F1 is in danger of becoming too expensive for its fans
After attending the 2024 British Grand Prix, Paul Barker was left shocked at how expensive everything was
I was fortunate enough to be at the recent British Grand Prix to witness the brilliant win by Lewis Hamilton in front of an adoring home crowd. The dry-wet-dry race had plenty of twists and turns, in keeping with a series that has finally got interesting. For the first time in ages, there’s no borderline foregone conclusion of a winner, and maybe four teams and seven different drivers (sorry, Sergio) all in with a shout of victory.
So it’s ironic that with the action better than ever, the absolute milking of the fans for every penny that could be extracted left such a sour taste as we rolled out of Silverstone on the Sunday evening after the race.
The UK is a motorsport-mad country – no other place on Earth could have created the monster motor festival that is the Goodwood Festival of Speed, for example – but when race-day entry tickets for a couple or a family are the price of a nice week away, the utter obscenity of being charged £80 on race day to park in a muddy field a 15-minute walk from the entrance was a shocker.
I tweeted (sorry, X’d) the picture of the parking charges sign (above) and, amid the general outcry, various workarounds did come back in the replies – farmers nearby charging less than half that and running free buses to the entrance being one example. Or there was the option of the shuttle from Milton Keynes station.
Putting on a Formula One Grand Prix is expensive, I know that. And the price has risen, thanks to the raft of newer races backed by state funds. But these parking fees just feel like a step too far in the way race fans are treated. Throw in £9 for a couple of hot drinks or nearly £8 for a beer (almost reasonable by comparison), £60 for a hat and £80-plus for a T-shirt of your chosen team, and it becomes an eye-wateringly expensive day.
The atmosphere was brilliant through the race and especially afterwards, as Lewis basked in his win. But like a lot of sports at the moment, F1 is in danger of pricing fans out of wanting to be there.
Do you think F1 is too expensive? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section?
