Image credit ElPoncho2008 on YouTube.
The Silver 1 seating area located just after the La Source hairpin at Spa Francorchamps has been completely redesigned and rebuilt in preparation for the 2023 F1 Belgian Grand Prix. The new grandstand is in a slightly different position to the old one.
This guide provides all the information you need to know about the new Silver 1 grandstand to help you choose the best seats when visiting the Spa circuit. It includes example views, ticket and seat information and specific details about the grandstand itself.
Contents
Old Silver 1
The old Silver 1 seating area at Spa was a set of ugly concrete steps with green plastic seats that had been there for years. The lowest rows were at the same level as the circuit and ran alongside the track down the hill after the exit of La Source.
There wasn’t much run-off on the outside of the track here so the fence, and the seating area, were very close to the circuit.
New Silver 1 seating at Spa Francorchamps
The new Silver 1 grandstand at Spa Francorchamps was completed in early 2023, ready for the Belgian Grand Prix later the same year. The grandstand is a new set of concrete steps but currently without any seats. Spectators have to sit directly on the steps themselves. It’s not really a grandstand, more of a stepped seating area.
The main differences are in the location of the new stand. The run-off area on the outside of the circuit has increased massively, so the fence is much further back. That means the stand itself is much further from the track than it used to be.
There’s now a large dirt mound behind the safety fencing which the new Silver 1 seating area is built on top of. Now even the lowest rows at the front of the seating area can see over the fence.
Check out the new Silver 1 stand in the video below (it’s not the one with the roof, that’s the new Gold 2 grandstand).
Silver 1 location at Spa
The new Silver 1 grandstand at Spa Francorchamps is located on the outside (left-hand side) of the circuit just after the exit of the La Source hairpin, the first corner on the circuit.
The seating area starts just after the pit lane exit on the other side of the track and finishes at the apex of the kink on the ‘straight’ between La Source and Eau Rouge.
Tickets
Tickets for the Silver 1 seating area often sell out fast on the official Spa GP website as it’s a popular spot. If that’s the case but you still want some tickets I’d would recommend purchasing them through P1 Travel. They’re an official reseller with a great reputation and great prices.
Tickets include entry to the circuit and all of the general admission areas around the track, but no other grandstands.
Is it covered?
There’s no roof over the Silver 1 seating area at Spa Francorchamps. It’s completely exposed to the elements so bring suitable weather protection!
Nearest TV screen
In previous years when the old Silver 1 stand existed there was a giant TV across the track next to the endurance pit lane buildings.
I imagine that the organisers will continue putting a screen in the same place for the 2023 Grand Prix, and future races.
Spa Silver 1 seating layout
The Silver 1 grandstand is split in to 13 sections named A to M.
Section A is on the left hand side of the stand closest to La Source (as you stand on the track and look up at it) and section M is on the far right, closer to Eau Rouge.
The number of rows in each section varies, usually between 10 and 16 rows. Row 1 is always the front row lowest down.
Seat numbers increase from left to right (as you look at the stand from the track). They start from 1 at the beginning of each section.
There are little plaques on the front of each step and white painted lines to mark each ‘seat’.
Spa Francorchamps Silver 1 view
From the stand you’ll see the cars exiting La Source. They’ll appear as soon as they’ve cleared the concrete wall at the apex of the corner on the inside of the track.
At that point you can follow them the whole way down the ‘straight’ with the kink in it right in front of you. You will have an unobstructed view through Eau Rouge and up Raidillon. Sit in the right spot and you can also see them as they head down the start of the Kemmel Straight before they dissapear out of sight around the little kink.
The map below shows the areas of the track you’ll be able to see from the Silver 1 stand highlighted in pink. The satellite image shows the old stand, the new one will extend a little closer to La Source.
You can also be able to see a little bit of Speed Corner over the trees far in the distance, but you’ll definitely need your binoculars for that.
The new stand being further back from the edge of the circuit does have its benefits. It means you’ll be able to see the cars for longer as they crest Raidillon and enter Kemmel. Even more so if you’re sat on the left-hand side of the stand.
It also means that you can see the cars appear a little earlier from behind the concrete wall on the apex of La Source. The further to the right you sit, the earlier you can see them.
The video below is of the new stand and was taken in 2023. It shows the view from two different spots in Silver 1:
- Section H, Row 14, Seat 18
- Section A, Row 10, Seat 1
Best seats
You can’t pick a specific seat in the Silver 1 grandstand. At the moment there aren’t any seats anyway, you’re just sat on the edge of the concrete steps. It’s likely the steps will still have row and ‘seat’ numbers so you’ll be automatically pre-assigned a specific place to sit before the Grand Prix.
There is a Notes box at the bottom of the order page on the official Spa Grand Prix website. In here you can request to sit in a specific section of the stand. You may or may not have your request granted, but it’s worth a try!
Is the Silver 1 Spa grandstand a good place to sit?
The view from the Silver 1 stand is great. Being able to see everything from La Source all the way up to the crest of Raidillon is a unique and amazing perspective.
Overtaking at Eau Rouge and Raidillon is only occasionally performed by the bravest drivers, but the exit of La Source is bound to see some action in the first few laps.
Directly adjacent to the Silver 1 grandstand is the Gold 2 stand. That one’s slightly further down the hill towards Eau Rouge, but it has actual seats and a roof over the top. It’s more expensive though; a weekend ticket cost 610 Euros for the 2023 F1 race, so over 200 Euros more than Silver 1.
If you can afford a little extra and want to have some protection from the rain then Gold 2 is a good option. The view from there will be pretty much the same as from Silver 1.
If I was going to buy tickets for the Silver 1 grandstand I’d request to be seated in one of the upper rows in the middle of the stand. Being further up (and back) gives you better perspectives of both La Source and the start of Kemmel Straight.
Nearest parking area
The Blue Spa Francorchamps parking area 15 is the closest to the Silver 1 seating area at Spa. The Spa Grand Prix website also recommends the yellow parking areas but these are a few km from the circuit require a shuttle bus to and from the track.
Tickets for the parking can be purchased directly through the Spa Grand Prix website.
Nearest campsite
The Yellow Spa Francorchamps camping area is closest to the Silver 1 seating area. You can walk from the campsite and enter the circuit at La Source, at which point it’s only another couple of minutes to get to the stand.
Other Spa grandstands
Check out our spectator guides to the other grandstands at Spa Francorchamps:
- Max Verstappen stand
- Speed Corner grandstand
- Combes grandstand
- 17 – 27 area grandstand
- Gold 1 pit grandstand
- Gold 2 GP2 grandstand
- Gold 3 grandstand
- Gold 4 grandstand
- Gold 6 grandstand
- Gold 7 grandstands
- Gold 8 grandstand
- Gold 9 grandstand
- Silver 2 grandstand
- Silver 3 grandstand
- Silver 4 grandstand
- Silver 6 grandstand
