F1-tickets

[Principessa]

Hi all,

I have made a strange discovery today. I believed that F1 tickets where everywhere even expensive, but I'm mistaken....BIG time!
I knew that the the tickets at China were less expensive than the ones here in Europe but now it seems that we, as European F1 fans, are being ripped off.

Price GP of Germany: Prices for a weekend in a seating area goes from 248€ to 446€. (To give you an idea...the price of the tickets for the grandstand Tomba and I were in 2 years ago at Hockenheim has gone up with 67€.)

Price GP of Belgium: Prices for a weekend in a seating area goes from 270€ to 500€
(Prices have remained the same as last year)

And than if you look at the Bahrain GP, which has been on the calendar for a while now: Prices for a weekend in a seating area goes from €58,36 to €290,49.


The most stunning thing I noticed today is not the high prices to go to an F1 race, but the fact that in Brazil, you have to pay EXTRA to have a secured grandstand. Can one of our Brazilian friends explain this to me?

[Belatti]

My last GP was Argentina 98, since then I have never been able to go to a GP again, hopefully this year I would go to Brazil.

In those times I was 16 and could only afford the USD100 tickets (grandstands with no seats). The seating areas where arround USD300. From that sector I could see 50% of the track and was in front of a big screen so that was pretty good for me, I could see Schumacher hiting and passing Coulthard in the other part of the circuit at least.

[Principessa]

Yes, but why are there grandstands with security people at Brazil and you have to pay extra to sit on them and are there grandstands with no security people. Tomba and I have been at Hockenheim and Spa-Francorchamps and there where security people everywhere.

I had no idea that F1 tickets where so expensive so long ago as well. My father went to Francorchamps twice and he was offered a VIP-pass. This was worth 20.000Belgian Francs in those days so around €500. He could walk into the garages at any point, he got to eat in the VIP lounge with the drivers.... That was 23 years ago or so, but that was not too expensive if you see what he got. (The lucky bastard ) If you would buy VIP ticket now it would cost you at least 2000€.

[oldboy1974]

I have just paid £665 for 3 adults and 2 children into silverstone this year, although it is a great weekend away mrs oldboy1974 is moaning that we could go somewhere hot for the same price. it is a little expensive.

[Principessa]

I can understand the misses oldboy ! The trip we've booked to Valencia for a week for this summer costs as much as our 3-day stay at Francorchamps. And than I haven't count the food and drinks with it.

[Ray]

That's ridiculous that it costs that much to go. That's a huge reason I never went to the USGP. They want too much money. I don't know why they have to charge so much, I guess it's easy to blame Bernie though.

[mariof1]

The most stunning thing I noticed today is not the high prices to go to an F1 race, but the fact that in Brazil, you have to pay EXTRA to have a secured grandstand. Can one of our Brazilian friends explain this to me?

I don't get exactly what you mean by "secured". If you mean numbered reserved seats, you don't pay any EXTRA, you pay for the facility's features as a whole.

The gap beetween the lowest and the highest price here is bigger only because the gap in terms of confort is equally big beetween sectors as a consequence of the social contrasts we have here. However they're all ridiculously expensive. If you meant by "secured" the presence/absence of security people, there are police men every 20m or so in the grandstands and inside the circuit facilities they do their job properly, although you must whatch out for robbers when you are in the streets nearby. Finally, if it is related to the building itself (fixed our temporary grandstands), I must agree with you, however it's the same gap I explained earlier. Interlagos features grandstands (actual buildings) only alongside the main straight (sectors A, B and vip). Ohters are temporary, built specially for Formula One, mostly upon the old section of the track.

You can see a sketch here: http://www.gpbrasil.com/pop/sectors/?PH ... s/i1_large
(this picture is quite old and looks awful by the way)

These are 2008 prices in the local currency (Real - R$). Multiply by ~1,73 to get prices in dollars or ~2,70 to ger prices in euros. One day = sunday; Two days = saturday/sunday; Three days = friday/saturday/sunday.

A = 425,00 - 475,00 - 495,00 (1, 2 ou 3 dias)
B = 1.230,00 - 1.310,00 (2 ou 3 dias)
D = 1.610,00 - 1.710,00 (2 ou 3 dias)
E = 1.910,00 - 1995,00 (2 ou 3 dias)
F = 810,00 - 935,00 - 994,00 (1, 2 ou 3 dias)
G = 320,00 - 370,00 (2 ou 3 dias)
M = 860,00 - 960,00 - 1.035,00 (1, 2 ou 3 dias)
V = 1.300,00 - 1.490,00 (2 ou 3 dias)

Ironically, the cheapest sector offers the very best view of the track. Perhaps one of the best views of the entire F1 season. At the very end of Sector G (near Turn 3) you can see almost everything from Turn 1 to pit entry. Yes. Wasn't it for the pitbuilding you could see the entire track.

I'm probably not attending this year's grand prix. It is just way too expensive.

[Project Four]

Going to Monaco this year, have a seat in the swimming pool complex granstand at a price of 450 Euro's.

I think this is the standard price for a granstand seat all around the track.

[Principessa]

The most stunning thing I noticed today is not the high prices to go to an F1 race, but the fact that in Brazil, you have to pay EXTRA to have a secured grandstand. Can one of our Brazilian friends explain this to me?

I don't get exactly what you mean by "secured". If you mean numbered reserved seats, you don't pay any EXTRA, you pay for the facility's features as a whole.

