I attended my first grand prix this summer at the Spa track in Belguim. I wasn't sure what to expect, and thought i'd share my experiences here so other novices know how to get the most out of the Grand Prix weekend.

The first thing to mention is that if you are travelling from far and need accomodation then you need to book early. Most circuits have many camp sites near by but when I was checking in there were some people who had just turned up who were turned away. They were told that the site had been fully booked for 5 months. Local hotels were all fully booked also. Some entreprenurial local residents were renting out rooms in their houses but if you take this option then expect to pay inflated prices with no guarantee of the standard of accomodation.

Most camp sites are within walking distance of circuits, and if any site advertises themselves as race weekend accomodation then they will run buses to the track if the walking distance is too great.

If you have a 3 day ticket to make sure you go on the Thursday before the weekend. On the thursday the pit lane is open for a few hours, and there is free access to everyone with a 3 day ticket. This wasn't very well advertised and so we nearly missed it. During the time drivers sign autographs and you can watch the pit crews working on the cars from a close distance. Some teams were practicing pit stops.

If you have a general ticket with no stadium seats booked then on the days where there is track action it will be worth getting to the track early to find a good spot to watch the action. These areas fill up early in the day (as early as 8am) due to the high demand to be at a good spot on the track and close to a giant screen where the action from other parts of the track can be watched.

It is not worth positioning yourself in an area where there is no giant screen as it is difficult to follow the positioning of the cars without the on screen graphics (which is the same as shown on the BBC) on the giant screen.

If you have reserved a stadium seat then you will be able to come and go from your seat as you please, although prices increase significantly to buy a seat. It is worth it to have the freedom of coming and going. There are plenty of other things to see and do on the race site and being tied to your spot restricts your chances to do these things.

There is the F1 village, in which there are various stalls where merchandise can be bought, every thing from t shirts to binoculars. I was initially sceptical about the mercahndise, expecting sky high prices, but ws pleasantly suprised to find that some t shirts started at just 12 euros. Having said that these bargains needed to be hunted for, and many other products were very pricey.

Food and drink can be purcahsed from numerous food stalls. Prices were not excessive, although the choices on offer didn't extend far beyond sausage and chips, burger and chips and.... well you get the picture. If a more substantail meal was wanted then a trip to a nearby town is needed in advance.

Another piece of good advice is look at the historical weather for the circuit you are visiting. If rain is likely (as it is in belguim) then take appropriate clothing and a brolly.

The last thing to say is just enjoy the sound of a formula one engine as it roars past you - there really is no way of explaining just how amazing the sound is!! (Earplugs will be suppplied with your ticket - but they're for wimps!!)

the whole experience is a truly amazing one and I'd recomend going to a race weekend to anyone, even if they are not a big grand prix fan before the weekend they will be by the end (this happend to my girlfriend!!)

Enjoy!!