Going to my first F1 race

[jiman1973]

Hi all,
Looking for some advice here. I am in Europe at the moment for work, and the group I'm with is planning to attend the Belgian Grand Prix on 2 Sep.
I have absolutely no idea what is involved with going to an F1 race, and as an only "casual" fan of F1, don't really know much about the circuits or anything like that.
I have looked online, and holy jeez it is expensive! I'm pretty sure eveyone is going to opt for the General Admission Bronze package for Sunday, which is the cheapest at around 150 Euro. Is General Admission a good way to go for an F1 race?
I don't know much about the circuit here in Belgium, although I have started looking it up and checking out some videos, it looks pretty cool. Has anyone by chance ever been there?
Any advise you all could give would be hugely appreciated! There will be a group of about 15 of us going and I've kinda been put in charge of planning this trip....I dont want to let them down.
Thanks everyone,
JC

[RS2]

A weekend bronze ticket is 130€.

Bronze is great but you have to remember that you have to sit on grass. Which is wet 365 days a year at Spa. I would rather have a Bronze ticket and be free to go many places than a 400€ grandstand with a roof on the front straight.

I like Pohoun the best. les combes is great. For the race I like to be by the bus stop. Because then when the race is over that is from where hte track invasion takes place for the podium festivities. One thing. go to the Spa web site and learn the track. Then watch videos of Spa on you tube. Does not matter with what cars. And look where people are sitting and decide where for you the best place would be. The place is huge. There are three days so you kind of have to make a commitment about which part of the track you want to see that day. Obviously Eau Rouge is the highlight but with a bronze ticket you will not get anywhere near there except for Friday. But the bronze area starts right at the top and you can walk to les combes. The bronze area is on the inside of the track from Pohoun to Les Fagnes and there are three giant screens on the other side of the track which is cool. There is also one just before by Rivage.

Basically what I am saying is to learn the place before you show up.

Track map
http://www.spagrandprix.com/en/pages...-tribunes.aspx

[TC in Indy]

You say you are a casual fan. Take this advice from a fan who follows the sport more closely. Spa sets the gold standard for F1 circuits. If I could pick one circuit to attend before I die, it would be Spa. Don't let the cost deter you if you have the chance to go. As mentioned above, it is usually wet at some if not all of the weekend, but not always. Dress for the weather. I know of two regulars on this forum, MoparsRules and Ferris, have both been to Spa and they would probably have some good advice for you.

[Lee Roy]

Hi all,
Looking for some advice here.

Here's some advice. Purchase a ticket and round trip airfare from Dulles to Brussels for me. I'll take care of all the rest of my plans.

Thanks,

Lee Roy

Enjoy your trip. Everyone here is jealous.

[Ferris]

Spa is well next to Monza in my opinion the best F1 has to offer! Having been to both you will not be let down by Spa, but yes learn the track first via the website and video's.....Any of the hillside areas for the GA would be worth it as you do get to roam at Spa better then some other circuits I have been too.....Of course if you can score a seat at Eau Rouge, which I did the first time I went to Spa you will just be amazed at how steep the climb is, as TV does not do it justice....It will be very cool in the mornings and unless some sort og heat wave hits expect no more then 70F tops and if the rain comes the temps drop like a rock and their is nothing quite like seeing an F1 car in the wet!

Send me a PM and I'll try to give you more details from my trip to Spa.....

[aaron5572]

bring an air horn

I'm jealous that you'll get to witness Kimi and Lotus' thrashing the field at Spa

[PhillyIRL]

Have fun. I'm so jealous. My bucket list includes an F1 race in Europe and specifically Spa.

[aaron5572]

my dream is to go to Spa and then drive down to Italy for Monza the very next weekend...would be so badass

[Ferris]

my dream is to go to Spa and then drive down to Italy for Monza the very next weekend...would be so badass

I did that a few years ago, but it was Monza first then Spa the following weekend....Best two weeks of F1 ever!

[Jed]

Buy your tickets from the track, and not the F1 website. The track will send you the ticket or will let you print it out and you're good to go. F1 (as recently as last year at least) provides a will call voucher. This can be a problem because the will call booth can be tough to find, and can also be on the complete opposite side of the track from where your seats are.

