So I'm trying to make the trip as economical as possible. Finally got a ticket for the main race on Padang grandstand.

I saw that the race starts at 8pm local time, so probably will finish around 10pm? Let's say if I'm able to carry my bag (will be traveling lite) and head straight to the airport, will I be able to make it to a 1:45 AM flight on Monday? What would be the best method to reach Changi from Padang grandstand?

Me and my friend was super sleepy when buying budapest go travel passes at the airport and messed up. we bought the wrong one, we got Budapest pass instead of Pest pass and lady in customer service booth said it was impossible to refund and get the other pass.

Any advice on how we can get to hungagoring using the budapest pass, preferably avoiding taxies. We looked at google maps and think the closest we can get with pest pass is the Ilonatelep stop?

Any advice would be much appreciated, the transport here is really confusing (⁠@⁠_⁠@⁠)

Im visiting for first time, any recommendations for the general access? Any good place to have a nice view?

Thanks!

Hello so we are staying in Budapest and don't really understand how to get to the track for High Speed Test on thursday. On the site there's something about a Volanbusz that runs in thursday but other than that I don't really know how/when/where. If anyone knows or has some guidance we would really appreciate it.

Thanks!

Hi folks, my partner, myself and our son are looking for a simple explanation on what passes we need to buy to use the metro and hev stations

We are staying in district 11, does this mean we need to buy the pest county pass and also the budapest pass?

Hi all! Looking to attend my first Grand Prix in Vegas this November but trying to determine if there are restaurant packages that will offer great views and vibes and whether that might be the way to go instead of the grandstands?

Anyone been to any that they recommend or have any tips for a newbie? Thanks!

Kit: A6000, 18-105mm F4, 200-600mm F5.6

TLDR; Highly recommend, if youre okay with a bit of hiking and running around. If youre just going for general admission, I recommend getting there early and finding a nice spot on one of the many hills. Attached at the end of the photo roll is the map with my recommended sections.

Asked some questions about the topic here before, figured Id give my insight upon experiencing it! The track was absolutely amazing, with plenty of spots for photos.

Friday: We managed to sneak into a grandstand, but because not everyone will be able I didnt include those photos. We ended up going to the tall hill by Pouhon, and found a nice area near the top to get shots of the cars entering the section / as they went through it (see photos 3-5). Afterwards we went to the otherside of the grandstand, where there is a smaller hill that just barely clears the fence, but worked nicely for some head-on shots (see photo 2). It was a bit of a trek to get to those spots, and the tall hill had quite a few people on it. Had to wait a while to get a clear shot.

Saturday: Saturday we got there a little late, but we made it work. First spot was up by the Eau Rouge / Raidillion grandstand, at the top of the hill / beginning of the straight. Here there was a spot just off the footpath behind the grandstand, that allowed you a view over the fence. This allowed you limited angles of the cars as they came down the old pit lane straight, as well as up by La Source. I unfortunately dont have any photos ready from those sections, Ill add them once they are. Afterwards we went to the hill along the Kemmel straight, where we were able to get some nice shots of the F2 cars coming up over Raidillion, and panning shots along the straight. Afterwards we walked all the way around the track, looking for a good spot, not finding many. Finally we settled by Campus / Stavelot, next to the grandstands there. I was able to get good shots of the back of the cars going around the turn and onto Blanchimont. However, probably the second best spot I found all weekend, was up between the two grandstands up at the top of the hill. There was a small group of people set up with chairs, less than 10 of them, and when I looked there was a perfectly clear shot onto the short straight into Campus (see photos 1, 6, 7). Along the hill next to the grandstands would probably be a good spot, but it was very busy over there so we didnt try.

Sunday:

Sunday we decided to not do photography during the race (regret it myself, my father simply wanted to watch the race without running around). We watched the F3, F2 and Porsche cup race from a small section on the inside of Fagnes, right before the Verstappen grandstand section began. Here there were photo holes in the fence, and almost no one around. Allowed for some very nice side profiles, as well as rear shots as they went along past the chicane. Highly recommend spending some time in this spot if you can, esspecially if youre a videographer.

