What Happens on a Typical Grand Prix™ Weekend?

Apart from the two-hour race on Sunday afternoon, what else do you get for your money on a Formula 1® weekend? The short answer is a lot! From Pit Lane Walks to support racing and the F1® Fanzone, there’s plenty to keep you occupied at whichever race you plan on attending.

A typical Grand Prix weekend normally begins with a public Pit Lane Walk on Thursday afternoon, when fans with weekend tickets are given the chance to get up close and personal with the cars and teams as they prepare for on-track action. If you are lucky, you can also get your favourite driver’s autograph. The downside is that the public pit lane walks are often overcrowded.

Tip: Buy an F1® Experiences Fan Experience Package and beat the crowds with an exclusive Pit Lane Walk included. These packages also include other exciting activities such as a Guided Track Tour and a Championship Trophy Photo.

F1® Action

Grand Prix™ weekends feature around 6 hours of F1® action on the circuit, beginning with two 90-minute practice sessions on Friday, normally in the mid-morning and early afternoon. A third practice session of 60 minutes takes place on Saturday morning to get the cars and drivers primed for Qualifying in the afternoon. The one-hour Qualifying shoot-out, which determines the starting order for Sunday’s race, is divided into three sessions. The slowest cars are eliminated in the first two sessions before the top ten fight it out in the final session to see who will be on pole position for the race.

The race itself normally begins around 14:00 on Sunday (later for twilight and night races, of course) and runs for 90-120 minutes. If you are lucky to have F1 Paddock Club™ tickets or be seated on the Main Straight, you’ll also get to see the lead-up to the race. Soon after the winner crosses the finish line, the top three drivers appear on the podium to be presented with their trophies, spray champagne everywhere and take part in some quick interviews. Most circuits open the gates so that fans can run onto the circuit for a “track invasion” and watch the podium celebrations. This is one of the weekend’s highlights. Recommended!

Tip: Buy an F1® Experiences Fan Experience Package and beat the crowds with an exclusive Pit Lane Walk included. These packages also include other exciting activities such as a Guided Track Tour and a Championship Trophy Photo.

Support races

The on-track schedule at an F1® race weekend always features at least a few different support categories. Both Formula 2™ and Formula 3™ hold a shorter “sprint” race on Saturday and a feature race on Sunday. Other support races at Formula 1® weekends include Porsche Supercup, Ferrari Challenge, Supercars (in Australia), Masters Historic and various other single-seater and touring car or single make series. Racing normally begins around 9:00 and finishes by 18:00 each day, except in Singapore, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, which run later.

Go and explore!

Exploring the circuit and surrounding city is one of the best ways to take in the atmosphere of an F1® weekend. Head to the F1® Fanzone to buy your favourite team’s merchandise, try your hand at simulators and other demonstrations, and watch concerts and driver Q&As on the stage.

The full weekend schedule, including on-track and off-track activities, is normally published around 2-4 weeks before the race. Save yourself a copy and plan your weekend!

OFFICIAL TICKET PACKAGES