Have fun

[cheeseczar]

Probably being Mr. Obvious here, but take foam earplugs. Whether you use them or not.
My ears are still ringing from the first USGP sitting under the roof along the main straight.

[Frank Capua]

If I ever make an effort to go to Europe to attend a Formula One race it would be to go to Spa... Em-joy yourself take a camp chair and an umbrella.

[lou reed]

If you take the train, the station is vervierres. Shuttle service from train station to track is very efficient.

Bronze ticket. Good buy. If you buy from the f1 site, the redeeming station is located just before the main entrance, so thats not a problem. Got mine on the saturday, dont know how long the line may be on sunday to redeem. But id go saturday anyway.

Whoever said pouhon gets a second from me.

I cant stress this enough, take a full rain suit and waterproof shoes.

At the track they sell this sausage sandwich, with carmelized onions and orange mayo. I recommend you eat several. Spaced at least 45 minutes.

If it rains. And it will, you still need to pee. You will see people behind the trails up the hill pissing. Be mindful when you follow their lead, that hill is very slick. And british folk will laugh at you when you fall.

[bikermick]

They say the drivers and teams are real "fan friendly".You can just walk right up to them they will let you sit in the car and take pictures.
Seriously,have a good time.Take a rain jacket.

[flatlander_48]

You say you are a casual fan. Take this advice from a fan who follows the sport more closely. Spa sets the gold standard for F1 circuits. If I could pick one circuit to attend before I die, it would be Spa. Don't let the cost deter you if you have the chance to go. As mentioned above, it is usually wet at some if not all of the weekend, but not always. Dress for the weather. I know of two regulars on this forum, MoparsRules and Ferris, have both been to Spa and they would probably have some good advice for you.

Send a PM to openracer. He went 3 or 4 years ago...

For my advice, spend the money. Spa-Francorchamps is hallowed ground and has a history that few places can match. It is a one-of-a-kind place.

[ForzaFerrari]

Only 11 days away, so I'm assuming you have already got it sorted.

Havn't been to Spa so can't offer specific advice, but have been to the Melbourne GP 3 times.

General Admission is a good choice as it is cheaper and you can roam the track more. I would go early on the Thursday and Friday as it will be a lot less packed and give you a chance to wander around and check the place out. Once you have determined where you want to watch the race on Sunday, your plan will be:

-Work out exactly what time the gates open, ideally you want the gate closest to your chosen spot, however some gates may open earlier than others. You want to be at the gate an hour before it opens if you REALLY want your spot. If a gate further away opens half an hour earlier, that's the gate you want, unless your ticket restricts you to a specific gate (at melbourne, a GA ticket is good for all GA gates).

-You are probably going to have a long run (yes, RUN) from your gate to your small piece of land that you want to claim as yours. If you have a large group, give out blankets/rugs/mats to the fastest/fittest runners. The best GA areas give views as good if not better than grandstand seats, and they will be FULL within 15 minutes of the gates opening.

-Even if you are the first in line at the first gate and the fastest runner, your will arrive at your spot after a long sprint carrying rugs and chairs (I'm speaking from personal experience as the group 'runner' here!) to find, in the exact spot you picked out, a fat guy in a lawn chair already on his second beer. Way of the world.

-You want your whole group spreading out to claim your area as quickly as possible with rugs, tarpaulins (Spa will be wet), coolers and chairs (if allowed). The more packed it gets the more your area will get compacted anyway, so start big. This really is the grown up version of building a fort.

-You need to maintain your area all day, so your are pretty much stuck in one spot all day with one or two people at a time going on food and drinks runs. Make sure you do all of your wandering and sightseeing around the track done on Thurs/Fri/Sat because you are chained to one spot on Sunday.

-Saturday will be just as packed as Sunday

I did this whole routine my first year at Melbourne. Since then I have just bought a grandstand ticket for around $500. Not cheap, but when you factor in the whole cost of the weekend (I'm from Sydney, so flights, accommodation, spending money over the weekend) the actual costs difference between a 4 day GA or GS isn't that great, and you get to come and go from your seat as you please, plus wander all the GA areas.

