Our weekend at Silverstone: The Fantasy Formula travels to the British GP

Touchdown in London!

Adam and “producer Greg” touched down in London’s Heathrow airport Tuesday morning after a red-eye flight from New York. Given the distance traveled and general hype around this race in particular, we wanted to maximize our time available in the country and specifically in London where a lot is happening before the racing begins.

Our first stop was one such fan activation and a staple of many F1 races: the Williams Racing fan zone. Located in Piccadilly Circus each year, the Williams fan zone popup is always a hit, complete with liveries (including one made of Lego bricks!), reflex games and racing simulators, and, of course, loads of merch. Adam and Greg went back on Wednesday to see Alex Albon speak in front of a small group of fans.

There was also a McLaren activation which we didn’t get to attend, but if you walk London’s Regent Street near Piccadilly Circus there are countless stores with F1-themed displays. It was special wandering around the city and seeing how much they embrace the race.

Another highlight of the London leg was the WTF Talent summer party where the whole TFF team met in-person for the first time. With Terry and Zach in the UK, we’ve never had a chance like this and we took full advantage.

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Thursday: taking it to the track

Because Terry and Zach live within an hour and a half of Silverstone, we coordinated cars to make sure our full group made it to the track each day. Thursday morning we set out early because it was a big day and we always wanted to avoid traffic. Pro-tip: To beat the crowds, leave early! The roads leading to Silverstone, including the highways, are smaller than you might expect and can get congested easily. Plan for extra time or risk getting stuck in traffic.

Our day immediately became filled with a flurry of activity as we jumped into filming content with F2 and F3 drivers across the paddock. We were very lucky to have time with so many drivers, and we chose to ask them about a mix of topics. Our first priority was F1 Fantasy, of course, including quizzing them on chips, driver prices, and even building full teams like we did with Rodin Motorsport F3 driver Roman Bilinski. It was so much fun having Adam, Terry, and Zach take turns in front of the camera.

On top of that, we had a chance to head to the Silverstone Fan Zone where drivers took turns answering Ariana Bravo’s questions and interacting with fans. The Fan Zone appearances were full of laughs as drivers really let their guards down so fans get to know them.

Last but not least, we spent some of the day asking F2 and F3 drivers general questions - from Silverstone trivia to testing their teammate knowledge - and even interviewing some key paddock personalities for FanAmp Insider and Fast Lane features. One such Insider interview was with Dino Beganovic who is an F2 driver for Hitech TGR and a part of the Ferrari Driver Academy.

While we had so many special and hilarious moments, the highlight by far was seeing everyone react to Terry and Zach, two born and raised Brits, quizzing them on British slang.

By the time we left Silverstone the sun had set and we were exhausted from all the talking in walking. But more than that, we were eager for the true race weekend to begin and to see cars on track, especially all the F2 and F3 drivers who we had been speaking with. Their insights would be an important part of our show the next day.

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‍Friday: filming final thoughts

Friday started out the same as Thursday with an early morning trip to the track. When we arrived we jumped right back into interview-mode. Having already interviewed several drivers, we shifted gears to planning for our Final Thoughts episode.

For those who are new to The Fantasy Formula, every race week we publish two shows: a weekend preview at the start of the race week and a live show just before the game forces players to lock their team lineups.

Because we had access to the F2 and F3 paddock, we wanted to provide unique insights for the community in the form of feedback about the track conditions and expectations for the rest of the weekend from the drivers who had just run their own Free Practice and Qualifying sessions.

In the evening we got time with Luke Browning, Hitech TGR F2 driver and member of the Williams Racing Driver Academy, as well as Callum Voisin, Rodin Motorsport F3 driver. We’ve had some amazing guests on the show, but having two drivers ‘fresh off the track’ sharing feedback was another big milestone we’re forever grateful for.

Pro-tip: If you’re following along this far you might be wondering if you can get close to the F2 and F3 drivers. The good news is that yes, you can! We didn’t buy it, but F1 Experiences sells a Rising Stars package that will get you close to the action like we were, including access to the F2 and F3 paddock along with special tours, speakers, and more. One really special experience is F2 and F3 grid access which we’ll touch on now.

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‍Saturday and Sunday: let’s go racing

We still had plenty of content to film with drivers over the weekend, but for those familiar with how an F2 weekend operates (and F3 just the same), you’ll know Saturday is reserved for Sprint Races.

As soon as we arrived at the track we were swept away for the first Sprint Race of the day: Formula 3.

It was a surreal experience setting foot on the start/finish straight as cars lined up and teams prepared for battle. If you’re not familiar, grid walks are always a time-sensitive endeavor. You only have minutes to navigate a sea of people and soak in the sights and sounds. We were mere inches away snapping photos of each car and even finding time for a few group photos.

From there we watched the race on the big screens outside the F1 paddock, and when the race ended we quickly participated in our own sprint race of sorts by running the full length of the building to reach the F3 podium.

We got there in time to watch the winning driver, Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak hop from his car and celebrate with his team, friends and family. Soon after he was on stage listening to his national anthem.

Later that afternoon, we were back on the grid for Formula 2. Feeling like seasoned pros after our morning experience, we tried to soak in more of the details we'd missed earlier including observing drivers we had interviewed getting dialed in for the race ahead.

When the checkered flag fell we were once again sprinting to the podium celebrations. This time it was to catch Invicta Racing’s Leo Fornaroli who had just had his first ever F2 race win. Needless to say, he and the team were very, very happy.

As the rest of the weekend played out we were using the time to soak up all the sights and sounds. We went out and interviewed some fans, explored the track, and even watched Nico Hulkenberg get his first ever F1 podium. We had already experienced countless unforgettable moments throughout our time at Silverstone, but it was next level hearing the cheers as Nico crossed the finish line for his first podium after more than 225 race starts.

By the time Sunday had come to a close we were able to walk the track and soak in the final bits of sunshine. Seeing so many fans smiling from a great weekend was a truly special way to end an already magical weekend.