On a F1 ticket shop I found for the Brazilian GP:
Grandstands with security: goes from 347€ to 532€
Other Grandstands: goes from 143€ to 216€

[mariof1]

My source is the official Brazilian GP site: http://www.gpbrasil.com.br
As a fully satisfied local customer I claim you can trust the info shown there. Any other website may be potencially misleading and would try to take advantage of ill-advised tourists.

You'll get an "exclusive seat" only if you buy a ticket for a expensive sector, where there might be some "men in black tie" for security (to politely ask anyone in your seat to gently... get out). Such sectors are aimed at tourists and local rich people in general. Anyway, there is no difference if you sit here or there, the track view is awful either way. Therefore, people tend to respect the numbered seats.

At other sectors things work the way people want: if you want a good place to see the action, you'd better wake up early and find your place. And we do think this is totally fair.

[Ciro Pabón]

I'll go a little philosophical about something as prosaic as seating arrangements at Brazil: the attitude of latins about perks is a little strange for europeans, tell me about it.

Latins don't expect perks. I agree with mariof: in Latin America, discipline is seen with distrust, what they encourage is vivacity. Life is not a right in this latitudes (or it is only on paper), you have to earn it: much more the right for seats who have "security". We don't have security to go to school, why should we have it for going to a risky race, where the main point of the race itself is the risk the drivers take? I know I'm exaggerating a bit here, but it's like complaining about lack of vegetarian food in a bull ring...

Besides, you have to understand the marketing here: the organizers (I suppose, wildly if you wish) are playing with the sense of insecurity the foreigners have as tourists at the GP. They charge you an amount for that, and they get away with it. The rascals are getting some extra dollars from the gringos... (at this moment, a latin would wink). I know latins would pay extradollars for the kind of guides I had when I visited Sao Paulo last time: they were engineering university students, most of them girls, some of them members of "escolas da samba" (samba schools). I felt totally insecure around them...

On the general issue of prices, yes I agree with Principessa. F1 has incredible TV ratings (I'm thinking on posting about it, so I won't go into details here) and this means the tracks are producing more and more money, by the year. There is a strong movement from track owners, I'd say, to get back some of the investment they've made, given the strong public interest that TV ratings show. It's just an demand-supply thing.

Besides, as I've complained one thousand times, the Formula One TV rights are NOT shared with track owners: I think that is the main reason tickets prices are prohibitive. I also think old tracks find money for improvements very hard to obtain without selling their soul to the devil of corporate financing and, definitely, bankers are into it for the money.

Now, if you play with the naiveté of some people about actually watching the stars face to face and you sell outrageous priced tickets and they are actually sold, as RIAA would say, why not?

I understand this is a nagging issue for a journalist that needs to be there and does not belong to one of the major newspapers attending the race, but perhaps you could adress that point in your own, incomparable style, Principessa. What about explaining that to the owner or, I don't know, one of the honchos there? A drop of honey...

Anyway, if you try it and you get lower priced tickets, tell us, perhaps we can use the same trick (a latinamerican, at this point, would wink again).

[Principessa]

Thanks for the info Ciro !

Well, the problem is, that although I think the tickets are way overpriced, especially as most of the grandstands are not covered for rain or sun and you get seated at a very small seat where you can hardly sit, with beside you a big fat man who is sweating all over you, I love to go to a GP. You can see things much better at tv, but the atmosphere is so nice. I believe F1 is the only sport that doesn't have hooligans among their fans.

The one thing I love very much as well, the most exciting part of the whole weekend, is the pit walk on Thursday. Usually Tomba and I walk as one of the first fans and we only leave as we are put out the pit lane by the security guards. That hour and a half in the pitlane is priceless!

[Belatti]

Back to my last GP, the grandstands didnt have numbered seats, just steps where you could seat if you want. Like Ciro said, you had to wake up early to get the best seat. There was a point where you could see better. My problem was I live 60km away from the track and at age 16 I couldnt drive, so some neightbours offered me a ride. On sunday I would want to go early but only reached to the track at 7am and the grandstand was already full... I thought "Im lost now"

But I was lucky, cause on Friday practice I was sitting among some TC fans who knew nothing about F1, when they said: "Look, thats Schumacher coming out of the pits" I told them: "No thats Irvine, look at the red helmet", since that moment they asked me 1000 questions, about the cars and drivers. The thing is that on sunday, 15 min. before the race, the best place I could find was to sit over the plastic roof of a chemical toilet. Suddenly one of those guys who was going to the bathroom appeared and told me "What are you doing there, come with us, we need you to understand the race" These guys where in the track since 4am and got the best spot on the grandstands!!! When going upstairs a couple of persons stopped me: "you are not from here" but my "friends" replied "he is with us". So, basically I could see the race from a good spot, while explaining people arround who and when was piting, what was the order and what was Tuero´s position.

That was earning my seat

[mariof1]

Great "translation", Ciro, thanks!

Belatti, was it at Buenos Aires or São Paulo? Anyway your description is just as accurate as it can be.

However, it must be made clear you don't simply "earn" your seat. All people there paid for their tickets and just make the most out of them. Anything different would be like asking for numbered seats at an open-air rock concert.

[Belatti]

...
Belatti, was it at Buenos Aires or São Paulo? Anyway your description is just as accurate as it can be.
.

I don´t think some TC who know nothing about F1 would go to Brasil just for the race
It was in Buenos Aires 1998