All you need to know about this year’s Northamptonshire F1 British Grand Prix

This year's F1 British Grand Prix event will take place from 12 to 14 July and is expecting more than 350,000 people to attend the event.
Northamptonshire was made the permanent home for Formula 1 in 1987.Northamptonshire was made the permanent home for Formula 1 in 1987.
Northamptonshire was made the permanent home for Formula 1 in 1987.

Northamptonshire Police officers will be out in force throughout the weekend, both inside and outside the circuit, with a number of overtly armed officers.

We've compiled an all you need to know guide for this weeks F1 British Grand Prix using official advice from Northamptonshire Police and Silverstone.

Traffic information

Lewis Hamilton (pictured) has won five British Grand Prix titles and will battle to win his record sixth this weekend as the famous race celebrates its 70th edition in the Formula 1 era.Lewis Hamilton (pictured) has won five British Grand Prix titles and will battle to win his record sixth this weekend as the famous race celebrates its 70th edition in the Formula 1 era.
Lewis Hamilton (pictured) has won five British Grand Prix titles and will battle to win his record sixth this weekend as the famous race celebrates its 70th edition in the Formula 1 era.
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The traffic management plan is coordinated and delivered by Highways England, supported by Northamptonshire Police and other partner organisations. More information on road closures and the best routes into the track will be publicised ahead of each year's event

Allow plenty of time for your journey to and from the event because of increased pressures on the county’s roads

Be aware of road signs and diversions when travelling to the event and follow any signposts that have been put in place

Race-goers are advised to tune into Silverstone Radio on 87.7FM or 1602MW for the latest updates on traffic

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Traffic updates may also be broadcast by BBC Radio Northampton (104.2FM) and Heart FM (96.6FM)

Prohibited items

Silverstone has said the following items are not permitted into the venue. More information here.

Cooler boxes over 20 litre in size

Glass bottles

BBQ’s

Restricted and illegal substances

Offensive weapons

No animals (excluding Assistance Dogs) will be admitted to the Venue or any car parks. All registered assistance dogs are welcome. However, before your arrival please contact the circuit on 0844 3728 251 (Mon-Fri 8:30am – 5:30pm only) so that the necessary arrangements can be made

Items that are deemed dangerous, offensive or unsuitable

Drones or remote controlled aircraft

Step ladders

Lasers

Fireworks/ pyrotechnics / flares

Smoke canisters

Any items which might be subject to ambush marketing

Tents and shelters

Four-wheeled carry carts (doesn’t include those used to carry children, but must be empty at the gate)

Powered scooters / hover boards

Electric cycles

No sun parasols

Security information

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Silverstone encourages visitors to pack as little as they can and only bring essentials. Once on site you will have access to free water and we have a massive range of food outlets that cater for every taste.

As an additional security measure, luggage tags should be put on all of your bags detailing your name and mobile number, so that it can be easily identified, and should not be left unattended.

There is not a luggage storage facility on site.

If you leave the venue to go back to your car or campsite then please ensure you have a pass out stamp as your ticket stub won’t allow you back in.

Opening times

Gates will be open from Thursday at 2pm.

Friday and Saturday gates open at 7am and on race day at 6am but check the Silverstone website or Facebook and Twitter for the most up to date details and event timetable.

Tent security

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Tents are, by their very nature, not secure. If you are spending a lot of time wandering around Silverstone then your tent will spend a lot of time unattended

Don’t leave your valuables in your tent when no-one’s in it

Leave your tent untidy; don't make it easy for a thief to grab a bag with everything in it

When you’re in your tent, secure the zip pulls together with a padlock, to stop anyone getting inside

Remove your wallet or purse from any clothing and hide money close to you while you sleep. Consider investing in a money belt that you can wear while you sleep

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Consider purchasing some purse bells or purse alarms that activate when your purse is removed so you can hear when it’s moved.

Personal safety

For security reasons, everyone entering the event will be subject to extra searches of their bags and their person. This will make entering the venue slower than in previous years but is necessary. In order to facilitate quicker access, event-goers have been asked to bring only one bag into the venue, which should be no bigger than a standard rucksack (max 20 litre capacity)

Be aware of your surroundings and who is around you when you are paying for things. Don’t take more money than you need; there are cash points on site or you can pay for items on your card

Try and stay with friends while walking around the Silverstone site and campsites, especially at night. Stick to walking in well-lit areas where possible

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Be aware of your surroundings. We would advise against wandering around wearing headphones

Consider the need to carry around a personal attack alarm - some are available with a torch

Don't challenge people looking through tents - report them to police or the Silverstone campsite/circuit staff

Alcohol

By all means, please have a good time, but remember that drinking too much hampers your judgment – one drink too many can lead to problems, not least forgetting where your tent is. You can also be more vulnerable to assault or robbery when drunk – so try not to have too much and stay aware of your surroundings

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Northamptonshire Police takes underage drinking very seriously and will utilise all of our powers to monitor and respond to any breaches of license. We will be conducting alcohol test purchasing operations throughout the weekend at the circuit and surrounding licensed premises

If young people are found to be drinking alcohol in public places they should expect to have the alcohol confiscated and their parents/guardians contacted

Drones

Leave drones at home – you will not be able to fly them legally or safely either at the circuit or in the nearby campsites.

A two mile flying restriction cordon will be in place around the circuit This means that no drones will be allowed to fly within that cordon unless they have approval from the heliport tower.

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Police officers will be looking out for unauthorised use of drones during their regular patrols of the circuit and campsites, and anyone found to be breaking the rules with regard to the relevant legislation will be spoken to and appropriate action taken.