Anyways, hopefully this helps someone. Very enjoyable first GP experience, and if youre interested to see the rest of my photos, I have a photographt insta account, yakos.photos

Cheers!

At Spa, I had a Champions Club Eau Rouge lanyard and was able to freely access the F2, F3, and paddock area.

I’m planning to attend Zandvoort, Monza, and Madrid next. Is this access specific to Spa, or is it possible at other circuits as well?

By the way, I’m planning to use Race Home hospitality at Zandvoort and Race Club hospitality at Monza. Would those be enough to access the F2, F3, and F1 Academy paddocks, or would I need an additional pass or a different hospitality package?

Having attended Spa for the first time last weekend (my sixth GP overall), and after reading many reviews, I wanted to ask what people think about whether Spa (and other energy-limited tracks) is still worth attending under the current regulations.

I watched FP1 from Pouhon (Double Gauche), FP2 from Stavelot, and all the remaining sessions from Silver 1.

I have to say I was really disappointed by how slowly these power-starved cars crawled through some sections of the circuit. When I arrived at Pouhon on Friday, my heart honestly sank. What used to be one of the most challenging and spectacular corners on the calendar has effectively become a harvesting zone, with the cars visibly nowhere near the limit.

Stavelot was slightly better, as a few drivers struggled with track limits there and the cars didn't look quite as much "on rails". Silver 1 is a decent grandstand, but even there, seeing the constant flashing red harvesting lights through Eau Rouge made that section feel far less spectacular than it should. Throughout the weekend, I rarely had the feeling that I was watching F1 cars being driven anywhere near their limit.

Spa is still Spa—an iconic, fascinating and wonderful circuit—so I'm glad I went. But I honestly can't see myself returning while these regulations remain in place.

What do others think?

From what I've heard, Silverstone wasn't as badly affected as many feared, but I can't imagine Monza makes for a particularly good spectacle under these regulations either.

Hey guys!

First time posting on this subreddit.

Please let me know if I can share a link to my blog with more photos.

Anyway, I enjoyed my first F1 event.

------------------

This is a childhood dream. My first, and certainly not my last, Formula 1 event. As we’re living in Belgium, it was obvious – dare I say, convenient – to pop our F1 cherry at the longest track with the shortest name in the 2026 calendar: the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

I bought tickets without any prior research. On 3 August 2025, I decided that enough is enough. I’d followed Formula 1 during the early 2000s with Michael Schumacher dominating, and now with Max Verstappen showing utter brilliance behind (almost any) wheel, I need to experience this in person. Two bronze weekend tickets secured for the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix.

What is a bronze ticket? A bronze ticket is a general admission ticket, meaning you don’t have a seat at any of the grandstands, but you can sit almost anywhere else. A weekend ticket covers Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

TIP! Learn from my mistake and buy tickets from the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps website instead of Formula 1 Tickets. You’ll save €50 per ticket. Last time I checked, bronze tickets were still available on the Thursday before race weekend. It doesn’t matter if you buy a year in advance or the day before.

Is it worth buying bronze tickets at Spa? In my humble opinion, yes – especially if you’re going for the first time, as you’re able to explore the whole track. With a seated ticket, chances are you wouldn’t venture far.

We explored. On Friday, we were mainly at the first sector – the Kemmel Straight and around Eau Rouge–Raidillon. On Saturday, we found a decent spot in the second sector at the Double Gauche, and on Sunday we started in the forest next to the Double Gauche before relocating to the third sector at Blanchimont, next to the chicane. As you’ll see below, it was worth it. Over the whole weekend we visited all three sectors – something we probably wouldn’t have managed with seated tickets.

Yes, we walked a lot. Yes, being in decent shape helps, but it’s certainly not mandatory – we saw people on crutches making their way up to the Kemmel Straight. Those who know how steep that climb is will appreciate the effort. And there were plenty of, how shall I put this, people with a high body mass index. Hiking shoes are useful, but any comfortable footwear will do. Also, be prepared to inhale a lot of dust. That’s inevitable.

