Sun burn, sore feet and unpredictable weather: The British Grand Prix mistakes you can avoid with these essential tips
The British Grand Prix is a must for any motorsport fan, and it’s quickly becoming a bucket list trip for non-petrolheads, too.
I went to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone last summer and, while I had an amazing time, I definitely made some mistakes especially with the race being in July (this year it's July 2nd-5th).
Sunburn, ruined feet, and an empty wallet were the extra price I had to pay for my lack of preparation, but it doesn’t have to be the same if you're going for 2026. These are the things I’m going to do next time - and things I’d recommend you do before your first visit, too.
Don't forget a hat
A hat is important, especially if you’re not in a covered grandstand or lounge. They’ll protect you from both the sun and the rain, and give you a chance to show with which team or driver your allegiances lie.
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I brought my Aston Martin bucket hat as I’m a long-suffering Fernando Alonso fan, and I’m glad I did, it kept the sun off my face and my neck, which was really useful given the sun came out at various points. It fitted in with the festival vibe the race has too and, while you won’t see the same level of hats at the British Grand Prix as you would at the Japanese Grand Prix, you’ll see plenty of people supporting their favourite driver or team.
£43
It’s also worth noting that while hats are usually one of the cheaper pieces of merchandise you can buy, this isn’t true at the track. They were £50 and up for a hat when I was there last year so, if you want to avoid paying through the nose for a simple cap, buy one online before you go.
Stay hydrated with a water bottle
Silverstone offers free water refill stations around the track (generally around the toilets), so bring a water bottle with you to avoid having to pay inflated prices at the circuit. One thing to note here is that glass bottles aren’t allowed. I’d left mine at home so had to buy a bottle of water initially, but filled that up through the day afterwards.
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£16.10
Protect your skin with suncream
The great British summertime can go from sun to rain in a matter of seconds, but you should still bring some sun cream as you’ll likely be spending the entire day outside. This is especially true if you’re going in General Admission or General Admission Plus, where it’s not going to be as easy to take a break as the people with grandstand tickets. It’s also easy to be fooled by the weather - Silverstone is a very exposed former airfield, so it’s usually pretty windy. That wind caught me out on the Friday, as I got partly lobstered having not felt the true extent of the sun. To make sure you don’t face the same fate, get yours ahead of the weekend.
£10.99
Don't get caught out by the glare - take sunglasses
The schedule is packed at Silverstone, with F3 starting on Friday at 8.45am and the Porsche Supercup not finishing until 6.45pm. Saturday and Sunday are a little bit quieter, finishing by 5pm, but the days are long. You’re also going to be looking in a few different directions as you follow the cars and, if you’re on the right-hand-side of the track (Copse through to Stowe), you’ll be staring West (and into the sun) all afternoon. If you’re lucky enough to see the sun, you’ll be needing sunglasses. Thankfully I brought some and they were very useful, as there’s plenty of buildings and cars for the sun to bounce off over a race weekend.
£120
Comfort over style with your footwear
Silverstone Circuit is one of the longer tracks on the F1 calendar, coming in just over 3.6 miles. This means that there’s a lot to see when walking around it, and you can easily walk over three miles just going around the perimeter, even without going into the Farm/Village/The Loop area. I walked 8.2 miles one day, just having a look around at everything and trying to watch the action from every vantage point. This means comfy shoes are a must.
You don’t need to worry about wearing proper hiking boots, but shoes you’re comfortable walking in and which provide decent grip are a must. Not all of the walking areas are pavement (some parts are, but you’ll also be walking over gravel, stones, grass, and even the old circuit if you head into the Luffield in-field area) so being able to walk comfortably will be a big help. If you’re really concerned about it, blister pads should help. I wore my gym trainers and they were absolutely fine, but I’d have struggled in a pair of Vans.
If you're looking for something F1 branded then I recommend these McLaren K-Swiss collaboration, they're suitably comfortable, so they're a good option to show your support for a UK team.
£113
British weather always means a waterproof jacket or poncho
Yes, I said suncream, a hat, and sunglasses earlier. But this is Britain after all, and Silverstone has had more than its fair share of wet sessions and races. It was an absolute deluge on race day, and many of us got soaked. Despite the rain it was still fairly warm though, so the rain coat I had was far too warm.
A light jacket or a poncho would have been great, as it would have fitted into my bag easily and been lightweight enough to not worry about. You might also want some spare socks, in case you get caught out and don’t fancy walking back with soggy socks.
Depending on the weather, a simple poncho could be enough. There’s an F1-branded two-pack on the F1 store for £12, which will undoubtedly be cheaper than you’d pay at the circuit, or you can go full F1 team member in the Ferrari reversible jacket.
