Silverstone Sunday: The Crowds, The Grid and Closer to the Action

One of the highlights was being on the grid before the start.

There is something completely different about standing among the cars just minutes before a four hour endurance race.

The atmosphere changes.

Drivers are preparing themselves, teams are making their final checks and photographers and media are trying to capture those final moments before everything moves into race mode.

Being able to walk amongst the cars and get that close to the drivers was something I will remember from the weekend.

These are the moments that you simply cannot get from watching a race on television.

Then the grid clears.

The cars fire up.

And suddenly the atmosphere changes again.

The race is about to begin.

Having access around the pit lane also gave me another view of endurance racing.

You begin to appreciate just how quickly everything happens when a car comes in.

There is no room for hesitation.

The teams have to be ready and the drivers have to trust the people around them completely.

From my position, I was able to get much closer to the cars and see the detail that you can easily miss when watching from a grandstand.

The tyres, the bodywork, the lights, the sounds and even the smell of the cars all add to the experience.

For someone who loves motorsport, this is exactly where you want to be.

Once the race got underway, Silverstone came alive.

The cars attacked the circuit, fighting for position through the fast corners and down the straights.

From trackside, you get a completely different appreciation of just how fast these cars are.

You hear them coming before they appear.

Then they are gone.

And you are left waiting for the next group to arrive.

For me, Sunday was about much more than simply watching a race.

It was about being able to get closer to the people and machinery that make the European Le Mans Series what it is.

Yes, the 2026 Goodyear 4 Hours of Silverstone finished on Sunday 13 September, and it was a dramatic wet weather race.

The race was heavily affected by rain, safety cars and changing tyre strategies, making it a particularly dramatic Silverstone finale.

The #25 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca Gibson of Matthias Kaiser, Jake Hughes and Ben Barnicoat took the overall victory. It was APR’s first ELMS win since 2023.

Jamie Chadwick had a very eventful race in the #18 IDEC Sport Oreca. She was involved in an early spin at Maggots and the car subsequently finished 23rd overall, completing 103 laps. So unfortunately, no repeat of her 2025 Silverstone victory this time around.

The #85 R-ace GP victory was the team’s first ELMS win, while the #62 Mercedes AMG secured the first ELMS LMGT3 victory for Mercedes AMG.