TIP! Find a spot where you can see a big screen, and don’t rely solely on speakers. At Blanchimont we had a screen but no working speakers. At both the Kemmel Straight and the Double Gauche, we had both. You can of course watch the track while following along on F1TV, but that might ruin the magic. Commentary alternates between English, French, and Dutch, so be prepared to test your linguistic skills.

Is the shuttle worth it? We live in Brussels, so we took the city shuttle from Brussels North/South station. The bus was comfortable, with plenty of legroom and good (perhaps too good) air conditioning. Brussels to the circuit takes roughly three hours. It departs Brussels at 06:30, arrives at Spa around 09:00, and leaves Spa at 19:00 – back in Brussels by around 21:30–22:00.

TIP! If you’re considering the shuttle, I preferred Brussels North. Getting in and out of the city is quicker than from Brussels South. We used Brussels North on Friday. The price? €75 per person return. Worth it.

What are the food and drink options? Food and drink at the track are plentiful.

TIP! Bring your own food and a plastic or metal bottle – water refill stations are dotted all around. You can of course buy burgers, hot dogs, pizzas, pasta, kebabs, and more. But you’ll pay for it.

€8 for fries and sauce; €5 for Pepsi; €16 for a pita; €6.30 for a waffle; €16 for a burger. Just bring sandwiches and drink water.

Any feedback on WC facilities? If you have a small bladder or a sensitive stomach, stay calm. Toilet facilities at the track are plentiful and surprisingly clean – I saw an army of cleaners keeping things in order even after a crowd with multiple beers in their system. Getting to those facilities, though, is another matter. If you’re at the Kemmel Straight or the Double Gauche on race day, somewhere in the middle of the Bronze area, it will be a challenge. Blanchimont is slightly easier. The woods are more accessible, if you know what I mean, and people aren’t packed in quite as tightly (unless you want a view of the chicane).

TIP! Bring a foldable chair. You can sit on the ground, but a chair makes a huge difference for your back. People were setting up chairs on the most unlikely surfaces – when the incline looked too steep, someone always found a way. I’ll admit I used rocks on Saturday to level mine out, or I’d have slid forward all afternoon.

Can I buy official merchandise at the track? The rumours on Reddit are true: official merchandise at the track carries a markup of around 20%, if not more. Better to buy online. Unless you’re after older stuff – we found an outlet store with discontinued and previous-season items. We bought jackets. I also found a deck of cards at the Spa merchandise store. The collection keeps growing.

When you attend a Formula 1 event, you get more than just Formula 1. Alongside the main event, there’s Formula 2, Formula 3, and the Porsche Supercup. For any racing enthusiast, it’s a treat. The smell of rubber and exhaust, the sound of high-pitched engines, and the sheer speed of it all – especially Formula 1 – is something else.

So I'm currently looking for Saturday ticket

Premier Walkabout: $398

Zone 4 Walkabout: 298

Padang: 378

Stamford: 328

Is there any reason why Premier Walkabout is more expensive than the 2 grandstands? Also Zone 4 walkabout is not much cheaper than Stamford. Wouldn't it make more sense just to get the Stamford grandstand?

This is my first time trying to go to Singapore GP so trying to understand.

Tickets: For our first grand prix experience we did General admission (as two broke students) for only the Sunday. We were fortunate to be able to keep costs low by staying with relatives.

TLDR: We had a great time! The Fagnes area is very underrated, nice and quiet but had a great view albeit not an overtaking area. Shuttles worked well and the day generally went smoothly.

Transport

We took the Eurostar on the Saturday (cheaper) and then were lucky enough to be driven to Verviers from where we stayed (Leuven area). We then got the shuttle buses which were generally good. Both on the way there and the way back we were the last people to get on so stood in exactly the same place by the door/driver. Do not expect orderly queues when the buses open their doors. As British people this was alarming. We bought tickets in advance online but they were never checked at any point (goodbye 30 euros). We exited the circuit fairly early so didn't queue for long on the way back. It is then about a 30-40 minute walk between the track and drop off point but this is manageable. We arrived at around 9:30 having gotten the shuttle at 8 in the morning.

