Jun 112 min read

Tips for attending your first F1® race

I had the pleasure of attend my first F1® race and I thought I would put together some tips for attending your first F1® race. It can be overwhelming. Watching the race is the easy part, getting to and from and navigating the logistics is the hard part.

Tips for attending your first F1® race #1 – Prepare for the weather

You can’t possibly plan for every weather scenario but it could rain or it could be a sunny day. If you are in the grandstands, there is no shade and no way to protect you from the elements. You should definitely bring sunscreen. To protect from the rain, you can either bring a portable rain coat or purchase a disposable poncho. If you are visiting a city where the weather is interchangeable, a light wind breaker with a hood would be ideal.

Tips for attending your first F1® race #2 – Wear comfortable shoes

The track at a minimum it 2.9 miles around. To get to your seats, you will be walking. Wear comfortable shoes, be prepared to queue up going in and out.

Tips for attending your first F1® race #3 – Find ways to kill time

If you are going for three days, in between the practice sessions, qualifying, and the actual race, you will need to kill time. On Friday, I would suggest heading to the Fan Zone. As the weekend progresses more and more people will start to arrive and it will be crowded and you will have to queue up.

Tips for attending your first F1® race #4 – Transfers to the circuit

The best thing I did was to have the transfers to and from the circuit included. Instead of figuring out how to get to the track, all I had to do was to hop on a luxury motorcoach and it took me to the track. Then the motorcoach picked me up and dropped me back at the hotel. No need to call an Uber, not need to queue up in long lines for a taxi, and no need to walk more to the metro and queue up. I felt like the goal at a race was to minimize the queueing.

Tips for attending your first F1® race #5 – Book an F1® Experiences

Booking an F1® Experiences experience was the best decision I made. Accommodation was included as part of the F1® Experiences (which included transfers to the track). F1®Experiences can be arranged to not break your budget.

I did decide to book F1® Experiences MoneyGram Haas Team Suite, that gave me access to the Paddock Club™. Paddock Club™ includes hospitality, think a luxury box at a football game. The food is top notch and includes beer and wine. Within Paddock Club™, are team suites and with the MoneyGram Haas Team Suite, you receive a reserved seat at a table, daily gifts, a garage tour, and guest speakers. With Paddock Club™, you also receive access to pit lane walks to watch teams practice their pitting and a track tour.