I sat in all four of the grandstands at Copse Corner during last year’s F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
This is my guide to Copse A, B, C and D grandstands. It includes my tips on picking the best seats, videos of the views from various seats in each stand, full seating plans, tickets and more.
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Copse Corner
Copse is one of the most well-known corners on the Silverstone GP track. It has been there since the first iteration of the track was used in 1948.
Until 2010 when the new circuit layout was rolled out, it was Turn 1 on the Grand Prix circuit and all other circuit configurations, seeing countless first corner overtakes and incidents. Now Copse Corner is Turn 9 on the GP track.
Copse Corner became most famous in 2021 when Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton collided at close to 180mph here. Lewis was on the inside of the corner but misjudged his entry speed and missed the apex. He ran slightly wide and clipped Max’s right rear wheel, immediately breaking Max’s suspension and sending him backwards in to the tyre wall in a 51G impact.
How fast is Copse Corner in F1 cars?
The Formula One cars will approach Copse Corner at close to 190 mph from the National Pits Straight. In qualifying Copse is flat out. The car’s downforce will keep it glued to the road but will slow it down slightly as it corners. It will hit the apex at around 180mph.
Is Copse a good place to sit at Silverstone?
Copse is a great place to sit at Silverstone to witness the cars cornering at incredibly high speed. There’s not normally a huge amount of overtaking at this corner because it’s so fast, but if any of the drivers are brave enough to try it, it’s always spectacular.
Copse Corner Grandstands
There are four grandstands at Copse Corner – A , B, C and D. Copse D was new for 2023. They are all on slightly different parts of the corner (entry, mid, exit) and are angled differently so the view is slightly different from each. See videos details further down this page for specific information on each.
If you’re camping at Silverstone some of the closest campsites to Copse which have the shortest walk are Whittlebury Park, Windmill Farm and CampingF1 Winterhills.
Copse grandstand tickets
This is a very popular stand at the F1, so tickets often sell out fast. If that’s the case and you still want to sit here, I’d suggest buying tickets through Viagogo or StubHub.
Often they’ll appear for sale on those platforms cheaper than list price in the run up to the event, and there’s always lots of single-day ticket options available as well.
I’ve bought F1 tickets on both these sites a number of times over the last couple of years, including for this year’s British GP. I’ve always had a great experience with them and will definitely use them this season for more.
They also have a great and very robust ‘FanProtect guarantee’ which ensures your tickets and money are always safe and protected.
Copse A
Location
Copse A is on the outside (left-hand side) of the circuit right at the corner entry point of Copse. It’s the closest of the four grandstands to the National Pits Straight. It’s also slightly closer to the track than the other two grandstands here.
Copse A is south facing, so you are likely to be looking in to the sun as the cars go down towards Maggots in the middle of the day.
Cover
Copse A is covered with a roof over the top and a lower hood at the front to keep the front rows dry. But the sides are open, so if you’re in the end seats be prepared to be exposed to the weather.
TV screens
If you sit on the far right hand side of the stand you can actually see two TV screens, both on the other side of the circuit.
But the further left you go in the stand, the less you can see of the one on the right in the image above. Eventually you can only see the one on the left.
View
The image below shows the areas of the track visible from Copse A highighted in pink:
My video below shows the views from a number of different seats in this stand:
- Row H Seat 1 (furthest seat to the right)
- Row M Seat 55 (back row)
- Row E Seat 108
- Row A Seat 144 (front row furthest seat to the left)
Being the closest of the four stands to the National Pits Straight, from Copse A you are able to catch a glimpse of the cars exiting Woodcote on to the straight, to your right. Then you have a pretty close side-on view of the cars as they go through Copse Corner, and then lose them out of sight before they get to the entrance of Maggots corner.
The further left you can sit in this grandstand (as you look at the track), the longer you can see the cars as they head towards Maggots.
The lower rows will be looking through the catch fencing which makes it difficult to see the cars when you look along the track parallel to the fence.
Best seats
I would try and get seats on the left hand side of Copse A to maximise your view of the cars once they’ve exited Copse and they head down towards Maggots. Aim for seat 75 and up.
I’d also try and go for rows H and above to be looking over the fencing.
Copse A seating plan
Enter your name and email below and the Silverstone Copse A grandstand seating plan will be sent to your inbox along with all other Silverstone seating plans (the files are too large to host here!)
The rows run from A (front / lowest down) to M (back / highest up) and seat numbers go from 1 (closest to the track and the National straight) to 144 (further from the track). There is no row I (eye).
The seating plan shows the track curves around in front of this grandstand. To be as close to the track as possible aim to get the lowest seat numbers that you can. But if you want to see more of the cars as they head towards Maggots, aim for higher seat numbers.
Copse B grandstand
Location
Copse B is again on the outside (left-hand side) of Copse Corner. It’s directly opposite to the apex of the corner, but because of the large run-off area and gravel trap it is also just about the furthest stand from the track.
Copse B is South-West facing, so you will be looking in to the sun during the middle of the day down towards Maggots, and the later parts of the day as you look down the National Straight.
Cover
Copse B is also covered with a roof over the top which again has a lower hood at the front to keep the front rows dry. But again the sides are open, so if you’re in the end seats be prepared to get wet if it rains.
TV screens
From here you can see the one TV screen on the inside of the corner, on the other side of the track.