Preparations

We were unsure about what shoes to wear as some sources seemed to imply hiking/walking boots were needed. We were lucky with the weather on Sunday as it was both cool and dry, but found that literally nobody was wearing anything of the sort. Our normal trainers (Reeboks etc.) served us just fine even through the ardennes. Our microfiber towel that we sat on was very helpful, and we didn't need a camping chair, although in some areas this would have been necessary to see. If you can be bothered to carry it around, probably a good investment. We brought both raincoats and suncream and for a while did think we'd need both! It was hot in direct sunlight but thankfully it was a nice temperature for walking around. Taking disposable cameras is also fun!

Location

The most tricky part of GA was obviously finding where to sit that wasn't obstructed. We started looking at around 10am, and obviously people had been finding seats since around 7, so make sure you get a spot early especially on race day! Pouhon was incredibly crowded, with not much space to even walk up and down to look for a spot. Views looked good but far away and there were several lines of camping chairs blocking us from even attempting to sit there. We didn't see kemmel but imagine it was the same.

HOWEVER we then decided to look further away at Paul Frère and Fagnes, which was much better! We had seen barely anybody talk about going to this end of the circuit but we were really pleased with where we sat. We could see turn 13 and the straight after going into turn 14. It was a really clear and close view of the cars (we were excited that we could see their helmets really easily). We did get up to see more clearly and take photos by the fence but there was only one(!) row of chairs so that was fine, and could still see from where we were. This is a really underrated place to sit, especially if everywhere else is busy (people are too lazy to walk to it!) There weren't any loud speakers but there were no big screens. We could hear the 17-27 stand, but it wasn't that loud so not annoying. Would reccomend to fans who want a less crowded and quieter experience (still with good atmosphere and views).

Podium/after the race

We set off at about lap 36 but didn't manage to get to the podium/access the track invasion, however it was unlikely that we would have made it from many GA spots (this is obviously easier if you're in a stand close to the start-finish). As Charles and Max fans we were a bit gutted not to see the podium but we felt it was worth it because we were so pleased with our spot. We did try to get on the track when we got back maybe 20-30 minutes after the race ended, but the track security said they only let people on for 5/10 minutes. Again was a bit disappointing but we were happy with our spot and had a great time!

Amenities/Fanzone

Toilets were fine and easy to find, the water stations were good too (nice and cold) but slightly harder to find. We brought food with us so only bought a pastry in the morning and a soda just before we left for morale. We didn't do much fanzone stuff as queues for pit stop challenge and sims were already big when we arrived but one of us did do the Blast Lane thing - "I wonder why the queue for this is so short?" We thought to ourselves given that none of the other queues were. Turns out people don't do it for a reason and the reason is because it feels HORRENDOUS. (Guess I'll never be an f1 driver) It basically suffocates you for a few seconds after you sign your life away with a waiver, plus you look very silly. Anyway I'm exaggerating a little but do not recommend.

Overall experience

Given that this was our first grand prix we thought it went pretty well and we had an amazing time! We did about 32k steps by the end of the day. Next time I don't think we would get GA again but we felt it was a rite of passage and Spa is a good track for it given its grandeur and the nice surroundings (we liked walking through the forest). Despite not having a big screen near us we found it pretty easy to follow the race using the live timing on f1tv and having an airpod in haha. We could be being naive but it also felt very safe and not like our stuff was in danger of getting stolen! Next time we're considering Monza or Austria and will probably get a grandstand there but that will be more expensive anyway as we were lucky to have relatives to stay with in Belgium. We love Spa!

Last year I was talking to a mate and he was telling me he went to lots of races and had absolutely no good way of remembering them all.
Most people probably still use the Notes app, so over the last few months I built GridLog - I posted the web app here a few months ago and now it's here!

It's a bit like Letterboxd but for tracks and races. You can log every event you've attended, see your stats, track circuits and countries, upload photos and build a bucket list. It's just launched on the App Store (Android is on it's way! - if you'd like to be part of the Android beta test drop me your email in dm) and I'd really appreciate feedback from people who actually spend weekends at circuits.

