The 2022 British Grand Prix attracted a weekend crowd of 401,000, breaking the 3-day attendance record for the event. Sunday’s race was attended by 142,000, making it the best-attended British Grand Prix in history.
142,000 Formula 1 fans were at Silverstone on Sunday to witness Carlos Sainz secure his maiden victory in the 2022 British Grand Prix. The total attendance over the three days of the British Grand Prix weekend was 401,000. The figure is up 55,000 on last year’s total.
This is the first time in British Grand Prix history that tickets for all three days of the race weekend sold out. 106,000 attended to watch Free Practice on Friday, while an estimated 130,000 were present for Saturday’s qualifying session.
Demand for tickets for the 2022 British Grand Prix was unprecedented. Tickets for the event sold out in record time, with all General Admission tickets having sold out before Christmas. All 142,000 seats for race day had sold out by mid-April, despite the addition of new grandstands for the 2022 event.
British Grand Prix weekend attendance figures
2022 is the first time in history that the British Grand Prix’s weekend attendance figure has exceeded 400,000. Since the circuit’s new layout came into use in 2010, the weekend figure has grown by almost 100,000.
The 2012 figure dropped below 300,000 due to the weekend being affected by heavy rain, which saw over 30,000 ticket holders advised to stay away from the track due to waterlogged car parks on qualifying day.
British Grand Prix race day attendance figures
With the exception of the 2020 British Grand Prix, which was held without spectators due to the coronavirus pandemic, race day attendance figures at Silverstone have hovered around 140,000 in recent years. The addition of new grandstands in 2022 – including the Stirling Grandstand, situated on the old pit straight, plus a new stand at the Luffield corner – allowed the number to grow to 142,000.
The British Grand Prix was the best-attended race weekend of the season in both 2018 and 2019. In 2021, the event lost its title of best-attended race, falling to third place behind the United States and Mexico. Despite this, the attendance figure continued to grow year-on-year.
The British Grand Prix has the largest race day attendance figure of the 2022 season so far, eclipsing the figure at the Australian Grand Prix by 14,000.
The Silverstone weekend ranks as the second-best attended race weekend of the season to date. It is behind only the Australian Grand Prix, which had a record weekend attendance of almost 420,000. However, in Australia, the attendance figure comprises of four days, whereas only Friday, Saturday and Sunday are included in the Silverstone count.
Arrests made following trackside incidents
The race weekend did not pass without incident trackside. Two men were hospitalised and four arrested after a fight broke out near the Fan Zone on Friday evening. On Sunday, a group of environmental protesters invaded the track at the start of the race. The incident was not picked up by TV cameras, as the race had been red-flagged following the first corner accidents of Zhou Guanyu and Alex Albon. Seven people were arrested following the protest.
Looking to the future at Silverstone
Ahead of the British Grand Prix weekend, Silverstone’s managing director Stuart Pringle said that the circuit is keen to sign a new long-term deal with Formula 1. Doing so would see the British track follow a growing trend of established circuits inking long-term contract extensions. The most recent to do so was Albert Park, which signed a new deal in June to keep the Australian Grand Prix at the Melbourne venue until at least 2035.
Pringle is also keen to grow the British Grand Prix weekend’s festival atmosphere. Plans are afoot to bring a greater number of “world class” musical acts to Silverstone in the coming years. In May, it was reported that music producer Jamie Scott is already working in collaboration with Silverstone on a large Thursday evening event to kick off the 2023 British Grand Prix weekend.
Example, Sigala, Bastille and Mabel all took to the stage over the 2022 British Grand Prix weekend, with the United Kingdom’s 2022 Eurovision act Sam Ryder singing the national anthem ahead of the race and performing on the main stage after the Grand Prix’s conclusion.
