Missing F1 over this month long Summer Break? Fear not, we've got you covered! A wise man once said '...a short view back to the past.'
The British Grand Prix has been a fan favourite on the F1 calendar for decades now, with thousands of home fans descending on Silverstone each year to catch a glimpse of their favourite drivers and teams. And the race weekend this year was no different!
Over the GP weekend, 480,000 fans braved the worst weather the English summer could throw at them, and were rewarded with success for the British drivers on the grid. George Russell bagged pole position on Saturday, with his team mate Lewis Hamilton in P2 and Lando Norris rounding out an all-British lockout in P3. With ever changing conditions on the Sunday, Lewis Hamilton crossed the line for his first win in over 900 days and his 104th career win in front of the adoring home crowd - a record 9th win at Silverstone, with Max Verstappen chasing him down in P2 and Lando Norris in P3.
For many fans it was their first taste of a Grand Prix, with many Girls Across The Grid members enjoying their weekend in Silverstone, including some of our very own blog writers! Here is their recap of a soggy but brilliant weekend at the British GP.
Esther
I've long been considering how to make it to my first Grand Prix, so when the opportunity
unexpectedly came through GATG, I couldn't believe my luck!
My love of motorsports started, like many people's, through my dad's love of cars. Although
he hasn't been to a Grand Prix in a couple of decades, I grew up hearing about how loud the
cars are in real life, how fast they truly are, and how electric the atmosphere is. Needless to
say, I was very excited to experience a Grand Prix for myself! Heading down on Friday, I had a few concerns...
How would camping solo go? Would I be on my own all weekend? Would I be judged for not wearing merch? But overall, I was feeling really excited and lucky to be on my way to such a classic track as Silverstone.
Firstly, the camping went fine! Despite the incredible British ‘summer’ weather it had to
endure, my tent kept me dry all weekend, and everyone at the GATG campsite was so
welcoming that I felt completely safe and happy camping on my own for the weekend.
I was also blown away by how welcoming and nice everyone I met was. I can get nervous
meeting people, but I didn't need to worry; the GATG community is incredible! Over the
weekend, we shared friendship bracelets, race predictions, and the women I met were so
inclusive, inviting me along to watch racing and off-track entertainment with them. It was one
of the most welcoming weekends I have had in a long time!
And finally, although this might be quite a niche worry, I know I'm not alone with it. For
anyone else who may not have a lot of merchandise or money to buy any on track: Yes, you
will be surrounded by merch, but you won't be the only one not wearing any, and no one will
comment or judge! So don' t let this take away from your enjoyment. I wasn't able to go home
to pack for Silverstone and didn't have any merch on me at all. I felt a bit ‘naked’ without it
but couldn't afford to pay the on-track prices, and it was absolutely fine!
Overall, everyone is there to enjoy the racing together. I found everyone really happy to help,
incredibly welcoming, and the whole weekend to be a real community experience. I can't wait for my next!
Cesca
Silverstone 2024 was one of the most incredible experiences! To be there when Lewis
Hamilton crossed the line for his 104th win was surreal. From beginning to end the race was
exhilarating with the constant change of leaders as weather conditions effected tyres and
driver ability. It was one of the most exciting races I have ever seen and to be a part of the
atmosphere was incredible. The grandstands were so loud, and people were supporting all 3
Brits in their quests for podium places.
I was fortunate enough to spend Thursday at Silverstone with GATG and was helping at our
stall. It was wonderful to be surrounded by likeminded girls and try to encourage new
people to join our community. I feel as if I made some friends I will keep for life and was
even lucky enough to win a pit lane walk with one of the other girls. We had an incredible
evening walking down the pits looking into all the team garages and even got to stand about
3 metres away from Brad Pitt! We met up with other girls who were there by themselves
and spent the time together making memories and having a blast.
Overall, the Silverstone weekend was unforgettable, and I can’t wait for next year! The race
once again proved this season still has a fierce competition as we witnessed a sixth winner
in 12 races. I think we are in for a great rest of the season and Silverstone has fully restored
my faith in that!
Ellie
Last weekend was my second Grand Prix and my second time visiting Silverstone. I’d been excited for this weekend for the past year, and it was finally here! We sat in the Luffield Terrace and had an amazing view of the drivers exiting the Wellington Straight, going round Brooklands and Luffield before heading towards Woodcote, unfortunately there were no overtakes on my corner, but the race was still so exciting! The whole weekend I was repping McLaren and on the final day I wore Lando Norris’ Grandstand limited edition top for Silverstone which even got me noticed by the man himself during the driver's parade!
