What to look out for at Silverstone Festival 2023

With a schedule as jam-packed with high thrills on-track motorsport action and an incredible variety of off-track entertainment, Silverstone Festival 2023 is not to be missed. Classic motorsport may be the driving force behind the festival, but it’s the plethora of activities away from the circuit that makes this event a unique celebration of racing, cars, music and much more. 

Silverstone MuseumBrimming with iconic historical cars and artefacts from British motor racing of years past, the Silverstone Museum will take visitors on a journey through the ages with a tour of renowned motorsport moments. The best part? Every Silverstone Festival ticket grants free entry to Silverstone Museum.

Masters Racing Legends (historic F1)An unrivalled display of Formula 1 racing machinery from its golden age, featuring 3-litre cars from '66 to '85. With qualifying at 13:29 on Friday and a race at 13:10 on Saturday followed by another at 13:25 on Sunday, fans have plenty of action to enjoy from these cars. They will also feature in a 75th Anniversary Demonstration of the Grand Prix at Silverstone with all post-1966 F1 cars on Friday at 14:42. 

NASCAR 75th anniversary paradeSilverstone isn’t the only one celebrating a 75th anniversary in 2023, all-American stock car racing series NASCAR has also hit this impressive milestone and to mark that occasion, there will be a 75 years of NASCAR parade on track at 12:39 on Friday and at 12:20 on Saturday, as well as a demonstration at 17:50 on Sunday. 

Masters Endurance Legends (classic endurance racing)The Masters Endurance Legends category welcomes cars that were eligible to compete in all major endurance championships from 1995 -2012. This nostalgic revival of Le Mans and other famed endurance races will qualify at 15:10 on Friday, complete a 45-minute race at 17:05 on Saturday followed by a slightly shorter 30-minute race at the same time on Sunday.  

International Trophy for Classic GT CarsThe International Trophy provides a celebration for a collection of true classics, pre-1966 GT cars. Known to regularly serve up race-long battles and thrilling action, qualifying at 15:53 on Friday and the 50-minute race at 15:30 on Saturday aren’t to be missed. 

HGPCA Grand Prix CarsThe glamour of Formula 1 in the 50s and 60s is unrivalled, and HGPCA honours just that. Usually reserved especially for pre-1966 examples, this year there is also a guest appearance from front-engine Grand Prix cars from 1948 to 1960. Qualifying takes place at 16:34 on Friday, with one race at 14:50 on Saturday followed by another at 15:50 on Sunday joined by the ’48-’60 cars at 14:05.

Drag Cars and Hot Rods With two demonstrations on Friday and Saturday, then a further three on Sunday, The Yokohama Shift & Drift Zone hosts non-stop flame-spitting action from dragsters and super-cool hot rods across the weekend. 

The Derek Bell Trophy for HSCC Formula LibreAlways a crowd pleaser, the Derek Bell Trophy for HSCC Formula Libre comprises a wide range of stunning single-seaters from the late 1970s through to the late 1980s, including F5000, F2, F Atlantic, F3 and FF2000. Qualifying hits the track at 11:31 on Friday followed by two races: one at 10:40 on Saturday and again at 11:00 on Sunday. 

Helix Autosport Drifting DemonstrationOne of the country’s top entrants in the Drift Masters European Championship, Helix Autosport is a brand new addition to the festival. Two demonstrations on Friday (plus a meet and greet) and Saturday as well as one on Sunday means fans have plenty of opportunities to catch the sideways action.

Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team icons Marvel at six Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team icons at The Fan Zone, including the Mercedes MGP W01 as raced by Michael Schumacher, right up to the current W14 of Sir Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. Development driver Esteban Gutiérrez will be putting the 2013 Mercedes F1 W04 through its paces on Sunday during the 75th Anniversary Demonstration.

Hot Air Balloon Night GlowRunning during the headline acts of each day, the ever-popular Hot Air Balloon Night Glow is the Silverstone Festival at its absolute best. This twilight spectacle accompanied by fantastic musical performances is a must-see. 

Live musicAs the name might suggest, Silverstone Festival isn’t just about historic motorsport. There are musical acts performing across the weekend, punctuated by crowd-pleasing headline acts each evening. ABC will perform at 20:30 on Friday, the Sugababes will take to the stage at 20:45 on Saturday and McFly will round out the weekend at 20:20 on Sunday. 

Much, much moreWe’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s in store throughout the weekend, also on offer are historic touring cars, stunt shows by Terry Grant, cooking demonstrations at Foodie Fest, Diddly Squat Farm Shop and Hawkstone Bar, various car club parades and exhibitions, young driver experiences, as well as all things F1 at the Fan Zone with racing simulators, pit stop challenges and Batak Wall. There’s something for everyone at the Silverstone Festival.  

TICKETS: book your tickets for the Silverstone Festival

SCHEDULE: for a play-by-play of the weekend’s activities, visit the timetable page