As the home of the British Grand Prix, this circuit does not disappoint. Being an ex-airfield, it is flat and, at times, windy, but the challenges of any of the configurations make up. It is truly a great circuit, if a little too quick for my poor little Classic, especially in the GP format.
Seems good, doesn’t it? So why is it my least favourite, a circuit I’d rather we never visited again? If I felt welcome, I would have no issue, but the fact is that, for most of my visits, there is unnecessary hassle which must ultimately come from the upper management. Take the little things, like the overpriced café, sorry, restaurant, closing at the time when drivers are finishing their on-circuit exercise. Small circuits provide us with food.
I remember once arriving in the evening, easily parking my car and caravan, setting it all up without hassle and commenting on how easy it had all been, only to be barked at by normally patient men who had no end of grief from the officials. I’ve suffered since. Officials shove us all into a holding car park and won’t release us until gone dark and then a terrible, slow queue results. Finally, on arriving at the paddock, every single vehicle is stopped, read a riot act with some being turned away, before one-by-one, taking minute-upon-minute, do we get in. The same applies to the support companies who have to spend a long evening, if they are lucky, to set up; a little courtesy would have allowed them to set up and be in a better frame of mind for the weekend.
I get the impression that club racers are an inconvenience to be suffered and suffer we do. For the amount of money that each individual spends, I would expect better. Worse is that, for drivers struggling with finance or interest, this treatment can be the final straw. Read all my other circuit introductions and you will not find a single bad word and that says more than my actual criticism herein.
It’s only fair to commend the actual staff. I once turned up for a test day, after having booked it via the telephone and telling them what event I would be competing in the next day. True, I should have been placed on the correct configuration, but these things happen. Anyway, when they discovered the mistake, they bent over backwards to slot me into the correct configuration. Thank you and well done.
I like this configuration, as it is short and sweet. Being short means I get more laps to practise! Mind you, I needed it in one of my first visits, where I got my brakes totally wrong at Magotts, locked up and slid onto the grass, back onto the track and through the middle of a tightly bunched pack of cars, somehow missing them completely. Another time, after funds meant that I was unable to test, I started ninth, finished ninth and didn’t pass anyone, but somehow set a lap record that stood for years!
Circuit Details
Silverstone Circuit
Towcester,
Northamptonshire.
NN12 8TN.
Contact Circuit via Form
No telephone number or email address provided on their contents page. Just a form to fill in. Make of that what you will, but it reinforces my unprintable opinion. For test-day issues, such as having to cancel, a colleague guessed at, and was successful with, testing@silverstone.co.uk
Technical
The technical information has been extracted from the Motorsport UK Yearbook 2022. This edition was online at the time of writing, 28/01/2022.
Length: 1.64 miles, 2.64 km
Number of Starters
Racing & Sports Racing Cars over 2000cc: 34
Racing & Sports Racing Cars up to 2000cc: 36
Other Classes: 40
Speed Limits
Paddock Speed Limit: 5 mph
Access Roads Speed Limit: 20 mph
Pit Lane Speed Limit: 60 kph – 37.28 mph
Getting There
The above link provides a map and advice on how to access the circuit for competitors and spectators.
SatNav
Entering a post code into my satnav usually gets me there, but not always, so I also include GPS coordinates with this guide. What3Words are also an increasingly useful addition. I try to find a w3w location with at least one word that is related to motor racing; I also try to find short words or a humorous sentence.
I have also provided coordinates and What3Words for a position within the paddock. This could be useful as a meeting point for guests.
Circuit Entrance Coordinates
- DMS: 52°4’25.5″, -1°1’17.8″
- DD: 52.07375, -1.02161
- What3words: ///piston.rashers.gobbles
Paddock Coordinates
- DMS: 52°4’41.07″, -1°0’59.52″
- DD: 52.46462, 0.94812
- What3words: ///caravans.worth.treat
Useful Links and Information
Google Map of Paddock and Pits
Official Details on Disabled Facilities
Marshal Posts
The above link provides comprehensive details on the marshal posts for this configuration.
Not all marshal posts are for the displaying of flags, whilst not all flag posts are necessarily in use. The minimum requirement is for each flag post having a clear view of the previous and following posts. The above link is to a page showing a large map of all flag posts on the circuit, along with a description of post.
It is important for the drivers to familiarise themselves with the location of all flag posts. This is usually done, for a race, on the green flag lap where drivers, having lined up on the grid in starting order, then set off and drive the circuit at a sensible and controlled pace that is set by either the pole-position person or a safety/course car. On that lap, every manned flag post displays a waved green flag, allowing the driver to memorise all positions. Memorising those posts in advance can be helpful. A similar display takes place for other sessions, such as qualifying, but the flags are only displayed long enough for cars that are released onto the circuit at the start of that session; latecomers need to have already done their research.
Track Limits
There are track limits sensors on the exit of the following corner:
- Copse
Paddock Facilities
The above link provides a tour of the paddock facilities, along with pit access, grid details and more.
Camping
The best information that I could find is that Silverstone does not like tents on-site and does not approve of them. I’d love to be corrected, but I did not see any camping during my last visit.
Showers and Toilets
The main toilet/shower block is located at the end of the block that separates the pits paddock and the outer paddock. It is at the opposite end of this block to the café and is next to the petrol station.
