European Le Mans Series: The Affordable Race Weekend That Is Totally Worth It

You could do an entire weekend for as little as £35

For the 2026 Silverstone event, a three-day weekend ticket started at just £35 during the Super Early Bird period.

Friday tickets started at £10, while Saturday and Sunday could each be had for £20. Even if you decided to turn up and buy a three-day ticket at the circuit, the published on-the-day price was £50.

Selected grandstand access was included on a first-come, first-served basis, and children under 16 could attend free when accompanied by an adult.

But here’s where things became particularly interesting.

For another £10, fans could add the Platinum option, which included access to the Sunday pit walk, autograph session and pre-race grid walk.

So someone who secured the £35 early weekend ticket and added Platinum could potentially have spent £45 for three days at Silverstone with experiences that can feel decidedly VIP at other major sporting events.

The paddock felt more like a car meet

The accessibility wasn’t limited to organised sessions.

Walking through the paddock, I watched fans approach team personnel, ask questions about the cars and wish them luck ahead of the race.

At times, it felt more like a petrol station car meet than an international motorsport event.

Except you would look around and remember that these weren’t modified road cars gathering on a Sunday afternoon.

These were professional racing teams preparing millions of pounds’ worth of machinery to compete at Silverstone.

You could also find yourself walking past a driver and simply start a conversation.

Drivers stopped to speak with supporters, posed for selfies and signed autographs. What impressed me was how receptive and patient many of them appeared to be with the people who had come to watch them race.