The Luxury Traveler’s Guide to the British GP

Whilst Lewis Hamilton claimed his 9th win on home soil at Silverstone, Jetset Magazine watched trackside to discover just how to watch the British Grand Prix like an elite traveler.

On a former RAF base in the middle of the English countryside, Grand Prix racing has been making history since 1948. World Champions and legends of the sport have all made names for themselves here: Lewis Hamilton, David Coulthard, Ayrton Senna, Jackie Stewart, Jim Clark. This fast, historic circuit is a favorite for drivers and fans alike, and notoriously difficult to get tickets for. Bringing with it an iconic glitz and glam to rival any of the flashiest tracks throughout the season, from Monaco to Las Vegas to Abu Dhabi, and often draws out the A-list crowd in spades.

Of course, with that comes some of the best hospitality on the F1 calendar. Revered by regulars, sought-after by first-time grid wanderers, The British Grand Prix certainly delivers a special experience when done right. To find out how, Jetset Magazine set out on adventure up into the Cotswolds and the honey-hued village of Silverstone, to experience the best the British Grand Prix has to offer. This is your first-person guide to watching the British GP like an elite traveler.

Arriving in style

Most choose to arrive by car, and so did we. Since we were headed to one of the track’s top tier hospitality venues, our tickets came with VIP parking. This is a must. It’s only around 60 minutes south of Birmingham and 90 minutes north of central London if you drive, but if you’re in something a little sexier – choose a route with the roads to match. We arrived in an Aston Martin DBX707; devastating horsepower for the journey up through the twisties, with millisecond precision adaptive suspension, and chunky enough to tackle a wet and rainy field to park in. Hospitality parking is practically opposite the entrance gate, inside the track gates, unlike public parking or the park and ride which can take up to 45 minutes to get to the track from. You’ll be entering the track alongside the likes of McLarens, Ferraris and maybe even a driver or two (we saw Lando in a limited-edition chromed Shelby Cobra).

But if driving, or even being chauffeured, really isn’t your style, Silverstone has a permanent helipad and those in the know will often touch down by chopper on one of the track’s many VIP shuttle flights. You’ll take off from a discreet heliport in the Oxfordshire countryside, after a champagne breakfast.

Into a world of style

Silverstone is a huge circuit, and it takes about an hour to walk around the outside from one end to another. There are plenty of incredible corners and grandstands to watch from, like Woodcote and Farm Curve. But we were destined for the prestigious Fusion Lounge, run by MATCH Hospitality, the track’s top hospitality venue aside from getting paddock-side. Just before Vale, the final technical part of the track before the finish line, it sits merely 20m or so from the asphalt. Only a personal invite to one of the team garages or The Paddock Club, or a room at the Hilton on the Hamilton Straight, does one better.

We quickly found gate six, a small, secluded entrance reserved purely for hospitality guests. No queues. No hassle. A quick dash over to Copse tunnel to get under the circuit and make use of our exclusive inner-track access, and we were on the complimentary shuttle to The Fusion Lounge. No sooner than we’d taken in the filling grandstands across the track, we’d arrived and were welcomed by a team of hostesses running a slick operation. In we go, wristband on, lanyard draped over our necks, and around the corner into a vast hospitality tent clad with six-seater tables and silverware, high-end chef stations, big screens, a live DJ and F1 simulators.

A decadent feast

Whilst the day’s feature races laid rubber down on the track outside – the F2 and the Porsche Carrera Cup – rain doing all it could to remove it as it lashed down on the tarmac, we lazily sat back at our table for some lunch. The Fusion Lounge is possibly the best hospitality tent for catering in the entire season, or so we were told by a guest that regularly traveled to every race on business. Another told us we “wouldn’t stop eating for the whole day.” They weren’t wrong. There were over six chef stations laying on feasts that spanned artichoke Caesar salads, freshly made Italian pea ravioli, roasted beef shin, charcuterie, hand-wrapped California rolls and pork belly Asian bao buns from the grill. I’m hungry just writing about it now. To wash it all down, we were supplied with free-flowing Ferrari Trento Champagne, beer, wine and English Garden cocktails.

The rain now stopped, outside the garden terrace was coming alive with live saxophone, more street food and the sounds and smells of screaming engines and burning rubber. The F1 cars were now on track, warming up for the epic battle yet to come. We took our place on cushioned sofas overlooking the short straight before Vale, whilst the Red Arrows danced overhead. We were so close, in fact, we could see the whites of Lando Norris’s eyes as he paraded around the track in an open-top McLaren.

Up close and personal

As the drivers prepared, former Haas Team Principal Guenter Steiner took to the stage in the middle of the Fusion Lounge for an up close and personal interview with Jodie Kidd, in a way only Guenter can deliver. This was top tier access, the fans across the road from us could only really dream of from their tightly packed grandstand seats.

No sooner than one spectacle had ended, the next was about to get underway. Lights out. Silverstone roared into action, Formula 1 cars ripping past our previously sedate and comforting sun deck. A stone’s throw from the action, the English Pimms was flowing. Afternoon tea was being served, with tea and fancies on decadent five-tier towers, from scones with jam and cream to passion fruit possets and colorful cheese boards. As Lewis Hamilton made history with a 9th home win at Silverstone, we celebrated with loud cheers and the clink of Champagne flutes in style. Fans basked in the Briton’s glory as the podium celebrations were played out on the big screens around The Fusion Lounge.

The party after the party

After the race, there are plenty of after parties to go to. You could end up at the Mahiki after party, perhaps, or the main stage in the thick of it if you prefer. But at The Fusion Lounge a private after party had gotten underway. After trying our hand at Silverstone on one of the many F1 simulators lining the hospitality tent (and failing), we found the ‘main stage’ trackside, where a live band had started blasting out chart-topping classics on a violin, saxophone, drums, and keyboard.

The crowd merrily bobbed and threw its hands in the air, whilst the outdoor BBQ continued to fire up burgers and bao buns for those that had started to get the munchies after one too many. Though the track’s sponsorship hoarding had already begun to pack down, with cranes and utility vehicles now flooding the circuit and the grandstands empty, the atmosphere here was still buzzing. And the bars still churning out unlimited booze. This would certainly be a race to remember, and one that will go down in history as the most luxurious British Grand Prix this Jetset writer has ever been to.

The Fusion Lounge is run by MATCH Hospitality. You can book tickets for next year here.

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