Trackside at Silverstone – 2026 British Grand Prix

Useful tips and information for F1 fans attending the 2025 British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Entrance, timetable, concerts & more

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The 2026 British Grand Prix is on July 2-5

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The 2025 British Grand Prix drew a crowd through the gates of 500,000 over four days, which makes it the second-best attended Formula 1 race of all time. On race day, 168,000 fans were in attendance at Silverstone. The organizers always manage to pack in a full schedule of events at the British Grand Prix. In addition to a bumper support schedule, off-track activities include air displays, concerts, static displays and amusement rides. The Silverstone Experience museum is also worth checking out.

It should be hot and sunny in the UK in July, so pack light clothing and some sunscreen. General Admission areas have plenty of shade available from trees and temporary buildings, and there’s a choice of covered and uncovered stands. If the weather forecast predicts any kind of rain, be sure to pack a light rain jacket or poncho and umbrella – hopefully wellies will not be required!

Silverstone Access & Orientation

Arriving at Silverstone: Getting There & Around has more information about getting to Silverstone & parking. The circuit is well signposted and easy to navigate.

Entering the Circuit: To enter the circuit, you’ll need to have your tickets displayed in the Silverstone Tickets app. For quick entry, make sure to download your tickets ahead of your arrival at the track. Be prepared to queue ahead of entering the circuit, especially at peak times, while security and ticket checks are carried out.

Fast Track: Fast Track tickets, allowing you to skip queues when entering the circuit gates are available on the Silverstone website. Fast track gates open at 7:00 on Friday & Saturday and at 6:00 on Sunday.

Prohibited Items: New for 2025, you are not allowed to take alcohol into the circuit at the British Grand Prix. You are not allowed to bring in any glass bottles or containers. Bags/backpacks with a capacity larger than 20 litres are also prohibited. Other prohibited items include bicycles and scooters, and animals/pets other than licenced guide dogs. View the full list of prohibited items.

Pass Outs: You are allowed to leave and return to the circuit. Don’t forget to scan your electronic ticket out when leaving the circuit or you will not be re-admitted.

Trackside Radio: Follow the on-track action on Radio Silverstone at 87.7FM, or tune into BBC Radio 5 Live on DAB radio.

Download the Silverstone events app: Introduced in 2023, the Silverstone Events app will help you navigate around the circuit and keep up to date with the timetable over the British Grand Prix weekend. Download the app via the App Store.

Inner Track: Enhance your British Grand Prix experience with tickets to the inner track. If you’re looking for a chance to meet the drivers, this is your best bet. Inner track tickets allows you access to exclusive viewing areas plus access to the ‘Driver’s Row’ outside the Formula 1 paddock, where the drivers arrive each day. Make sure to have a pen at the ready for autographs and your camera charged for selfies! 3-day Inner Track access for the 2025 British Grand Prix is sold out.

2026 British Grand Prix Schedule

On-Track Schedule: The complete timetable for the 2026 British Grand Prix will not be confirmed until around six weeks before race weekend. In the meantime, the 2025 schedule is listed below for information purposes; note that there will be significant changes due to Silverstone staging an F1 Sprint in 2026

Support Categories: Formula 2 and Formula 3 will both be in action at Silverstone in 2026. Additional support categories are yet to be confirmed.

Sprint Format: It’s been confirmed that the F1 Sprint format will be used at the 2026 British GP.

Pit Lane Walks: A Pit Lane Walk is held on Thursday afternoon, but you must purchase a Thursday (or 4-day) ticket to the race in order to participate. During the race weekend from Friday to Sunday, guests in the Formula 1 Paddock Club can participate in daily pit lane walks. More information below.

Post Race Track Invasion: As the result of a safety review, Silverstone imposed a new limit on the number of fans who can enter the track to watch the podium ceremony after the race in 2024. The same limit was in place in 2025. Podium access is only available only to fans in the Vale area of the track. All Vale Grandstand ticket holders are granted access, while wristbands are issued to fans with general admission access at Vale Bank on a first-come, first-saved basis in this area from 06:00 on Sunday. After the podium ceremony, at around 17:30 (or one hour after the race finishes), track access is available for all ticket holders.