Any feedback (good or bad) would be hugely appreciated.

‎GridLog App - App Store

Hey all, never been to a race before and super stoked! Can some of you vets let me know if or what Im missing on my packing list?

• Binoculars
• Battery fan
• Umbrella
• Sunscreen
• Water bottle
• Camera
• Hat
• Sunglasses
• Power bank
• Earplugs
• Poncho
• Wet wipes
• AirPods
• Wired headphones
• Lanyard

Also any LPTs for the experience?

See you there soon!

Tickets: Gold 3, Fri-Sun

Accomodation: Yellow campsite, tickets bought via the Spa GP website

TLDR: phenomenal track, brilliantly organised (though it sounds like we benefitted from Gold ticket amenities), entry on foot was quick and easy. Would camp again for the convenience but pay more for better facilities.

We've been to Silverstone before (our home race) but have never stayed away for a race weekend before, so this was an adventure!

ACCOMODATION

Absolutely dire 😅 we now know why this was the cheapest camping pitch we could buy. Toilets were 10x portaloos between 200-300 campers (people resorted to shitting in the surrounding fields; ask my shoes how I know). The showers were hot on Thurs-Fri and cold for the rest of the weekend and while I'm sure it was quieter than Green campsite, people were still playing music on car stereos until gone midnight. Fine if you don't mind slumming it, but we're not seasoned campers and would pay more for better amenities another time.

TRAVEL

We took the Eurotunnel from the UK which was really easy overall, though our train was massively delayed on the way out so we arrived about 2-3hrs later than we'd planned. Entering / leaving the campsite on Thurs / Mon was super easy, no problem with directions and no traffic.

For getting to the track, the time from leaving our tent to sitting down at Radillion (including the walk and waiting at the gate) it was maybe 50mins, even on the Sunday. We were in our seats for the first on-track action of the day with no problems. Same with leaving the track. (Caveat that we're relatively fit with no additional accessibility needs; the hills are very steep and we saw others struggling).

GOLD 3

Best decision we made when planning this trip. You don't see much overtaking obviously but watching the cars blast up that hill was as incredible on Sunday afternoon as it was on Friday morning. We could've sat there for a week. You could even see a little bit of the bus stop chicane over the trees from where we were in D block about half way up the stand. There's a screen right opposite which made the race easy to follow despite us only being able to understand 1/4th of the commentary (and that 1/4th being pretty useless).

My only gripe was the DJ on the stage opposite the stand who thought it was 3am in Ibiza, not 9am in Belgium. I was putting earplugs in for the DJ sets and taking them out again for the sessions (I wish I was kidding) and they played music over the top of race build-up that we wanted to listen to.

TRACK AMENITIES

Really impressive. We love Silverstone but the facilities are a bit tired and Spa was much more polished by comparison. The Fan Zone area also had a misting station and SPF dispensers when it was very hot on Friday, and water stations were everywhere. I do think we benefitted from Gold ticket access though - whole areas are ticketed instead of just the grandstand, and the facilities in GA areas like the Kemmel Straight were more basic. I've gotta say the toilets in Gold 3 were the nicest and cleanest ones we had access to all weekend 😂

FOOD / DRINK

Pretty reasonable prices (caveat that we're used to UK event prices which are extortionate) with a decent range of stuff available. We mostly ate in the Gold 3 section where the queues weren't too bad. I'm gluten intolerant and brought my own food most of the time, though allergen advice was given at stalls when we asked. My husband said the waffles were good.

ADVICE

- There were no shops within walking distance of Yellow camping that we could find, so shop before you arrive.

- Bring warm clothes, or a blanket if you don't want to spoil your outfit! Saw so many people clearly absolutely freezing in the grandstand on Sunday.

- For grandstand seats, these gel cushions were the single best purchase we've made. They've come with us to Silverstone for the last few years and are still going strong:

Always happy to answer other questions!

Hello!