The highlights of my weekend were meeting the drivers and team principles on Friday with my inner track tickets. I met George Russell, Daniel Riccardo, Zak Brown and Toto Wolff who were all lovely and stopped for pictures despite it pouring with rain (typical England weather). I also loved seeing Lewis Hamilton break another record and become a 9-time winner at Silverstone in front of a home crowd (Rosco is definitely a lucky charm!), the atmosphere and love for the British drivers was just epic! The only thing I didn’t like as a McLaren fan was Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s team letting them down and ruining their chances of a win – but there’s always next year!
All the people over the weekend were lovely and it was so nice to be surrounded by likeminded people who all enjoy Formula 1. I can’t wait to do it all over again next year!
Liv
This British Grand Prix was special to me in so many ways, not least because it was the first Grand Prix I had ever attended. On Saturday 6th July, the day of Qualifying, I was picked up at 6 am for a surprise birthday trip with absolutely no clue where I was going. The only context I had was that it would be a mix of indoor and outdoor venues and I'd need comfy shoes. About fifteen minutes into the drive, my dad pulled out Silverstone hospitality tickets and I almost wept with joy. I could not believe it and I spent the rest of the drive trying to wrap my head around what was about to happen.
The experience of hospitality was amazing; on the outdoor terrace, I had an incredible view coming out of Copse down into Maggots and Becketts and we had access to a grandstand where you could see six corners at once! I was determined not to miss a single moment of racing so we watched the Historic F1 cars and then I raced to the top of the grandstand for FP3. I still don't have the words to describe what it was like seeing F1 cars for the first time! They are so beautifully sleek and watching them navigate through the corners was a joy. It was absolutely freezing with a bitter wind and regular showers but I honestly could not care at all, I was so unbelievably happy.
After FP3, my dad abruptly told me to grab my coat because the surprises were not over; one of our family friends who works in motorsport media had managed to get me into the paddock! I took a bus from our hospitality area to the other side of the track and got to experience the electric excitement of tapping my VIP pass and going through the barriers like I've seen every driver and influencer do! My pass was on loan for an hour so I made the absolute most of it and set up camp outside Ferrari in the hope that Charles Leclerc might walk out...and he did! I had just about managed to say hello to him before I was elbowed out of the way by two men who wanted a picture. Sadly, I missed my opportunity to get a picture because of this but even just seeing Leclerc had me almost in tears and it took about five minutes for me to stop shaking. It's Charles Leclerc, can you blame me?
Following that chaos, my family friend (to whom I will be eternally grateful) gave me a detailed tour of the paddock and acted as coat-holder, photographer, motorsport expert, and emotional support buddy all in one as I wanted my picture in front of every single motorhome and garage and spent the entire hour going 'I think I'm going to cry'. As we were completing my McLaren photoshoot, Oscar Piastri happened to walk out at the perfect time, and, having learned my lesson from the Leclerc debacle, I sprinted after Piastri and asked for a photo. Yet again, I was shoved out the way by another man but Oscar noticed my struggle and kindly waited for me. I did not realise the paddock was such a cuthroat environment when the drivers appeared!
And in what was perhaps the biggest honour of all, I ended my paddock tour by meeting Jackie Stewart, having just written about him in my British Grand Prix article that week. He was incredibly kind and I was entirely speechless.
After my hour playing 'VIP Celebrity' was over, I headed back to hospitality to watch as Kimi Antonelli took his maiden F2 win, to cry as Charles Leclerc went out in Q2 (heartbreak), to cheer when 3 Brits qualified in the top three, and to applaud at British driver Arvin Lindblad's F3 race win. The sun even managed to come out at the end of the day.
As I sat in the car on the way home, drowning in new Ferrari merch and obsessively watching back all the videos I'd taken, I still couldn't quite wrap my head around everything that had just happened. I've spent so long watching F1 on TV that to see it in real life was surreal. To stand next to Charles Leclerc, my all-time favourite driver, and be completely star-struck was surreal. To hear the roar of the engines, feel the passionate cheers of the crowds, and see myself reflected in every other fan screaming for their drivers was surreal...there truly is no other word for it.
I felt at home.
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