F1 News: Silverstone Attendance Breaks Records As Weekend Sees Potential Change
Stuart Pringle, Silverstone's managing director, is working tirelessly to convince Formula 1 to stretch the British Grand Prix into a four-day event. Regardless of the whether the weekend is a sprint weekend or a traditional race weekend, the track management is looking to stretch it to a four-day event.
With the sport becoming so incredibly popular and the track reaching a record attendance this year of over 450,000, it's no surprise that the privately funded track is looking to expand its revenue streams. And opening the event up to more days would allow Silverstone to make something more of the weekend than just a race, with rumours of a festival in the works.
"I'm doing everything I can with Formula 1," Pringle told Autosport International. "I am of the opinion that they need to alter the weekend layout. They argue, 'Well, it's the FIA, they have system tests and such to conduct.' My response is to have those done a day sooner."
Another day of action would be much appreciate by fans who have flocked to the track this weekend. And despite complaints of tickets being incredibly expensive, as I already mentioned, the track has seen record attendance. They're obviously doing something right.
"Why not transform it into a week-long festival, or something close to it?" Pringle proposed. "There are individuals who set up camp at Silverstone as early as Tuesday, staying put for the duration."
The 2022 British Grand Prix held at Silverstone saw an unprecedented influx of attendees, with over 400,000 spectators across the weekend. This, and current attendance, supports Pringle's argument for a more extensive event.
However, there's a caveat. It's essential for Formula 1 to take into account the strain on personnel due to the swelling calendar. With a confirmed 24 grand prix races in 2024, extending the British Grand Prix could mean more responsibilities for the personnel, although minimal.
Pringle's proposal primarily involves having the support series spearhead the action on Thursday, an arrangement that wouldn't overly stress the Formula 1 team due to the less demanding schedules of these series.
The Australian Grand Prix is a tangible example of a successfully executed four-day weekend, using Thursday for support series events like Supercars and S5000. This example serves as evidence that this adjusted schedule is viable.
From my point of view, I think a festival would be incredible for the sport, with almost a whole week of celebration of British motorsport. I mean, who didn't love the idea of the Forza Horizon festival? Only time will tell, but I can see this idea becoming a lot more popular as tracks in the F1 season anting to cash in on the current success of the sport.