I go for a GS seat on the pit striaght, as close to the start/finish line as possible. You don't get much of a view of the cars during the race, but you are essentially watching the race on one of the big screens all race anyway. But you get to see the start, finish, all the pit stops, and all the pre and post race stuff. I'm not sure if Spa allows people on the track after the race, but at Melbourne, being on the front straight means you can get onto the track and right in front of all the podium celebrations. One year I got to the very front, and actually climbed the pitwall fence and sat on top, directly in front of the podium celebrations. Not the fence separating the track from the grand stands, but the actual fence on top of the pit wall. I was clearly visible on the TV broadcast of the race, until the police told me to get down (luckily, not till after the podium finished)

[Racing Steward]

my dream is to go to Spa and then drive down to Italy for Monza the very next weekend...would be so badass

Ive always wanted to go Monaco. I need to hit the lottery first. A friend of mine went to the Abu Dhabi race this year (he was also working overseas and thats how it came about).

Spa is beautiful from what Ive seen on the broadcasts. Great circuit.

[Alesi md]

Hi all,
Looking for some advice here. I am in Europe at the moment for work, and the group I'm with is planning to attend the Belgian Grand Prix on 2 Sep.
I have absolutely no idea what is involved with going to an F1 race, and as an only "casual" fan of F1, don't really know much about the circuits or anything like that.
I have looked online, and holy jeez it is expensive! I'm pretty sure eveyone is going to opt for the General Admission Bronze package for Sunday, which is the cheapest at around 150 Euro. Is General Admission a good way to go for an F1 race?
I don't know much about the circuit here in Belgium, although I have started looking it up and checking out some videos, it looks pretty cool. Has anyone by chance ever been there?
Any advise you all could give would be hugely appreciated! There will be a group of about 15 of us going and I've kinda been put in charge of planning this trip....I dont want to let them down.
Thanks everyone,
JC

do not have high expectations because you will be let down. Everytime I go to F1 race (mostly monza) I feel like dirt, like trash. Thats how F1 treats its race fans. Big fences, lots of guards that keeps you AWAY from drivers, from cars. You wil feel almost like those poor african americans felt in the 50s. F1 is all about discrimination. Discrimination of the fans. You are not allowed nowhere near drivers or cars. Horrible approach.

I gave up on F1 long long time ago.

I just visit monza annualy because it is like a tradition of mine. But actually I am considering visitin it a weekend after the race. Because I am in love with that track, not F1. F1 stinks.

Just imagine my agony. F1 stinks. Cart is dead. I really have nothing left to follow. Superbikes sometimes and that is it.

[flatlander_48]

do not have high expectations because you will be let down. Everytime I go to F1 race (mostly monza) I feel like dirt, like trash. Thats how F1 treats its race fans. Big fences, lots of guards that keeps you AWAY from drivers, from cars. You wil feel almost like those poor african americans felt in the 50s. F1 is all about discrimination. Discrimination of the fans. You are not allowed nowhere near drivers or cars. Horrible approach.

I gave up on F1 long long time ago.

I just visit monza annualy because it is like a tradition of mine. But actually I am considering visitin it a weekend after the race. Because I am in love with that track, not F1. F1 stinks.

Just imagine my agony. F1 stinks. Cart is dead. I really have nothing left to follow. Superbikes sometimes and that is it.

I think this has less to do with F-1 management and more to do with security. In a similar vein, Paris-Dakar isn't even on the same continent in recent times. Unrest makes people do some unfortunate things...

[flatlander_48]

Hi all,
Looking for some advice here. I am in Europe at the moment for work, and the group I'm with is planning to attend the Belgian Grand Prix on 2 Sep.
I have absolutely no idea what is involved with going to an F1 race, and as an only "casual" fan of F1, don't really know much about the circuits or anything like that.
I have looked online, and holy jeez it is expensive! I'm pretty sure eveyone is going to opt for the General Admission Bronze package for Sunday, which is the cheapest at around 150 Euro. Is General Admission a good way to go for an F1 race?
I don't know much about the circuit here in Belgium, although I have started looking it up and checking out some videos, it looks pretty cool. Has anyone by chance ever been there?
Any advise you all could give would be hugely appreciated! There will be a group of about 15 of us going and I've kinda been put in charge of planning this trip....I dont want to let them down.
Thanks everyone,
JC

An alternative strategy would be to have a grandstand seat from somewhere where you could see the start and the first round of pit stops. The standing start for F-1 events is one of the most extraordinary moments in all of motorsports. The pit stops are also unlike anything else. After that, go to where ever else on the course that you would like. This has been my strategy when attending the ICS race at Watkins Glen. However, one thing that would make this more difficult for Spa-Francorchamps is that it is very spread out. The S/F Line and pit area are at one end of the track and a long ways from a lot of the preferred viewing locations.

