There is a little confusion on the Stirling grandstand at Silverstone as there are actually two seperate stands. The first was opened to the public in 2021 and the second was only available from 2022. They both give a great view of the incredibly fast Copse at the end of the National Pit Straight.
This article gives you all the information you need on the Stirling grandstands including images and videos of the view, grandstand seating plans, giant TV screen visibility, whether they’re covered and more.
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where is the Stirling grandstand at Silverstone?
The two Stirling grandstands, A and B, are located at the end of the National Pits Straight at Silverstone. They are on the outside (left-hand side) of the circuit right at the point where the cars are about to enter the 180mph Copse Corner.
The first of the two grandstands was opened to the public in 2021, and named after the late great Stirling Moss. The image below from onboard Lewis Hamilton’s 2021 pole lap shows that there is just one open-air grandstand here, the first Stirling grandstand, before the next three Copse grandstands.
However this shot from onboard Carlos Sainz’ pole lap in 2022 shows that the original grandstand has been moved a little way back down the straight and an additional covered stand has been added between it and the first of the three Copse Corner grandstands. This is now the second stand, Stirling B. For 2023 onwards the two Stirling stands will be available to the public for the Formula One.
The image below shows Stirling A and B highlighted on a map of Silverstone. You can see their proximity to Copse and the end of the National Pit Straight. Both grandstands are South facing.
is Stirling a good place to sit?
The Stirling grandstands overlook the entry to Copse Corner. This 180mph bend is one of the fastest at Silverstone and is flat-out in the dry for the Formula One cars, and a great place to see their downforce glue them to the road. It is also where Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen came together in 2021, ending with Max visiting the tyre barrier at high speed but thankfully walking away unscathed.
This section of the track is used on both the Grand Prix circuit and National circuit layouts. If you are viewing from here for a race that uses the National layout, such as the BTCC, you would have a good view of the start (and finish) of the race and also any first corner action.
The Stirling grandstands aren’t always open for some of the smaller race events, but there is a general admission spectating area directly infront of the grandstands which allows you to get a little closer to the circuit. Additionally during the Formula One the family zone is directly behind the stands, so it could be a great spot to make sure the kids are entertained all day. This zone is usually full of activities and sometimes even a tiny go karting track.
If you’re camping at Silverstone some of the closest sites to Stirling include Cartmel Fields and West End Paddocks.
are the Stirling grandstands covered?
There is a little bit of confusion here thanks to the Silverstone website. At the start of 2023 it lists both Stirling A and B as being uncovered on the info pages for each grandstand.
However further down the info page for Stirling B it does say that it’s a great price point for an ‘entry level covered grandstand’.
As we know from the onboard video stills above and aerial photos from 2022, Stirling B is actually covered.
So to clarify: Stirling A grandstand is uncovered. Stirling B grandstand is covered.
what's the view like?
The view from the Stirling grandstands is pretty much the same as you would get from the Copse A stand. Being a little bit earlier on down the National Pit Straight however, you can’t quite see as far through Copse Corner but you can see a little more of the cars as they come around the exit of Woodcote corner.
The image below shows roughly how much of the track is visible from these two stands, highlighted in pink. Obviously the limits of how much can be seen at either end of this depend on which end of which grandstand you sit in.
This video below was filmed from the Stirling stand in 2021, when there was just the one uncovered grandstand. As that stand has now been moved a little way back down the National Pit Straight, closer to Woodcote, to make room for the new Stirling B stand, you should now consider the view from this video representative of the view from Stirling B.
are there big TV screens visible from here?
From the video above filmed in 2021 there was a screen visible on the inside of Copse. This will now be the one most visible to Stirling B. I expect there will also be on slightly early down the straight, on top of the old pitlane buildings visible to Stirling A.
Stirling grandstands seating plan
Below are the seating plans for Stirling A and B grandstands. Enter your name and email in the form below and the full hi-res versions of both will be sent straight to your inbox.
Stirling A is fairly small, with rows that go from A (front / lowest) to M (back / highest) and seat numbers that run from 1 (closest to Woodcote) to 57 (closest to Copse).
Stirling B is larger, again it has rows running from A to M but this time seat numbers go from 1 to 117.
best spectator entrance gate
Gate 5 is the nearest entrance for spectators, but gates 6 and 3 are also only a short walk away.
nearest car park
Car park 25 is directly behind the Stirling seating area, but parking areas 24 and 26 are also fairly close.
