CBW’s yearly pilgrimage to the Northamptonshire race track saw a whole host of changes to the bus services which support the British Grand Prix, and as always Richard Sharman was in attendance to document them
Formula 1 has always been a popular sport, but in recent years it has seen unprecedented growth thanks to the exposure it has had from Netflix series ‘Drive to Survive,’ the fly on the wall documentary that follows the racing teams through each season and then broadcasts it the following year.
It has made viewers want to be part of the action and travel to the circuit to see it in person, not just on a TV screen. Like anything that is already part of popular culture, a series watched by millions of viewers who may not have been interested in Formula 1 previously has unfortunately had a negative effect on the sport’s original fans as prices to attend the British Grand Prix have doubled in recent years. The tell-tale signs that the prices are too high can be easily seen by the fact that Silverstone still had tickets for sale on the Friday night for General Admission on the Saturday at £189.
It was widely reported that Silverstone’s ‘dynamic pricing’ has priced many people out of attending, especially those who normally take their family; a four-day grandstand ticket would cost you £629 per person, or if you wanted to attend for race day, a General Admission ticket was being sold at £309, which does not include access to the stands or the centre of the track. In comparison, many of the European tracks on the racing calender are much cheaper, and this has seen many UK racegoers travel to some of these instead.
Even Sir Lewis Hamilton MBE got involved and said: “The only thing I would ever say is that we have to watch ticket prices. I think they’re continuing to rise, and with the cost of living nowadays, I think it’s too high.”
Silverstone did sell out in the end, but ultimately nowhere as quickly as in previous years, and it is worth noting that it has reduced capacity from 480,000 to 460,000 this year to allow more space inside the venue. The cost and reduced capacity may be part of the reason that the coach park on Grand Prix day had far fewer visiting coaches than normal, but that said, the usual express coach services, bus services and park & ride services continue to thrive.
Smart thinking
Now operated via the ComforDelGro and Stagecoach partnership that is Scottish Citylink, megabus continues to offer a substantial express coach operation over the race weekend, serving multiple towns and cities throughout England. On race day, vehicles from across the megabus/Citylink operation included three Plaxton Elite i’s and three Plaxton Panoramas from Stagecoach and two Plaxton Elite i’s from Comfort DelGro-owned Adventure Travel, but independent operators provided the vast numbers of services, with a number of vehicles supplied being in megabus livery.
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