Hey guys,
Anyone have any clue about the paddock club? Literally getting different information from everyone, and apparently you are not allowed inside the paddock area (behind the garages where they have the post race meetings etcc)… Anyone have any insight into this?
Is it worth it? prices are 9.5k +;
Thanks!
You do get an interview with Crofty..
Great if you want to hang out with other rich people.
Might get the chance of getting a slightly better photo of a driver
It's pretty much just buying you seats above the pit garage.
It does not get you free reign walking access to the areas you see in the F1 footage, you won't be walking around the back of the pit lane or bumping into drivers walking into their corporate rooms.
Paddock club tickets don't come with paddock access, they are additional passes or guided tours you can organise depending on ticketing level.
Generally if you have to ask if it's good value, then it's probably not. The people that buy these generally are rich and have no care about $ value ;)
I looked into it a few years back and that's my understanding of it too. You're in the bit above the pit lanes that you see on TV. But it's more like being in fancy bar with some seating, big TV's and a lot of food and alcohol. You also get a couple of pit lane walks each day, but the different garages will be roped off so you're limited to how close you can get.
In theory there will be way less people during the pit lane walk times set aside for paddock club tickets so there's a higher chance of a driver agreeing to a selfie, or more likely a team member being willing to chat. It'd be super rare to get more than a few seconds with a driver, they have a really packed and tightly managed schedule for the whole weekend. There's a chance a driver or team member may come and give a talk or something at a couple points in the weekend but can't say for sure.
You're rubbing shoulders with the rich'ish. Those who were rich enough to buy those tickets, but not rich/famous enough to get corporate or special invites.
Got money to burn?
It's all relative
Would i consider spending $9500 for a weekend for schmoozing in F1 good value?
no
If i was an F1 enthusiast and on $200k+ a year with no kids or mortgage, then YOLO
It is an experience at the end of the day and if you can afford it go for it.