Friday

07:30: Gates Open

08:45-09:30: Formula 3 – Practice Session

10:00-10:45: Formula 2 – Practice Session

10:55-12:00 Paddock Club – Track Tour & Pit Lane Walk

11:30-12:00: Pirelli Hot Laps

12:30-13:30: Formula 1 – Free Practice 1 (FP1)

14:00-14:30: Formula 3 – Qualifying Session

14:55-15:25: Formula 2 – Qualifying Session

16:00-17:00: Formula 1 – Free Practice 2 (FP2)

17:10-17:25: Historic F1 Car Demonstration

17:45-18:30: Formula 4 – Practice Session

18:45-19:45: Paddock Club – Track Tour & Pit Lane Walk

Saturday

07:30: Gates Open

08:10-08:35: Formula 4 – Qualifying Session

09:15-10:00: Formula 3 – Sprint Race (18 Laps or 40 minutes + 1 Lap)

10:10-10:25: Historic F1 Car Demonstration

10:25-10:35: Eddie Jordan Tribute

10:30-11:15: Paddock Club – Pit Lane Walk

10:35-11:10: Pirelli Hot Laps

11:30-12:30: Formula 1 – Free Practice 3 (FP3)13:15-14:05: Formula 2 – Sprint Race (21 Laps or 45 minutes + 1 Lap)14:10-14:40: Paddock Club – Track Tour15:00-16:00: Formula 1 – Qualifying

17:00-17:30: Formula 4 – First Race (25 minutes + 1 Lap)

17:45-18:45 Paddock Club – Track Tour & Pit Lane Walk

18:00-18:15: RAF Falcons Jump

18:45-19:45: F1 Experiences – Grid Walk & Trophy Photo

Sunday

06:30: Gates Open

08:20-08:50: Formula 4 – Second Race (25 minutes + 1 Lap)

09:30-10:20: Formula 3 – Feature Race (22 Laps or 45 minutes + 1 lap)

11:05-12:10: Formula 2 – Feature Race (29 Laps or 60 minutes + 1 lap)

12:20-12:35: Historic F1 Car Demonstration

12:35-12:45: Eddie Jordan Tribute

12:55-13:55: Paddock Club – Track Tour & Pit Lane Walk

13:00-13:30: Formula 1 Drivers’ Parade

13:30-13:55: Pirelli Hot Laps

14:44-14:46: National Anthem

14:46-14:48: Red Arrows Fly Past

15:00-17:00: Formula 1 British Grand Prix 2026 (52 laps or 2 hours)

Fanzone & Trackside Entertainment

Take a wander around the track if you have the time, as there’s plenty going on to keep the fans entertained throughout the weekend, notably the F1 Fan Zone, which is set to offer everything from bungee trampolines to segways. Most activities will also be free. Don’t forget that the Silverstone Museum is open throughout the weekend and is well worth checking out. The museum opens at 11:00 on Thursday, 07:00 on Friday & Saturday and 7:30 on Sunday. It is open until 20:00 daily.

Pit Lane Walk

A pit lane walk usually takes place on Thursday at the British Grand Prix – though the methods of securing access has changed in recent years. Pit lane walk tickets are usually available in April-May.

You require a 4-day ticket or a Thursday-only ticket in order to participate (3-day ticket holders can upgrade their tickets to gain access on Thursday). In previous years – due to the event’s popularity – a ballot has been held for selected fans to gain access (see the 2024 Terms and Conditions here). In 2025, a separate Pit Walk Package was priced at £179. It included access to the inner track on Thursday, a pit walk pass and access to the Thursday evening concert.

Last year, there were four separate Pit Walk slots available, each lasting 45 minutes. The earlier slots are more expensive, as you’re more likely to spot a driver and see activity in the pit lane (like practice pit stops). Daily pit lane walks are held for Formula 1 Paddock Club guests across the British Grand Prix weekend.

