Vale corner is one of the best overtaking spots on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. The huge general admission spectating area here, plus the massive Vale grandstand give some of the best views to watch the action from.
This article provides all the detail you need about spectating at Vale, including images and videos of the view, grandstand seating plans, info on the big TV screens, nearest entrances and lots more.
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where is Vale at Silverstone?
Vale corner is a left-right chicane which is classed as corners 16 and 17 on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit. It is right near the end of a lap, directly after the fast Stowe right hander. It is a very tight and slow chicane which leads on to the faster right hand corner of Club, before crossing the start / finish line on the following Hamilton Straight.
Map below courtesy of the Silverstone website.
Whether the Formula One or MotoGP is racing here, this spot is always a great place to see some overtaking. The heavy braking zone in to the first left hander of Vale always invites drivers, or riders, to dive up the inside of their competitors. The switch back to the right hander, followed by the faster right hander of Club Corner gives even more opportunity for passing moves, or for the guy who got overtaken at the first bit of the corner to do the undercut and grab their place back at the next bit.
Vale is where Steve Soper got crashed in to early in the BTCC 1992 championship decider, before coming back from last on the grid to take out John Cleland and help his teammate Tim Harvey win the championship.
Vale is only part of the Grand Prix circuit. It is not part of the National circuit.
what's the view like from Vale?
Whether you are stood in the general admission area or seated in the grandstand, you can see pretty much the same amount of track. Both the standing area and grandstand are on the left hand side of the track on the straight run between Stowe and Vale. The grandstand is adjacent to the Club Corner A stand, to its left.
From the spectating area, to your right you can see the cars as they apex and exit Stowe Corner. They will speed along from right to left in front of you as they hit the brakes for Vale. You can see them through both the left and right sections of Vale, and will be able to follow them all the way around Club Corner as they enter the Hamilton Straight. The cars will go out of sight as they pass by the start of the pit wall and pitlane buildings. You also have a great view of the pitlane entry.
The general admission standing area in front and to the right of the grandstand is huge, one of the biggest at Silverstone. It means that if you’re standing you can get pretty close to the edge of the track but the grandstand is pushed back a little way further to make room for all the other spectators.
Bear in mind that the grandstand is higher up, so if you’re seated in the stand you will have a slightly better overall view than if you’re stood in the general admission area.
The image below shows the areas of track that are visible from the Vale grandstand highlighted in pink.
This video filmed at the 2022 F1 at Silverstone gives a perfect example of how much can be seen of the action, in both directions.
is Vale a good place to sit?
At big events such as the F1 and MotoGP Vale always has a great atmosphere as there are so many spectators here. The views gives you a range of experiences; firstly the F1 cars coming around Stowe at high speed with their downforce pinning them to the track is a sight to behold. Secondly, Vale corner is one of the best overtaking corners at Silverstone, where the most overtaking moves are likely to happen. Perhaps the only other spot on the track that sees so much overtaking action is the tight right of Village corner.
As well as the on-track action, the podium is only just out of sight. If you wanted to see some celebrations at the end of the race it is only a very short walk to the Silverstone Wing building where the podium is located.
For the Formula One weekend the Sports Zone is located just behind Stowe corner which is only a couple of minutes’ walk away. This is useful for keeping the kids occupied all weekend in case the on-track stuff ever gets a bit tedious for them.
For those camping at Silverstone campsites such as the Golf Club, Woodlands and the Ridings are the shortest walk to Vale corner.
Bear in mind that Vale is not on the National circuit, so if you’re at Silverstone for the BTCC or a small club event that’s running on the National layout then Vale won’t be used.
is Vale grandstand covered?
Vale grandstand is not covered, it is completely open to the elements.
are there big TV screens visible from here?
There are a couple of giant TV screens on the other side of the track that are visible from here. The first is as you look back towards Stowe on the inside of the circuit.
The second is as you look towards Vale on the inside of the track right at the turn in point. There were actually 2 separate screens here in 2022, but only the right hand of these was angled towards Vale. Neither of these are directly opposite the Vale grandstand or viewing area so are a little way away. Bringing a pair of your finest binoculars is never a bad idea.
Additionally there is one extra screen just for the general admission spectators. This is directly adjacent to the Vale grandstand, to the right of it. It means you have to turn around to look at it but it is much closer and easier to see than the ones across the track.
Vale grandstand seating plan
Below is the seating plan for Vale grandstand. Enter your name and email in the boxes below and the full hi-res plan will be sent straight to your inbox.
Vale is a one of the biggest grandstands at Silverstone. The rows go from A (front / lowest) to U (back / highest) and seat numbers run from 1 (closest to Stowe) to 297 (closest to Vale). There is no row I (eye).
There isn’t much difference in what you can and can’t see based on your seat in the grandstand. One thing to consider is the large spectator screen just to the right of the stand. If you are sat on the extreme right hand side this can potentially obstruct your view up to Stowe.
nearest spectator entrance
Entrance gate 15 is the closest to Vale, it is directly behind the grandstand and spectating area. Gate 10 (near Stowe) and gate 16 (near Abbey) are both only a short walk away too.
nearest car park
The closest car park to Vale is car park 40. The car parks near the main entrance, 49 and 50, are also fairly close.
