In recent years, the Silverstone circuit has evolved into something far beyond a motorsport venue. During Formula 1 Grand Prix season, tents span as far as the eye can see and food trucks and bars line the tracks. You could be forgiven for thinking you’d accidentally entered a musical festival — and, in a way, you wouldn’t be wrong. In 2023, the circuit revamped their stage set-up, welcoming Calvin Harris, Black Eyed Peas and Tom Grennan to perform over race weekend. And this year, the calibre of talent is no different. On the opening Thursday night, Sam Fender — supported by Blossoms — kicked off the British F1 Grand Prix, and as the weekend progresses, acts from Raye, JADE, Fat Boy Slim and Becky Hill will follow.
Despite the F1 Grand Prix being one of the world’s most popular sporting events already, Silverstone has only gotten bigger since they changed their structure to a four-day set-up complete with live music — last year, the venue saw a record 480,000 attendees. And Thursday night proved exactly why this transformation has been so successful. The Geordie singer had a sea of people singing “Seventeen Going Under” back to him with even more enthusiasm than VIP Paddock Tour guests spotting Lewis Hamilton emerging from the Ferrari garage (although, admittedly, that still gets people going enough for the driver to have to escape from his adoring fans on a scooter, his security guard in tow).
That energy was also matched for the performance of Stockport-born band Blossoms, whose song ‘Charlemagne’ somehow always hits the same as it did when it first came out in 2016, and you were listening to it getting drunk in a field somewhere up north. But, of course, Silverstone is very different to your friend’s dad’s field — or the ones that host major music festivals, for that matter. A trip to Silverstone feels a little more sophisticated. And, whether you know all the F1 lore or not, there’s loads to do. Depending how much you want to cough up (it’s a notoriously expensive sport to be a fan of), you can take your own little trip on the track, check out the pit, or simply have lots of fancy food and drink at one of the exclusive hospitality venues, such as Escapade, which peers right over the race course.
So, whether watching Lando Norris on Chicken Shop Date is the full extent of F1 knowledge, or you’re a seasoned fan, this race weekend at Silverstone is going to be a fun one. From Raye and JADE’s Friday night performances to The Streets frontman Mike Skinner’s DJ set at the T1 Afterparty, this year, music is just as important as the Grand Prix itself. After all, the sound of thousands of people screaming in faux Geordie accents is, like it or not, still louder than the sound of F1 cars screeching along the track.
- WriterScarlett Coughlan