British Grand Prix Concerts & Entertainment

The main stage at Silverstone has played host to several big names in music over the years. In November 2025, it was announced that David Guetta will headline Thursday’s opening concert at the 2026 British Grand Prix, with three more headline acts yet to be announced. In 2025, performances came from Sam Fender, Raye, Fatboy Slim & Becky Hill, with support from Blossoms, Jade, Mabel and Idris.

The concerts take place on the Main Stage after each day of on-track action has been completed. The concert area was expanded for 2023, with space for up to 45,000 fans. The F1 drivers will also make appearances on the Main Stage across the race weekend. Interviews usually take place before the opening Free Practice session on Friday morning and on Saturday and Sunday evening.

The full schedule for the main stage at the 2025 British Grand Prix is listed below for information purposes:

Thursday July 3

13:45-14:15: Women in Motorsport Panel

15:00-15:50: F2/F3 Driver Interviews

16:00-16:30: F1 Academy Drivers

16:30-17:15: The Fast and The Curious Podcast

17:30-18:00: Dirty Blonde

20:00-20:45: Blossoms

21:30-22:30: Sam Fender

Friday July 4

09:40-09:50: Sauber – Nico Hulkenberg & Gabriel Bortoleto

09:50-10:00: Racing Bulls – Liam Lawson & Isack Hadjar

10:45-10:55: Williams – Carlos Sainz & Alex Albon

10:55-11:05: McLaren – Lando Norris & Oscar Piastri

11:05-11:15: Aston Martin – Fernando Alonso & Lance Stroll

11:15-11:45: F1 Explains Podcast

13:45-13:55: Christian Horner

14:45-14:55: Toto Wolff

15:35-15:45: Zak Brown

18:30-19:00: Sasha Keable

19:45-20:30: Jade

21:15-22:30: Raye

Saturday July 5

09:50-10:00: Charles Leclerc

10:00-10:10: Red Bull – Max Verstappen & Yuki Tsunoda

14:10-14:20: Valtteri Bottas

14:20-14:30: Felipe Drugovich

16:10-16:45: BRDC Drivers

17:30-18:00: F1 Tracks Discovery Artist

18:15-18:25: Haas – Esteban Ocon & Ollie Bearman

18:25-18:35: Mercedes – George Russell & Kimi Antonelli

18:35-18:45: Alpine – Pierre Gasly & Franco Colapinto

19:05-19:15: Lewis Hamilton

19:15-20:00: Mabel

20:45-22:15: Fatboy Slim

Sunday July 6

10:30-11:05: P1 With Matt & Tommy Live Podcast

17:15-17:45: Mia Kirkland

17:45-18:15: Eddie Jordan Tribute Band – The Robbers and Special Guests

19:45-20:30: Idris – DJ Set

21:00-22:00: Becky Hill

There are a total of three stages at Silverstone. In addition to driver interviews, Formula 1 team principals and reserve drivers were also interviewed over the weekend on the Main Stage, the Driver’s Inn Stage and in the Fan Zone.

For 2024, Silverstone introduced a new stage at the British Grand Prix: the Made at Vale Stage, located near the Vale corner in the final sector of the track. The stage is family friendly during the day, with children’s film screenings and shows from the Ministry of Science. At night, the stage hosts a range of DJs and tribute bands. The Made at Vale stage returns in 2025. The full entertainment line-up can be found on the Silverstone website.

Silverstone Food & Drink

Food is pretty expensive at Silverstone, so be prepared to shell out or pack your own sandwiches. Bringing plenty of your own bottled water is never a bad idea either, especially with the potential heat and sunshine, and the need to stay hydrated whilst out and about all day. Water refill points are located at various points around the circuit.

Expect to pay £10 for a large slice of pizza and a beer or soft drink from the many food stands at Silverstone. The same sort of price will get you a large pot of noodles and a drink, or a burrito and something sweet. The range of food on offer at Silverstone is getting better each year, and there’s plenty to suit vegetarian visitors as well.

Food stalls are dotted all over the place, but the main food arena at Silverstone is a large grassy area near the main stage with plenty of picnic tables and a friendly, festival feel. There are also one or two champagne bars and smarter places to sit, but again expect to pay over the odds for the privilege.