Want to attend a race in person?

Here are some tips and tricks that we have found from attending both IndyCar and Formula 1.

Know before you go

There are a wide variety of things that you will want to know before you go that will help you be bettered prepared.

Know the weather forecast

This will help you know what types of clothing to bring. We suggest that if it is going to be hot or humid to bring lightweight shirts and shorts or ladies bring a dress. There is nothing more miserable than walking around in jeans when it’s 85 degrees with 80% humidity. Always be prepared with rain jackets just in case though because you never know when the weather might change.

Know how big the city and event is

This will help you know how long to plan for travel to and from the track. Bigger cities you will have the normal city traffic but for large races you need to plan on extra time. If your hotel is normally 30 minutes from the track plan on longer than that with race day traffic. Indycar races (Indy 500 excluded) this will not be as big as an issue because they are not as well attended.

Know what your tickets include

When buying tickets be aware of what they include. You don’t want to arrive with false expectations. With F1 if you get a normal grandstand ticket do not go with expectations of meeting lots of drivers or getting pictures. You will come away disappointed. F1 races are huge events and you are not likely to come near drivers without an experience or paddock pass.

Know what the track allows in

It is good to know what things the track will allow in. This will prevent you from being stopped and having to find something to do with the prohibited item. Also note that some track seem to not be as strict as others and they might let it slide but probably not worth risking it. You can find what is allowed in at the track’s website for whatever race you are attending.

Know the schedule

It’s good to know the weekend schedule and what things are going on where that way you don’t miss things you want to go to. Also make sure that if it like a driver experience at the fan stage at F1 or a driver signing at Indy that you want to be there early because if not you will be very far back and if it’s a signing you might not make it to the drivers before they finish.

Tips

Tips on buying tickets and things to bring

Buying tickets

First decide where you want to go and what type of ticket you want.
When buying tickets look at the track’s website first. They will most likely be cheaper then than trying to buy through a third party.
If you want an experience/paddock club ticket for formula one you can find this on the F1 website under experiences.
If you want a paddock/pit pass for IndyCar you can find them on the tracks website when they are available.
When buying tickets decide where you want to sit. Seating higher gives you a better view and you are able to see more of what it going on. Seating that is lower makes it so you feel closer to the cars. You also need to consider if you want to sit on a straight or a corner. On the main straight you see the podium celebration and the start and finish of the race. In F1 passing can often happen on a straight when they have DRS. From our experience at IndyCar a lot of the passing happens in the corners for them and often more exciting to sit there if you are ok watching the podium celebration from the screens.

Things to bring

Items to protect against the sun such as hat, sunglasses, sunscreen.
Some form of electrolytes. You will be sweaty and will want to replace those electrolytes. For F1 at a lot of tracks you can only bring in one sealed plastic water bottle which you can then refill or buy new ones so something in a packet like liquid IV is great. At IndyCar you have more options because you can bring more in.
Bring a rain jacket or a poncho in case it rains. Weather can be unpredictable.
Make sure to bring good walking shoes. You will be walking a lot and don’t want your feet to hurt. Also if you have pit passes make sure you have closed toed shoes.
Make sure you bring plenty of money for food because it is not cheap and at F1 you cannot bring it in.
If you are attending an IndyCar race bring things for the drivers to sign because they do have a drivers signing.
Bring a portable charger for your phone because you will be on it taking pictures.

Attending F1 vs Attending IndyCar

What to expect at F1 and IndyCar

Formula 1

Formula 1 is a more expensive experience. Different races are going to have different price ranges. The races in the USA are some of the more expensive races you can find some less expensive races in Europe if you are willing to spend the money on travel. Another way to save money is to look at the track and what general admission areas they have. Some tracks you can find general admissions that have great views that are a fraction of the price of a grandstand ticket with similar views. If you do want an experience ticket where you can do the pit lane walk you should plan on spending a good deal of money but they do come with some good opportunities to see drivers.

IndyCar

IndyCar races are smaller events and the tickets are a lot cheaper than F1. For the price of an F1 ticket we were able to pay for IndyCar tickets and pit/paddock passes, plane tickets, camping, and a rental car. The paddock pass allows you to go back to the paddock where there are plenty of opportunities to meet the drivers. If you don’t want to pay extra for that there are still plenty of opportunities to see drivers. You can see them at the diver signings and as they come and go from them, and at diver interviews. They also have general admission tickets which can be pretty cheap as well. Overall Indy is a lot cheaper than F1 and just as good of an experience.