Lewis Hamilton has called on British Grand Prix host Silverstone to make sure its rising ticket prices do not get more expensive for the average fan.
Having welcomed 480,000 fans across the event in 2023, Silverstone has struggled to sell out this year’s event on July 7.
In an interview with Autopsort, circuit boss Stuart Pringle suggested the recent dominance of Hamilton’s rival Max Verstappen as a reason for slow ticket sales, although many have pointed to the fact that Silverstone’s tickets have continued to escalate in price since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Remaining four-day grandstand tickets are available for around £600 ($759) — a general admission ticket is slightly north of £400 ($506).
National hero Hamilton, who has a record eight wins at his home race, wants the circuit to ensure prices do not climb further.
“I mean, it’s an incredible event. If you take it from a bird’s eye view, the whole event is… all the space is used up. So many fans come and have a great weekend,” Hamilton said.
“The only thing I would ever say is that we have to watch ticket prices. I think they’re continuing to rise and the cost of living nowadays, I think it’s too high.
“I’m just thinking from the perspective of a fan that would come with a family. It’s hugely expensive, so I think it’s looking into ways where you can make better accessibility for people.”
Hamilton’s rival Verstappen was not impressed by Silverstone’s suggestion he was to blame for the struggle to sell tickets this year.
When Pringle’s comments were put to him ahead of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, Verstappen said: “I don’t think it’s my fault. I mean, the F1 season is very exciting. There are a lot of teams fighting for wins now.
“And if a promoter can’t fill the seats and they blame it on someone, then I think they first have to look at themselves, what they’re doing wrong. Because in other places it’s quite easy to fill.”