If you’re in the back row and stood up, the front of the roof will cut off the top of the TV screen. But if you’re sat down you’re ok.
View from Copse B grandstand
The image below shows the areas of the track visible from Copse B highighted in pink:
My video below shows how the view changes from different seats in this stand. It was filmed from:
- Row M Seat 1 (back row furthest seat to the right)
- Row A Sea 67 (front row)
- Row J Seat 117 (furthest seat to the left)
Because of the orientation of this grandstand you are able to see almost as much of the exit of Woodcote corner on to the National Straight as you are from Copse A.
Additionally, its position means that it is the best of the three grandstands for being able to see the cars go down towards Maggots.
The further to the right you sit in the stand the better your view of the cars leaving Copse and heading towards Maggots and Becketts. The further left you sit, the better your view of the cars coming towards you down the National Pits Straight as they enter Copse.
The catch fencing is a bit of an issue here as it can be quite obstructive to your view. You need rows J and up to look over it.
Best seats
This is my favourite grandstand out of the four at Copse.
The most important thing for picking your tickets in Copse B is to get a row high enough to look over the catch fencing. I’d suggests rows J and up to do that.
Then you need to decide whether you want to see more of the entry of exit of Copse. Personally I’d choose the highest seat numbers possible (further to the left) in the highest rows to get a great view of the cars approaching and apexing Copse.
Copse B seating plan
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The rows run from A (front / lowest down) to M (back / highest up) and seat numbers go from 1 (closest to the National Straight) to 117 (closest to Maggots). There is no row I (eye).
Copse C grandstand
Location
Copse C is on the outside of Copse Corner at Silverstone. It’s parallel to the track which runs down towards Maggots.
Copse C is West facing, meaning the sun will be off to your left for most of the day but you may be looking in to it in the later hours as the cars come towards you down the National Straight.
Cover
Again Copse C is covered, but the roof is still open at the sides so those sat in the end seats might get wet.
TV screens
The two TV screens directly across the track from this stand are easily visible from all seats, but quite far away so binoculars or a good camera zoom will help.
View from Copse C grandstand
The image below shows the areas of the track visible from Copse C highlighted in pink:
My video below shows the views from different seats in the stand.
Views in this video were taken from the following seats:
- Row M Seat 1 (back row furthest seat to the right)
- Row J Seat 71
- Row A Seat 132 (front row furthest seat to the left)
Being parallel to the track after Copse Corner, but set quite far back from it, the view of the cars to the left is obstructed by trees as they run down to Maggots, meaning you cannot see anything of that part of the track.
If you sit in the right-hand side of Copse C grandstand (as you look at the track), you can see more of the cars as they enter Copse Corner.
The lower rows have to look through the catch fencing but as you’re looking straight through it here it’s not as much of a problem.
Best seats
The best seats in Copse D are those on the far right hand side (lowest seats numbers) in the higher rows. These seats will give you a better view of the cars as they approach copse.
Aim for seats 1-10 in rows H and up.
Copse C seating plan
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The rows run from A (front / lowest down) to M (back / highest up) and seat numbers go from 1 (furthest from the track but nearest the National straight) to 144 (closest to the track). There is no row I (eye).
Copse D grandstand
Location
Copse D is the furthest around the track of all four grandstands on the outside of this corner. It runs parallel with the track after the cars exit Copse corner.
Cover
Copse D is completely uncovered. Wear suitable clothing – see my Silverstone dress code guide for more info!
TV screens
There’s one TV screen on the inside of the track visible from here. The further right you sit in the stand the closer you are to it.
View
The image below shows the parts of the track visible from Copse D highlighted in pink:
My video below shows the views from a number of different seats in this stand.
Views in this video were taken from the following seats:
- Row S Seat 1 (furthest seat to the right)
- Row K Seat 50
- Row V Seat 80 (back row furthest seat to the left)
- Row D Seat 80 (furthest seat to the left)
Copse D is a very steep grandstand and it’s got a lot more rows than the three other stands, which mean the back rows are really high up. In fact I think it’s the highest stand at Silverstone for the F1.
Even though being higher puts you further away from the action, it gives you an amazing vantage point. You have an awesome view of the exit of Copse, but there’s a lot of trees directly to the left of the stand which obstruct your view in that direction.
This is my second favourite out of the four Copse grandstands.
Best seats
If you want to be closer to the action then go for the front rows. But I’d pick the highest rows possible for that awesome high vantage point. I’d probably also pick lower seat numbers to be further to the right and a little closer to the screen.
Copse C seating plan
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How many seats are in the Copse grandstands?
Below are roughly the numbers of seats in each of the three Copse grandstands:
- Copse A: 1400
- Copse B: 1100
- Copse C: 1400
- Copse D: 1000
Best entrance gate for Copse Corner grandstands
Spectator entrance gates 5 and 6 are the closest to Copse, being pretty much directly behind the grandstands.
See our article on Silverstone entrance gates for a detailed map of these gate’s locations.
Other Silverstone Grandstands
Check out my spectating guides for all other grandstands at Silverstone:
- Abbey grandstands
- Becketts grandstands
- Chapel grandstand
- Club corner grandstands
- Farm Curve grandstands
- Hamilton Straight grandstands
- Luffield grandstands
- National Pit Straight grandstands
- Stirling grandstands
- Stowe grandstands
- The View grandstands
- Vale grandstands
- Village grandstands
- Woodcote grandstands
