Silverstone chief blames Red Bull as British GP tickets still not sold out

19 June 2024 , 13:18

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British GP organisers are struggling to sell out the Silverstone event (Image: Getty Images)

Red Bull's recent dominance of Formula 1 has been blamed for Silverstone's struggle to sell out tickets for this year's British Grand Prix.

The Northamptonshire circuit has enjoyed record crowds in recent years as F1 benefitted from a post-Covid boom. Tickets for the 2022 race weekend sold out in record time, while last year it enjoyed a record-setting attendance of 480,000.

But this year there are still tickets available just two weeks before the race weekend begins. And it is estimated that those attendance figures could fall by 10-15,000 compared to last year's British GP.

That is, in part, because organisers have deliberately released a slightly smaller number of tickets in a bid to improve fan experience. But, like other F1 venues this year, Silverstone has not sold out.

Speaking to Motorsport.com, managing director Stuart Pringle cited Red Bull's stranglehold on the sport over the last couple of years - and the resultant lack of British race-winners in the same timeframe - as a reason for the lull in demand for tickets to the Silverstone race.

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He said: "Historically we've always had to promote up until the end, but definitely there was a discernible bounce post-Covid. That wasn't unique to motorsport or Formula 1. Indeed, it was seen in other sports and entertainment events.

"But if there is a strong likelihood of the same winner, and the jeopardy is taken out of sport, it does take the edge off it. Last year was very repetitive in terms of one team dominated and they set off this season in the same vein.

"Things may be changing now, and I do recognise that we had several years of a British driver dominating the championship, and we didn't mind that so much as a British promoter! But it's certainly been a lot harder with Red Bull dominating."

Ticket prices for the British GP have also risen significantly in recent years and Pringle concedes that will have put off some fans. But he insists that the increases were necessary to ensure F1's annual return to Silverstone remains a profitable endeavour.

He added: "As a promoter, you have to get your ticket pricing strategy correct. You could make these things go quicker if you reduce price. But we have got expensive bills to pay, not less the promoter fee, so it's about hitting a strategy and making sure it works, which we're pretty comfortable with."

Daniel Moxon