Silverstone confirms capacity F1 crowd for British GP

Up to 140,000 spectators could be in attendance for the race on July 18 after the UK government included Silverstone on its list of pilot events for the return of spectators due to the Northamptonshire circuit being an open-air venue.

F1 revealed it had held “very productive discussions” with the UK government last week, with Silverstone officially announcing it has been given the green light to host a sell-out crowd on Thursday.

Ticket holders will need proof of a negative lateral flow test taken within 48 hours of arrival or proof of full vaccination if a second dose has been received at least 14 days prior to the first day of the event.

“This is something we have all been working towards for months and I cannot wait to welcome a full capacity crowd back to Silverstone this July,” said Silverstone Managing Director Stuart Pringle.

“Many of our fans rolled their tickets over from 2020 but they are now well placed to enjoy what is sure to be one of the highlights of the summer.”

Silverstone is set to be the second F1 race this year to host a capacity crowd, with next weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix also scheduled to be a sell-out.

Fans have been returning in small numbers at some events over the past year, while the majority of races have been held behind closed doors.

15,000 fans were permitted to attend each day of running at last weekend’s French Grand Prix.

It will make the British Grand Prix the highest-attended event held in the UK since the first lockdown last March.