[Indy kiwi]

Just imagine my agony. F1 stinks. Cart is dead. I really have nothing left to follow. Superbikes sometimes and that is it.

All that agony must pale into insignificance with being a Jean Alesi fan - 13 years and over 200 races in F1 with one solitary win. Could have had another if he listened to the team or read his pit board and actually stopped for gas instead of running out. Nice bloke but by all accounts left his teams exasperated.

[Alesi md]

All that agony must pale into insignificance with being a Jean Alesi fan - 13 years and over 200 races in F1 with one solitary win. Could have had another if he listened to the team or read his pit board and actually stopped for gas instead of running out. Nice bloke but by all accounts left his teams exasperated.

well actually it was not an agony. It was a joy. That guy gave me a lot of joy. I didnt care if he crashed, finished 4th or won as long as he was driving with his heart -and he always did that. I admit he lacked a bit of talent but he had huge enthusiasm for motorsports.

as was evident in 2012 indy500. so he is still here. his enthusiasm is still here. thats why I love him.

[flatlander_48]

well actually it was not an agony. It was a joy. That guy gave me a lot of joy. I didnt care if he crashed, finished 4th or won as long as he was driving with his heart -and he always did that. I admit he lacked a bit of talent but he had huge enthusiasm for motorsports.

as was evident in 2012 indy500. so he is still here. his enthusiasm is still here. thats why I love him.

I wouldn't say that, necessarily. Perhaps he focused more on the driving and less on the winning. I remember him holding off Senna for a long time at Phoenix(?) in a Tyrrell; no mean feat...

[ForzaFerrari]

Alesi could have won a LOT more but had terrible luck when it came to changing teams.

If you watch the 1990 season or the '90 review video, you can see how good he is. In the Tyrrell he was consistently running up with the McLarens, Ferrari's and Williams.

He had almost every team on the grid trying to sign him for '91. He actually agreed to go to Williams, but then Ferrari offered him a seat so he went there. It turned out to be the worst move of his career. Ferrari went on a downhill slide that lasted almost 7 years, and Williams went on to win multiple championships in the early and mid 90's.

Had he gone to Williams, he would have spent the prime of his career driving the best car on the grid.

[jiman1973]

Thanks to everyone for all the advice. I'm still looking at going, but due to work schedules and stuff it will be a Sunday only trip. I wish I could hit up the whole weekend of races but work committments have trumped that.
Thanks again!

[numetalbizkit]

Had he gone to Williams, he would have spent the prime of his career driving the best car on the grid.

And conversly, we would be saying 'Nigel, who?' Ayrton wouldn't have been signed at Williams, etc. Would have completely changed the course of overall motorsports history as we know it.

[ForzaFerrari]

I think Senna probably would have moved to Williams anyway. That didn't happen until 94, so he could have been Alesi's team mate, or Alesi may have moved on.

That Tyrell in 1990 was underpowered, but it was the first car to have a modern 'flying' front wing, which helped him push the top cars often. After Senna and Prost, he really was the star of that season. I strongly recommend the 1990 Season review video/DVD (I've still got the old VHS) as it was one of the best seasons in history. It is up in various chunks on youtube but I haven't seen the whole thing online. I've got about 15 F1 season review videos/DVDs and it is probably my favourite. The older VHS ones are actually far better made than the new discs. They do a much better job of reviewing the season as a whole (ie, news segments and updates between races, and other things like that). The new ones just feel like 18 individual race reviews, one after the other. They were really good up to 1998, and I actually haven't bought one since 2008 (they used to be an essential Christmas present to myself each year). This season has been so good though I will probably buy this years and see if they have improved.

It probably available in full online from the 'usual' places though, but if you want a review from the Senna/Prost era, it is one that is well worth buying proper.

[JacquesNGilles]

Jiman, I'm thinking of you while I watch Q2. Thinking of you and cursing you for being there and me in my dark, gloomy Indianapolis living room. I hope you stayed dry yesterday and you're enjoying yourself today. If you make your way to Eau Rouge, tell us who didn't have the stones to hold the throttle full-out.