Silverstone attracted a record 315,000-strong crowd over the three days of the British Grand Prix, including a sell-out crowd of 122,000 who saw Fernando Alonso win on Sunday.
There were attendances 88,000 for practice on Friday and 105,000 on Saturday, and more than 22,000 fans stayed behind after the race to hear from drivers at the Grand Prix Party.
At that party, all three current British drivers – Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Paul di Resta – made an appearance on stage. Fellow F1 drivers Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, Vitaly Petrov, Kamui Kobayashi, Sergio Perez, Jaime Alguesuari, Sebastien Buemi, Jerome D'Ambrosio and Karun Chandhok also made appearances on the Grand Prix Party stage, along with Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner, former World Champions Sir Jackie Stewart and Damon Hill OBE, David Coulthard, Martin Brundle, Eddie Jordan and BBC presenter Jake Humphrey.
“Record crowds, a great race, a fantastic atmosphere and significant praise for the Silverstone Wing, all contributed to one of the best British Grand Prix in recent memory,” said Silverstone Managing Director Richard Phillips, speaking after the event. “Early feedback from the fans has been exceptional and the drivers and teams have been full of praise for the new pit and paddock complex.
“It's been a fantastic three days and I have to pay tribute to the fans. We had more spectators at Silverstone for Practice on Friday than most circuits get on race day. They really are fantastic. At the end of the race we opened the gates and let fans onto the circuit to enjoy the podium celebrations. The atmosphere was amazing.”
“A huge amount of hard work has gone into getting The Wing ready for this event. It's been a phenomenal effort from the team here at Silverstone. We've had one or two teething problems, and we'll continue to look at areas that can be improved, however, we are all extremely proud of what has been achieved and the fact that we have delivered another fantastic British Grand Prix.”
Tickets for the 2012 British Grand Prix went on sale over the weekend. Visit www.silverstone.co.uk or call 0844 3728 300 for details.