£12
£157.50
Keep your phone charged with a portable charger
There’s plenty to see and do over the weekend, and plenty of memories to make. You’ll obviously want to save those memories, too, so bring a portable phone charger so you can keep your phone charged to make the most of it. A small power bank will not only allow you to keep up with people and make the most of the day but, as anyone who’s been to a festival or large gathering will know, phone signal gets spotty. Your phone searching for signal all day will drain the battery quicker than usual, so make sure you’ve got something to charge it back up. Thankfully this was one of the things I did remember last year, and it definitely came in handy.
Bring your own snacks
While there are plenty of places to buy food while you’re at Silverstone, consider bringing some of your own. The food is expensive, as you’d imagine, and the queues can get very long between sessions on track. Food is also fine to be brought into the track, as are drinks, but alcohol and glass bottles aren’t allowed.
Get the best view with binoculars
While some viewing areas are close, there are a few parts of the track where you’ll be a bit further set back. The Maggotts and Becketts corners are one example for General Admission, while the Copse grandstands are approaching 100m away from the racing line. For these parts of the track, binoculars are a great idea. This is doubly true if you’ve not claimed your spot close to the fence as soon as the gates opened, as the crowds get dense.
While, for the most part, it was okay, I wouldn’t have minded some binoculars for Copse, and the run from Copse to Maggots. The other side of this is that you can get really close to the track on the inside of Brooklands corner, so I’d go there at least once to see them.
Protect your hearing with earphones or earplugs
Much has been said about 2026’s regulations, with both the cars and racing changing considerably. While that’s a subject for a different article, one material change is that 2026’s cars are louder than 2025’s, so bring some earplugs if you’re concerned about your hearing.
In terms of places to watch out for - one of the loudest places on the track, and somewhere accessible with a General Admission ticket, is the Hangar Straight. You can get around 20 metres away from the cars at full throttle as they head into Stowe corner, so expect it to be loud around there. Copse is another corner where cars are flat out, so noise here will be loud, too.
Another place to watch out for would be on the Hamilton straight, as the grandstands (and especially the Red Bull Pole Position area), are close to the track. This especially goes for the start of the race, particularly as this year there’s the pre-start where drivers build the revs to spool the turbos.
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£59.95
Take a radio to stay on top of the race
While there are big screens and tannoys helping fans to keep up with the action that isn’t happening right in front of them, it can be difficult to hear what’s going on. Cars, other fans, and helicopters can all drown out the tannoy at times, so bringing a portable radio (and tuning it to 87.7FM for Silverstone Radio) and some earphones / headphones can help you to understand more about what’s going on in the session. Bonus points here are that, by using earphones / headphones, you’re giving yourself a bit of hearing protection, too.
Record memories with a camera
You’ll obviously want to take photos while you’re at Silverstone (and there’s plenty to take pictures of), so feel free to bring a camera. Handheld cameras are fine, as are DLSRs, however you’re not allowed lenses over 400mm and tripods are expressly prohibited. I took my DSLR last year but, with only a General Admission ticket, I was a bit disappointed - all the main areas I could access were heavily obscured by fencing, so I didn’t really get any photos of the track that I was happy with. If you’re in a better area you might have more luck.
Rest on your own chair or mat
If you’re wanting to stay in the same place all day, a camping chair or a light mat will save your legs. If you’re planning on seeing what Silverstone has to offer then carrying a chair around with you all day might be a bit back-breaking, so a mat will offer some protection between you and the potentially wet ground. I’d say that, if you’re happy wandering around, then you wouldn’t need one on the Friday or Saturday, as there’s plenty to see and you can enjoy different areas without the extra hassle. Sunday will obviously be busy, though, with people camping out as soon as they’re able to, so a chair/mat would probably be better for race day.
Download your tickets and schedule beforehand
As mentioned earlier, the phone signal during the race weekend can be intermittent. Add to this that Silverstone is a former airbase in the middle of the Northamptonshire countryside, and you’ve got a recipe for zero bars.
To avoid the awkward holding up of the queue, just take a screenshot of your tickets before you get to the circuit. This especially goes for Sunday, when it’s going to be the busiest.
Things to leave at home
While there’s plenty you can bring, there are some things you should leave at home. We’ve already covered glass bottles, but alcohol is another as fans are no longer permitted to bring it through security (this came into place in 2025). You also can’t bring drones and, while umbrellas are okay, parasols aren’t allowed in.
Any dreams of setting off flares should also be left at home, as smoke canisters are banned.
Whatever you decide to bring or not bring, though, the British Grand Prix is the absolute pinnacle of British motorsport. Held at the site of the first ever Formula 1 race, the atmosphere is always incredible and packed with fans cheering on the British drivers in particular.
READ MORE: The ultimate British Grand Prix ticket guide: What you actually get for your money
Topics: Formula 1
Tom Jeffries