It’s hard to imagine a sport that sits right at the cutting edge of technology as being historic, but that’s exactly where Formula 1 finds itself in 2025. The pinnacle of motor racing has been entertaining us with screaming engines, high-speed wheel banging and driver squabbles for 75 years – little wonder Goodwood is marking the occasion by dedicating the theme of this year’s Festival of Speed to all things F1.
The festival, held on July 10th to 13th, has always been the best place to get up close and personal with the fastest cars on planet Earth outside of a grand prix, but this year’s theme of ‘The Winning Formula – Champions and Challengers’ looks set to crank F1 fever up to stratospheric levels. The celebrations will of course feature an array of cars spanning three-quarters of a century – and beyond – of grand prix racing, so whether you’re a long-time fan or a newbie, there’ll be something for everyone.
And we mean it. The roster is so big that it’s been split into six different classes. The first serves as a ‘prologue’ to the launch of the Formula 1 World Championship, covering legendary Grand Prix cars that raced on some of the longest and most fearsome circuits prior to 1950. The ‘Pioneers’ class includes F1 machines from the championship’s first decade, which saw rapid advancements in technology and the introduction of the mid-engined layout. And because F1 engineers will go to great lengths to find performance, the ‘Innovators’ group will bring together cars that pioneered designs still used in F1 today – plus a few that never quite caught on.
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An innovative car needs a world-class driver to get the most from it, as Max Verstappen so brilliantly demonstrated last year in the capricious Red Bull RB20. With that in mind, the next class goes to the ‘Champions’, reserved only for cars and drivers etched in the fabric of F1 history by claiming the greatest prize of them all. Then there’s the ‘Underdogs’ category for cars that defied the odds, and, finally, the ‘Teams’ class honouring the current crop of outfits that’ll soon be embarking on this year’s season. And they won’t be hidden away in a garage like they would on a Grand Prix weekend. Nope, you’ll be able to get up close and see them in the carbon and watch them tear up the hill, engines screaming at five-figure rpms.
It’s all pointing towards a mighty special event, and you’re definitely going to want to be there to hear those old V10 engines at full bore. Getting to the festival is easy as can be, with free parking available if you fancy driving in, or there’s a shuttle service between Chichester Station and the festival site if you’d rather take the train. And, of course, there’s plenty to do once you’re there, whether it be watching old Group B cars on the rally course at the top of the hill, hunting down all the new cars on display at the bottom or watching in awe as the Red Arrows do what they do best.
Tickets are on sale now, with adult passes starting at £67 with an Early Bird discount while young people go half price and kids get in for free. Be quick, though, as Early Bird discounts run until 28th February, and with so much on show you might just want to clear the entire weekend just to cram everything in.