I’m leaving tomorrow midday after my vacation.
Is there still anything to do today or tomorrow morning that has to do with f1 here in Budapest?

Thanks!

Hi guys, I’m rather randomly going to be in Budapest for work from Saturday, and I thought, “why not?” and bought a ticket on Viagogo (pray for me?) for Sunday's race.

I do watch and follow F1, but I wouldn’t call myself a die-hard fan, otherwise I’d have known there was a GP in Budapest while I was supposed to be there. This would be my first F1 race live, so I’m pretty excited as well. I’ve only been once to see WEC in Imola in 2025, and it was awesome.

However, since I’m there for work, I’ll be on my own. I’d love to join anyone if there are other solo travelers or a welcoming group around. I think that would also make sense for splitting taxis and/or not spending the whole day alone. I’m Italian (Ferrari Italian, not Kimi Italian, sorry), 28, male, comfortable in English and/or Italian, and happy to share any detail, phone nr., etc. privately.

If you can’t really help me, I’d still love any tips on how to make the most of it even if I’m on my own. Thanks a lot, and maybe see you guys there!

First time going, taking my dad.

Obviously the grand stand tickets haven't come out yet, but are the packages like Club Silverstone worth it in comparison to lets say getting your own ticket in a grandstand like Club corner worth it?

Or is it best to get grandstand & buy extras?
Thanks

Budget - ideally around £1200-1500 all in for 2x

Hi guys. I’ll be arriving in Budapest at 11am on Saturday so looking to see what would be the fastest way to the track so I don’t miss qualifying. Arriving on the bus from Vienna airport. Would public transport be the best option ? Thanks

Here’s an unorthodox GP review for you all!

This is my 3rd race (Melbourne and COTA were the other two). Bought a ticket for Sunday only, Silver 1 Block D row 16 off StubHub on Friday. Paid $356 with fees but if you don’t know, Chase Sapphire Reserve has a $150 StubHub statement credit so that is nice.

Prepaid for parking in Yellow for €25 which was cheap (more on this later though…) and reserved a car at Schiphol.

Flew out of Boston on Saturday evening on a redeye to AMS on JetBlue. If you haven’t tried their Mint cabin, it’s fantastic.

Landed early and grabbed the car and set off at 10am. Traffic was easy the whole way but if you have never driven in the Netherlands, they are serious about speeding and have measured zones and speed cameras all over. Stick to the speed limit!

Used Waze to get to yellow parking which took me down some one-lane roads to a grassy field for parking. It was about a 30 min walk to the gate near turn 1 and another 10 minutes to Silver 1. All in all, very easy.

I went overboard with my camera equipment so I was a little concerned about security. Happy to report they were fine even though I had my canon R6 and 4 lenses including the giant 200-800mm! Your experience may be different but I didn’t get the sense that they were too concerned.

I was also thrilled to find out that row 16 is the last row. The stewards in the stands were actually making people sit down for the race so being in the last row meant I could stand on my seat - which is just a marked concrete slab - without disturbing anyone while I took pictures.

You can see the view in the attached pics. Basically you can see from turn 1 all the way down to the top of the hill. You also have the pit exit. Maybe one of the best views in all of F1 in my opinion even if you don’t get to see on-track passing.

There were speakers in row 1 and two video screens visible. Very easy to keep up with the entire race without having to resort to my phone. The broadcast was a mix of French, Flemish (I think?) and English. Made it interesting to follow along but I was able to get the gist of it.

Finally there were great food and drink options right behind the seats as well as restrooms inside the silver section which was very convenient. You could watch the race from the food line presumably- if there even was a line.

Track invasion happens at the opening behind turn 1 in front of Gold 7 and 8. I didn’t get there fast enough and got stuck in queue, head there early for this area if this is important to you.

Finally, it took about 1.5 hours to exit yellow parking and get out of Spa. I anticipated this and just hung out at my car after the race and watched people cut into line and jockey for position. My advice if you park, leave a cooler in the car and hang out a bit or better, stay in town until 2 hours after the race.

