Liz]

So it was 125,000 on race day in a stadium that holds 450,000. That's why it looked so empty. I also heard that most of the people (90%) were Americans. Except those Colombians of course! Was that what you saw?

[Mr V]

Originally posted by Liz
So it was 125,000 on race day in a stadium that holds 450,000.

But surely 450,000 would be including the other side, (turns 2 and 3?) that won't be used (i assume) as thats not where the infield part of the track goes to? Never been there, so just a guess.

[Adam43]

There is a picture on the opening page of the GP report in Autosport.

It is from high up behind the grid at the start as the pack powers away towards turn 1 (and turn 4 on the oval).

You can see the grandstands from level with the back of the grid to the beginning of Turn 4 on the oval. They are packed.

However, Tony George is "slightly disappointed" with the 125,000 attendance (according to Autosport's 'top story').

[Liz]

How many grandstands does that shot include?

[Adam43]

From what I can remember (I don't have it with me), it will be difficult to say as they are all differnt sizes. But I'm not sure. I'll check when I get home.

Later in the report there is a picture of a car in Turn 13 (turn 1 on the oval) and the grandstands there are pretty empty. These would be behind the camera in the first shot I mentioned. However, I don't know what day it was taken on.