The Silverstone pitlane is unique amongst race circuits… because it has two. But of the two, only one is ever in use during a race day, depending which circuit layout is active.
For those willing to pay top dollar for the most exclusive VIP hospitality at the F1, the Silverstone Paddock Club is situated directly over the pit lane and tickets are available to purchase for the most up-close and personal seats in the house.
This article provides all the details on the Silverstone pit lane and VIP tickets.
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Where is the pit lane at Silverstone?
The pit lane at Silverstone is located between Club and Abbey corners when the Grand Prix or International circuit configurations are in use.
The map below shows this marked as the Active Pit Lane. It also shows that the pitlane entry point is before the tight chicane of Vale, meaning that entering the pits here means a driver misses both Vale and Club corners.
The pit lane exit point is on the outside of Farm Curve, so Abbey corner is also missed out.
This map also shows a secondary pit lane in grey marked as the ‘Old Pit Lane’ which is where the pits, pit lane and paddock were situated on the Grand Prix circuit prior to 2011.
It was at this time when the Silverstone Wing building and the new Arena infield track section were constructed, consisting of Village, the Loop and Aintree corners.
Since then the F1 pit lane and paddock have been in the current location on the Hamilton Straight, where Grosjean infamously managed to crash a few years ago before even reaching the track.
The ‘old pit lane’ is now known as the National Pits and Paddock. For a large race meeting such as the F1, MotoGP or Silverstone Festival, this pit lane is usually used only by the support series (such as the Porsche Supercup for the F1), not the main racing series itself.
When there are race events that only use the National circuit layout at Silverstone such as the BTCC or BSB, the National Pits and Paddock are where the main teams, cars and bikes are based, as can be seen below.
How long is the Silverstone pit lane?
The Silverstone Grand Prix circuit pit lane is 970m / 3182ft long. This is from the point at which the pit lane entry starts to where the exit re-joins the circuit at Farm curve.
The National pit lane is shorter, at just 837m / 2747ft long.
How long does a Silverstone pit stop take?
A pit stop at Silverstone takes around 28 seconds in total, from the time the F1 car enters the pit lane to the time it leaves it.
The FIA publishes data on all F1 pit stop timings, so you can see how much time each car lost in its total trip through the pits. With the perfect pit lane entry and ultra-speedy 2 second pit stop, the total time can dip in to the 27 seconds.
This is the time between crossing the pit entry and exit lines. The actual time lost due to a pitstop will be slightly higher as there will be some additional time in the car slowing down / speeding up either side of the lane.
What's the speed limit in the Silverstone pit lane?
The speed limit in the Silverstone pit lane is 80kph or 49.7mph for the Formula 1, as it is at all other tracks on the calendar.
For other events at Silverstone the pit lane speed limit may change. When the World Endurance Championship raced there, for example, the speed limit was reduced to 60kph or 38mph.
Silverstone Paddock Club
If you want the best vantage point of the pits, pit lane and start / finish line, plus the most exclusive hospitality at Silverstone then the Paddock Club at Silverstone has your name on it.
Here are some of the F1 Paddock Club features:
- Best view in the house of the pits, pit lane and start / finish line from a luxury suite and balcony in The Wing
- Pit lane walks
- F1 driver and ambassador appearances, interviews and speeches
- Guided track tour in a driver parade bus
- Guided tour of the F1 paddock
- Driving simulators
- Live music
- World class food, drinks and hospitality provided all day
- Reserved parking next to the pit lane
At Silverstone the Paddock Club is housed in The Wing building which is directly above the team garages.
The Paddock Club is offered at every F1 event throughout the season. It is run by F1 themselves to ensure a level of consistency to their first-class service, but tickets may be resold through third-party hospitality companies.
If you want to get involved in a pit walk at Silverstone then you need to get a Paddock Club ticket. This gets you access to one of a number of pit lane walks across the three day weekend. In 2022 there were 7 different times of pit walk available to Paddock Club pass holders. View the Silverstone F1 schedule for the specific timings of these.
Don’t forget to check out the Silverstone dress code for the F1 events if you’re in a hospitality area.
Silverstone Paddock Club parking and directions
Tickets to the Paddock Club also include reserved VIP parking right next to The Wing. Directions for the parking area are signposted from outside the venue on F1 race weekend, and you have to enter via the main entrance.
The below map shows exact directions on how to get to the Paddock Club parking area.
Silverstone F1 Paddock Club prices
Paddock Club tickets at Silverstone usually cost over £5000 per person for the three day F1 weekend, and can be purchased from the F1 hospitality website directly (or one of the official resellers).
F1 grid walks at Silverstone
Having a Paddock Club ticket only gives you access to the pit lane walks. It does not give you access to the grid walk prior to the race start. To get access to that you need to be a member of one of the race teams, be a celeb and / or receive a personal invite from someone high-and-mighty within F1 or at the BRDC.
What are your thoughts on the Champions Club?
I haven’t experienced it personally, but hear good things about it. It’s usually slightly lower priced than the Paddock Club but you don’t get the pit lane walk or track tour, which are two of the big bonuses of Paddock Club.