Flying home today so it was a quick 26 hour trip to Spa. Would I sit in silver 1 again? Definitely! Now that I’ve done it I suppose I may want to try a different location but I would certainly recommend it

Hi!

I've read a lot about public transportation to the track, but nothing about parking.

I'm going to be there on Saturday only and I'm arriving by car (driving from Slovenia) in the morning between 9 and 10 am.

Is there parking at all?

Thanks!

In short the track is amazing but BIG and steep, the organisation was amazing and vibe was great. Only issues I had were price really which was expected. There’s not really enough good things I can say. GA was nice but I’ll definitely be doing my best to get a grandstand for whatever race I attend next.

F3 and Porsche Super Cup are loud. I’m pretty good with noise and didn’t need ear plugs especially after getting used to the noise on the second day but I would definitely advise bringing them just in case. F2 is a bit loud depending on people’s tolerance but I’d say that and F1 are easily manageable without any noise reduction. If you have AirPods with transparency or noise reduction mode I’d also definitely bring those as being able to listen to classic f1 songs whilst hearing the cars go past is a 10/10 experience I can’t even begin to put into words.

Had GA tickets and stayed in yellow camping in C139

I’ll preface this by saying this was my first F1 race but I’ve been to other motorsport events so maybe some things were seen through rose tinted glasses.

Travel: We took the leshuttle from England and drove to Spa. Luckily the journey there was basically free and the total journey time was about 5 hours from London. I’ve seen a lot of people saying that the roads to get to Francorchamps are horrible or small but getting there we had essentially no traffic and went straight from the motorway to our camp in Francorchamps. When we left at around 6-7pm on Sunday there was traffic but it was nowhere near as bad as people had told us and made it out to be. We got to spa in about 45mins to an hour.

Accommodation: we camped and overall it was fine. Toilets were portable ones but seemed clean and people were respectful. They seemed to get cleaned enough to never become horrible. The only issue I can think of is that hot water ran out in the men’s toilets pretty quickly and washing hands was impossible or you had to go into the women’s toilets to wash hands. There was noise but as soon as the football ended on Saturday night the camp was almost silent.

Track and experience: unfortunately we missed the Friday and arrived on a Saturday at around 8:30-9am at the track and used the Ster entrance. We then went straight to the Kemmel straight and managed to get pretty good seats of the top of Eau Rouge/Radillion and the rest of the Kemmel straight. Food, water refills and toilets were well organised, available and there was a good number of them. We arrived a bit later than we wanted on Sunday at about 7:30 and GA was already packed full of people. We still managed to get decent seats but definitely could’ve been better especially when everyone stood up and the shorter people with me had to manoeuvre themselves a bit to see. Compared to other events I’ve been to the organisation, helpfulness of people there and overall vibe was amazing. The food options were pretty good but some things were priced a bit high (expected though). The marshals were also amazing and were doing Mexican waves and other dances with the whole of the straight before the race began.

Weather: we got super lucky and had virtually no rain. However Saturday was pretty warm and sunny the whole day whereas Sunday was a very mixed bag. The morning was absolutely frigid up until about 1pm where we had a bit of rain and then strong sun. I would definitely take advantage of the free sun cream they had in the fanzone as whilst I did have a sun hoody and sun cream my arms are still a bit burnt. I would definitely bring a waterproof jacket, warm jacket and some form of sun protection that isn’t an umbrella(luckily nobody seemed to have one this time as I’ve heard some horror stories of selfish people with them.)

Other things and advice:

Definitely buy merch beforehand. Markups were pretty high with at least a 20% markup on most things if not more. We got most things beforehand but forgot to buy hats so that ended up being about 140 euro on hats.

Definitely bring your own food and drinks if you want to save money.

Wear comfortable shoes. We did about 20-25k steps per day and even with my most comfortable shoes my feet were still pretty cooked by the end of the weekend.

For the track invasion definitely leave at least a lap or two before the end of the race. I actually nearly forgot about the track invasion but luckily the spa app sent a notification with instructions and a map showing what’s off limits and where on the track you can get access.

There’s a decent amount of freebies so definitely take advantage if you’ve got the time and means to get some free things.

