- Fans’ focus switches to qualifying and practice -
Lewis confirms he’ll be “gunning for Pole Position” at Silverstone
Silverstone Circuits Limited has today announced that race day tickets for the Sunday of the 2008 FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX are now sold out. The event, taking place on 4-6 July, is one of the highlights of the UK sporting calendar and, following record levels of demand for tickets, British drivers Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and David Coulthard can now look forward to lining up on the start grid in front of packed grandstands and a capacity home crowd.
Jenson Button, David Coulthard and Lewis Hamilton (l to r) can look forward to a race day sell-out crowd for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone Nothing beats the exhilarating live experience of the British Grand Prix and with tickets for the Sunday sold out, fans wanting a taste of this year’s F1 action are now switching their attention to individual day tickets for both practice on Friday 4 and qualifying on Saturday 5 July.
Adult tickets are still available from as little as £49 for the Friday and £69 for the Saturday (child prices* are 50% of an adult ticket on both days), however, due to overwhelming levels of demand, only a limited number of tickets remain for qualifying on Saturday. Few of the 80,000 fans who attended qualifying in 2007 will forget the incredible atmosphere and spectacular scenes that followed Lewis Hamilton’s dramatic drive to claim pole position. Qualifying builds to an unbelievable climax and many fans have already re-booked their tickets for qualifying in ’08, hoping to re-live the tension and drama of last year. With this in mind, the advice from Silverstone to anyone wanting to attend practice or qualifying for the British Grand Prix is “book now to avoid disappointment”.
Looking back at his stunning qualifying performance at last year’s British Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton, who currently leads the 2008 FORMULA 1 Drivers’ Championship, commented, “I could feel it – I was thinking ‘this is going to be the lap’. I came across the line and remember the guys came on the radio and said, ‘Pole Position’. I could see the fans jumping and waving their flags. It’s different to when you’re in another country where you might see one or two flags - here you had the British flag everywhere and I knew, ‘yeah, this is where we’re supposed to be’.”
Looking ahead to qualifying at this year’s British Grand Prix, the Vodafone Mercedes McLaren driver added, “It is very, very exciting. Generally the driver only has one or two laps to really nail it and put the car on Pole. Obviously we did that last year and I’ll be gunning for that Pole Position this year.” Tickets for the Friday and Saturday also provide families, or anyone considering experiencing the Grand Prix for the first time, with a perfect opportunity to get a taste of live FORMULA 1 action. In addition to a wealth of entertainment away from the track, the on-track action is non-stop with two F1 practice sessions on the Friday; qualifying and a practice session on the Saturday; and top motorsport action from the various support races running throughout the weekend.
Family tickets** are available from as little as £109 for practice on the Friday and £159 for qualifying on the Saturday. A limited number of hospitality places are also still on offer.
Richard Phillips, Managing Director of Silverstone Circuits Ltd, commented: “The support for this year’s British Grand Prix has been exceptional. This is the earliest I can remember us selling out of race day tickets, but fans can still buy individual day tickets for qualifying on Saturday and practice on Friday. Qualifying, in particular, builds to an unbelievable climax and is a great day to experience. “The British fans are some of the most loyal and knowledgeable fans in the world and we are delighted that they have shown such overwhelming support for the event. A sell out crowd is exactly what Silverstone, Formula One, the drivers and, more importantly, the fans deserve. This clearly highlights the popularity and importance of the British Grand Prix.”
Tickets for the Friday and Saturday of the 2008 FORMULA 1 SANTANDER BRITISH GRAND PRIX are on sale 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can be booked at silverstone.co.uk, or by calling 08704 588 300. Booking fees do not apply when purchasing tickets online. For enquiries on Official 2008 F1 hospitality packages, call 08704 588 230, or for information on disabled facilities call 08704 588 232.
