Copse Corner at Silverstone is one of the fastest corners on the circuit with F1 cars hitting the apex at 180mph. It’s where Max Verstappen had a huge crash in the 2021 British Grand Prix after contact with Lewis Hamilton.
Needless to say it is one of the best places on the circuit for spectators to watch the action from, if you get the right spot.
This article lists the details of the spectator areas and three grandstands at Copse Corner and provides photos and videos of the view, seating plan diagrams and explains where the best place to sit is.
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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, but still Turn 1 on the National Circuit.
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.
Thankfully Max was ok, but this became one of a number of times the two drivers had physical contact in the 2021 season. The crash at Copse Corner was the most memorable and set the stage for one of the most intense rivalries in recent decades of F1.
How fast is Copse Corner in F1 cars?
The Formula One cars will approach Copse Corner at close to 190 mph from the National 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 watch the racing action, especially if you get the right spot in the best grandstand or in the general admission spectating areas. It has views of the National Straight, Copse Corner and the entrance to Maggots and Becketts further down the track.
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 details further down this page for specific information on each.
There are standing spectating areas in front and inbetween each of these grandstands, plus to the left of Copse D and to the right of Copse A.
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 StubHub. Often they’ll appear for sale on StubHub 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 StubHub a number of times over the last couple of years. 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.
Is Copse grandstand covered?
Copse grandstands, A, B and C are covered at Silverstone. They have a roof overhead with a small section at the front which drops down to provide some additional protection for people seatd at the front. The sides are not covered, so people sat on the end rows may get a little wet but will have a completely unobstructed view of the action.
Copse D is uncovered and completely exposed to the elements
Are there TV screens at Copse Corner?
There are three screens opposite Copse, designed to be viewable from whichever grandstand you are sat in, or whichever bit of the corner you’re stood at.
Opposite to Copse A is the smallest of the three screens, but it is still visible (shown on the right in the image below).
There are two larger screens opposite Copse B and C. These are angled slightly different, the one on the right in the image below is designed to be viewed from Copse B and the one on the left is for Copse C and Copse D.
Copse A grandstand
Where is Copse A grandstand at Silverstone?
Copse A is on the outside of the circuit right at the corner entry point of Copse. It’s the closest of the three grandstands to the National 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.
Map below is from the Silverstone website.
View from Copse A grandstand
Being the closest to the National Straight, from Copse A you are able to see more of the cars coming through Woodcote on to the straight. 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 image below shows the visible portions of the track highlighted in pink.
This video of the Max Verstappen crash was filmed from Copse A grandstand, showing how much of the cars can be seen in either direction.
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
Where is Copse B grandstand at Silverstone?
Copse B is again on the outside (left-hand side) of Copse Corner. It is the middle of the three grandstands here. It is 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.
Map below is from the Silverstone website.
View from Copse B grandstand
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.
Not only can you see them enter Maggots, but get the right spot and you can see them snake their way through both Maggots and Becketts corners. You might need a zoom lens or a pair of binoculars to see it clearly, but at least there is an unobstructed line of sight.
The image below shows the sections of the track visible from Copse B highlighted in pink.
Thie video below perfectly shows how much of the action you can see both on the way in to Copse and on the run through Maggots, followed by Becketts.
Personally I would chose to sit in Copse B over any of the other grandstands at Copse corner. Its positioning means it has the best view of more of the track. Or if you have general admission tickets, try and blag a spot in the small spectator standing area in front of this grandstand.
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
Where is Copse C grandstand at Silverstone?
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.
Map below is from the Silverstone website.
View from Copse C grandstand
Being parallel to the track after Copse Corner, but set quite far back from it, the view of the cars 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. However due to its position, even from the extreme right hand side of this stand you do not have much of a view (if any at all) of the National Straight.
The diagram below shows roughly what can be seen of the track from Copse C, highlighted in pink.
This video of Max’s crash was filmed from Copse C. You can see how much (or little) of the track can be seen from here. And also how much everyone got pebble-dashed in the crash!
Personally Copse C would be my last choice of the three Copse grandstands at Silverstone.
Copse C seating plan
Enter your name and email below and the Silverstone Copse C 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 (furthest from the track but nearest the National straight) to 144 (closest to the track). There is no row I (eye).
Copse D grandstand
Copse D was new for 2023. I haven’t seen it in person yet, but here’s some info I’ve pulled together on it:
- It’s uncovered
- You will be able to see a TV screen from there
- It’s on the left-hand side of Copse C (as you look at the track)
- You’re likely to be able to see even less of the entry of Copse corner than Copse C
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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
