This year’s British Grand Prix was drama-fuelled, history-making and not short on controversy. With American Express along for the ride, the rainswept thriller showed why F1 is the sport on pop culture’s lips.
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Who knew a bunch of blokes racing fast cars in a circle could be so damn dramatic? So utterly scintillating, yet striking stylistic? I don’t know what the Gods of speed are putting in the water lately, but the world has gone F1 mad. Sure, an eponymous blockbuster starring Brad Pitt would help raise awareness. But the sporting community, its stars and its sponsors all seem to have upped the ante, maxed out their revs, dismantled their brakes. And Sunday 6th July’s special showcase at Silverstone was an apropos marker for the exciting new epoch F1 is now entering.
Between frenzied downpours, murky Arcadian skies and commemoration of the profound history of Sunday’s event — it being the 75th anniversary of the first Formula One race at Silverstone in 1950 — the race itself proved one of the best of the current season. Britain’s new golden boy Lando Norris took home the crown, with McLaren securing a 1-2 placement on the podium as the 25-year-old’s Australian teammate Oscar Piastri, who led the race for lengthy periods, was slapped with a 10-second penalty for a faulty restart. Contentious?
Despite them being supposed teammates, the post-match tension that trickled through between the two racers suggested something deeper lurks beneath the surface. But whilst his counterpart cowered, for Norris, the emotion was raw, unfiltered joy; a first victory on home soil.
Increasingly so, sporting events are about more than just the action — it’s a good ol’ day out. Formula One, and the British Grand Prix in particular, is a prime example of such, with the festivities away from the tarmac at Silverstone lasting four days, sprawling across music, lifestyle, culinary culture and more.
At the heart of the entertainment sits Amex, who has expanded its partnership with F1 from the Americas to the global stage. Throughout their debut weekend at Silverstone, the American Express Fan Experience, open to all ticket holders, gave fans some added excitement with incentives such as the ‘Amex Racing Team’ adventure, a quiz to mediate their racing approach and personality, the chance to send a loved one a fun message from anywhere in the world with Postcard Express, and to personalise a dream car to take home as a postcard with the Livery Designer.
For card holders, the perks are even better. There was Amex Race Radios with commentary from around the track, Amex Fast Lanes (the ever glorious ability to jump queues — is there anything better in life), and 10% off in the official merch store. Cardmembers will also have first dibs to next year’s proceedings, so get on that early.
“Formula 1® has seen a significant rise in global popularity, specifically among young audiences,” Aaron Burke, Amex’s Vice President, Global Brand Partnerships & Experiences agrees. “At Amex, we understand what fans want from live events and are backing them to help make every event more meaningful. At Silverstone, this includes special touches like our Amex Radios to help our Cardmembers can stay tuned into what’s happening on the track and a host of interactive experiences for all fans to enjoy in the Amex Experience and around the track.”
You can find Amex out and about this summer — whether blessing festivals like BST Hyde Park and All Points East or on the tennis court at Wimbledon. Find out more here.
As for the racing? Well it’s all hotting up. Next, at the end of July, the racers head to Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix, with Piastri just ahead of his McLaren contemporary Norris in the leaderboard. Who will come out on top? Time giveth answers better than any man can. End on a quotable — that’s what they told me.
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Words – Ben Tibbits
