Source: Red Bull Content Pool
F1 News
British Grand Prix draws biggest crowd in F1 yet again in 2018
- Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
As the FOM revealed a report with the attendance rates at each Grand Prix in 2018, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone has once again drawn the biggest crowd out of all the races on the calendar, but the circuit remains uncertain to be on the calendar in the future.
The reason for this uncertainty is because the circuit is actually making a net loss each year it hosts a Grand Prix, as the deal that was negotiated in the Bernie Ecclestone era sees the circuit paying a very hefty fee on a yearly basis.
Therefore, the circuit's organization has decided to activate the clause in their contract to terminate it early, meaning it will now end after 2019.
With over 340,000 people visiting Silverstone across the racing weekend this year, the British circuit has been leading the way for a decade in terms of attendance. This underlines the importance that a new deal has to be struck.
In second place was the Mexican Grand Prix with 334,946 fans attending the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Fan attendance overall increased by 7.83%, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix having the biggest uptick with over 30% increase compared to last season.