F3 and Porsche Super Cup are loud. I’m pretty good with noise and didn’t need ear plugs especially after getting used to the noise on the second day but I would definitely advise bringing them just in case. F2 is a bit loud depending on people’s tolerance but I’d say that and F1 are easily manageable without any noise reduction. If you have AirPods with transparency or noise reduction mode I’d also definitely bring those as being able to listen to classic f1 songs whilst hearing the cars go past is a 10/10 experience I can’t even begin to put into words.

I’m sure I’ve forgotten something so I’ll probably end up editing and adding stuff to this anyway.

This was my first outing at Spa. Overall, it was amazing. We sat in G3 on Friday and Saturday, and G8 on Sunday. I won't go into the details for the sections themselves as I've commented elsewhere about it and others may posted enough in the past about it.

The point of this post is about accomodation.

Knowing where we were sitting, and reading some (but apparently not all) comments about traffic and travel, I made an assumption that parking in the green zone, which is in a few spots around Malmady, given where I was staying, would be much better than dealing with traffic. Well, I was very wrong. I also booked accomodation somewhat late (in May) so that probably didn't help that much.

Unfortunately, the local police coordination with road closures and whatnot was a bit of a mess.

We stayed along the blue circle. It's hard to see, but the green circle below Les Combes is where the busses drop you off and it's a walk up the hill from there. Not terrible if you're capable. That said...

Getting to the various parking areas was easy...

Friday-we arrived for the shuttle at about 0900. Traffic was moderate, but the bus got there quickly enough. On the return, there was quite a queue for the return busses, and they drop everyone off at all three locations whereas the bus from the source only picks up folks from there and goes straight to the track. Traffic from the circuit to the drop off areas was moderate, but didn't take that long. But this is where the fun begins.

The solid red dot is where we were going to get back to the B&B. Unknown to us, the road was closed. But the local police, after explaining where we were staying let us through. It's a somewhat narrow road, but you can pass other traffic easily enough, which was a 100% solid line all the way up and past our B&B.

Saturday-traffic chaos. The busses did not have the same dedicated pathing as they did Friday. This was about the same time as Friday, perhaps a bit later. However, the return journey was a cluster. A solid line of traffic from the main road of towards the large yellow circle at the bottom. No dedicated bus route, so we were on the bus for a good 40min. They're not air conditioned well, so it will get hot. THEN...same journey to the blocked road and we were denied. What would be a five minute trip up the road would otherwise be over an hour due to local traffic management. The other route back, which would be via the large yellow circle and eventually the small yellow circle to the northeast had reportedly been blocked for non-local traffic heading in that direction. And by non-local, I mean if you actually live there, yes. If you're a GUEST there...no. Fortunately, we were able to wait for just a bit until 2000 local and then they let us up. Same solid line of oncoming traffic.

Sunday...a complete change. Granted we left early...got to the parking spot at about 0700. Completely clear from there to the drop off. The return? Again, completely clear for the bus.

Knowing we might have some difficulties, we went out to eat first and got back to the intersection in question at about 1930. However this time...nope. They wouldn't hear it. Several "local" cars were let through. The kicker, there was virtually no traffic coming down. Literally had several minute gaps before another couple of cars came down. But they were 100% not a chance until 2100! Another guy was there who tried to go the other way and was turned around as well. We were completely blocked from getting back to our accomodation. Needless to say, some complaints will be raised.

When speaking to the local police on site, they were not from the area and brought in from another region or what have you. So when attempting to get someone in any semblance of a position of authority...figurative and literal road block after road block.

So...avoid that area at all costs for the future. It falls into the bucket of it was a good idea at the time.

But...I did meet some great people on the trip. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to talk with him too long, but I did meet one of (or perhaps "the") official photographer of Williams. I would have loved to had a longer conversation, but he'd just arrived back and didn't want to take up too much of his time. We were talking about motorbikes first until he mentioned what he did. But I didn't dig too far.

TL;DR

Don't stay in the blue circled area or anywhere on that street as you'll not be able to get back to your accomodation until late.