Toilets can also be found at the café, in the garages. Spectators can also find a toilet block by the trailer paddock, opposite the approximate midpoint between Copse and Maggotts.
Waste Facilities
I found disposal facilities for waste oil and chemical toilet waste in one place only, in the upper paddock. From the petrol station or toilets, go south to the second and third rows, which are separated by a narrow strip that contains water and electricity points. The chemical waste point is located at about the centre, with the waste oil point slightly to the west (left, when looking towards the garages.
Recycling Facilities
There are no recycling facilities. Or at least I could not find any evidence, and I did look. Silverstone is not alone in this shameful attitude towards the environment.
Electricity
The paddock electricity supply is predominantly 3-phase, the meaning of which I do not fully understand. What it boils down to is that it is a RED outlet as opposed to the usual BLUE. A convertor can be purchased, from an outlet just outside of the circuit, for around £20.
There are plenty of electricity points throughout the paddock.
Water
There are plenty of water taps throughout the paddock.
Refreshments, Bar and Shop
The main Woodcote café is located at the end of the block that separates the pits paddock and the outer paddock. It is at the opposite end of this block to the toilets and is attached to a shop.
Spectating Points
The above link provides comprehensive details on all spectating points around the circuit.
Official Locations
| Signing On | Race Control Building. Either the ground floor or first floor. Some events could have signing on in the garage closest to Race Control. |
| Race Admin | Race Control Building. First floor. |
| Race Control | Race Control is in its own block right at the east end of the garages. When looking at the garages from the paddock, Race Control is on the left. |
| Clerk of the Course | Race Control Building. First floor. |
| Timekeeping | Race Control Building. Second floor. |
| Medical Centre | To get here from Race Control, head directly away from the circuit and garage block, to the access road that passes by the café, on the left. From here go south (same direction, away from Race Control). The road will bear left and then you will see the Medical Centre on the right. This is on the route to noise testing and the Assembly Area. |
Race Locations
| Scrutineering | The first two or three garages are usually assigned to Scrutineering and Parc Ferme. When looking at the garages from the paddock, the scrutineering garages are the rightmost. |
| Noise Test | Located at the entry to the Assembly Area. To access from the paddock, drive to the access road that runs from the paddock to Race Control, passing by the café. From here go south (away from Race Control). The road will bear left and then you will see the Medical Centre on the right. Immediately after the Medical Centre, turn right for the Assembly Area. This is where noise testing takes place. |
| Assembly Area | Located between the Medical Centre and the race track at the end of Wellington Straight. To access from the paddock, drive to the access road that runs from the paddock to Race Control, passing by the café. From here go south (away from Race Control). The road will bear left and then you will see the Medical Centre on the right. Immediately after the Medical Centre, turn right (where noise testing takes place. This leads into the long Assembly Area. The Assembly Area runs from the Medical Centre up to the Brooklands Grandstand, which overlooks the exit from the Assembly Area to the circuit. A track day alternative to to have direct access to the pit lane from the paddock. Access is usually between the two garage blocks, opposite the fuel station. |
| Parc Ferme | The first two or three garages are usually assigned to Scrutineering and Parc Ferme. When looking at the garages from the paddock, the Parc Ferme garages are the rightmost. To access from the race circuit, enter the pits and drive past both sets of garage blocks. Parc Ferme is just after, on the right. |
| Pit Lane | The pit lane and garages are at the northern end of the paddock. For unofficial sessions, such as a test day, access to the pit lane from the paddock area is via western end of the garages, which is to the left as you look at the garages from the paddock. Access is also from between the two garage blocks and at the eastern end, between the end of the garages and Parc Ferme. Circuit Access From the pit lane, drive past the garages on the right, staying within the 60kph speed limit. Obey marshals and traffic lights before continuing onto the pit exit lane. Circuit Exit On exiting Luffield, stay right, to be clear of the racing line. Raise a hand to indicate that you are pitting and reduce speed as you enter the pit lane. |
| Starting Grid | Rear of Grid The final row on a full grid is just after the start of the barrier that separates the circuit from the pit access lane. Where the initial barrier ends and another starts is a good marker, for the last row is around a car-length ahead. Front of Grid and Starting Lights The front of the grid is directly before the large, difficult to miss, overhead gantry, below which are the starting lights. There are no repeater starting lights. |
Petrol Availability
For the National paddock, petrol is available. The station is located in the middle of the paddock, between the café/shop block and the toilets/showers block. It is accessible from the southern part of the paddock (the pits are to the north).
The closest petrol station, time-wise, from the circuit is a BP station. The nearest Shell station, which I believe sells 98-RON petrol is just over ten minutes away.
BP
North, 5.1 miles; around 9 minutes
A43 North Bound,
Towcester.
NN12 6TQ.
Shell
North, 6.2 miles; around 11 minutes
Shell, Watling Street,
Towcester.
NN12 6HN.
Information Pack
Here are the latest copies of all the personalised files that make up my Information Pack.
- Information Pack
- Timetable
- Motor Racing Checklist
- Lap Times Spreadsheet
- Directions and Paddock
- Marshal Posts
Return to the Circuits page.
Page updated by Peter Tattersall, April 2024