Silverstone F1 is headed for a record crowd in July, with the British Grand Prix expected to sell out its new four-day capacity of 570,000. That would make it the biggest event in Formula One history and place Silverstone behind only Wimbledon for summer numbers in the UK.
Pringle and Silverstone
Stuart Pringle said the circuit has embraced Formula One’s new followers and built a fan base that is broader than it was before. “This diversification has been powered so successfully by the unexpected growth in popularity in Formula One.”
He also pointed to how the audience mix has changed at Silverstone. “This concept of value for the weekend and a blend of different types of fans is working for us.”
Female attendance now makes up 43% of sales at the British Grand Prix, and the expanded Lando Norris area, the Landostand, is set to accommodate 20,000 this year. Women make up more than half of that audience.
From Break Clause to 570,000
The scale of the July crowd is a sharp turn from where Silverstone stood less than a decade ago. In 2015 and 2016, the circuit drew race-day audiences of 139,000 and lost £2.8m and £4.8m, and in 2017 it activated the break clause on its F1 contract, giving it the option to pull out in 2019.
Pringle said, “Pulling the break clause wasn’t scary because what would have been scary was to stay on that contract,” adding, “Yes, there was uncertainty but it didn’t feel like it was going to be any worse where we were.” Silverstone then signed a new deal with Liberty Media on the Wednesday before the British GP of 2019, after the fee under the earlier contract had risen from £11.5m in 2010 to £16.2m in 2017 and was due to reach £25m by 2026.
British GP Crowd Shift
The British Grand Prix has been on the Formula One calendar since the inaugural season in 1950, but its current draw looks nothing like the vulnerable event of 2017. Pringle said the crowd shift has been driven by Formula One’s wider popularity, telling the story of new supporters arriving and staying. “That’s raising awareness, bringing the new crowd and once they find Silverstone they love the vibe of the grand prix and we’re loving these new friends.”
He also said the old assumptions about the crowd no longer fit. “Ten years ago people would have scoffed at the concept of nearly a 50-50 male‑female split. Unimaginable,” he said. Pringle was given an OBE this year for his work, and the July sellout would give Silverstone a record 570,000 across four days, the clearest sign yet of how far the British Grand Prix has moved from survival to scale.
