Silverstone's Autism-Friendly Approach: A Race Weekend Success

As a group of men force their way past us, a sudden shriek of noise and gust of air stops Joshua in his tracks.

He looks at me in momentary panic, freezing on the spot, closing his eyes and placing both hands on his ears. He screams.

We are at Silverstone for the Formula 1 British Grand Prix. From start to finish, the day is a true assault on the senses - not least for my nine-year-old son, who has autism and ADHD.

I feel guilty he's become agitated and distressed.

But it's not the din of a 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrid engine which has caused the alarm. We are standing by the door of a public toilet. One of the men has started to use a hand dryer.

I take Joshua by the arm and we walk back towards our spot next to the circuit, where the drivers are just beginning to emerge for the start of qualifying.

Despite the roar of world champion Lando Norris' McLaren in the distance - and the clamour of the vast crowd as he winds up for his first hot lap - Joshua's breathing is becoming more regular again, his eyes widening and his grip loosening.

Why one sound should seem so unbearable, yet the other almost comforting, is difficult to fully articulate or understand - but this is how he experiences life through his autism.

Remarkably, race tracks such as Silverstone have become a home from home for my car-loving son.

This is how they've done it.

According to the National Autistic Society, more than one in 100 people have autism - also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) - and there are at least 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK.

Joshua is one of 260,000 autistic pupils currently studying in England. Awareness is growing, as is the rate of diagnosis - there was a 787% rise in the number of diagnoses between 1998 and 2018.

But autism is complicated.

While people with ASD "share differences from non-autistic people" - as the National Autistic Society puts it - they are also "different from each other" and "each autistic person has a unique combination of characteristics". It is a spectrum.

That means catering for everyone comes with its challenges. However, with neurodivergent fans now making up at least 20% of all applications for accessibility tickets, Silverstone has had to adapt.

"We've almost been on this decade of change," said Louise Broomhall - head of customer service. "When I first started here we had a very small amount of knowledge and support for it but it's just grown from strength to strength year on year.

"It is so important for us that everybody can attend."

Key to the provision now on offer is a special viewing area exclusively for neurodivergent fans called Copse Triangle. It is a relatively small trackside spot, covered by grass and unspectacular in appearance, but crucially limited in capacity.

You can gain access through Silverstone's Personal Assistance Scheme. Tickets for the British Grand Prix generally go on sale about nine months before the event and, given the restricted numbers and increasing demand, it would be wise to apply early - but it is worth it.

Copse Triangle is a space away from the off-track mayhem but with a perfect view of the chaos on it. Here, you are also surrounded by other children and adults who are neurodiverse - and, thankfully, other parents who understand.

"Some of the feedback we've received from parents is that there's no judgement within that area," said Sue Davidson, who acts as accessible champion in the customer service team.

"For me to hear that was just wonderful, because everyone is so different. And so many friendships have been made within that area."

For any parent to a child with autism, navigating a day out is seldom straightforward. Your life is a rolling risk assessment.

It starts before you've even left the house - the calibration of expectation and preparation for what is to come - and can continue for several days after you've returned, often as unreleased anxiety and excitement spills into home and school life. The meltdowns borne of emotional dysregulation are inevitable.

Even making the decision to attend a major sporting event, therefore, is nuanced. All those things you have to consider - the travel, the schedule, the scale and size of the crowd, the smells, the sounds, and even the food.

But having one specific, focused and dedicated hobby is a common autistic trait. For Joshua, motor racing has been an obsession since he was old enough to pick up a toy car.

When he was a toddler it was lining them up and organising them. As he got older it was creating a rainbow effect across our living room floor with the dozens he'd built in his collection. And now it's recreating races as they unfold on the TV.

So we decided to go for it - a whole race weekend at Silverstone.

While tickets are now fully digital, the accessibility team did send out a helpful printed leaflet detailing the facilities we would have access to. A relatively simple concept that meant Joshua's preparation was able to start early.

"It's not necessarily about just looking at other venues because what we do isn't normal - it's very unique to Silverstone," says Broomhall. "It all stems from talking to people constantly and making sure we're keeping up."

There are, of course, parts to any day out like this which are simply unavoidable.

There will be some queuing and waiting around, not helped by the unrelenting heat and sun. There will be some hand-holding as you manoeuvre through the overwhelming crowds. And there will be certain sounds and smells that trigger anxiety.

You just have to navigate those things as they happen - and even then, whatever you do, whatever the provision, everything can become a bit too much.

Joshua was quiet for much of Saturday. He does not give a lot away verbally, but you can see in his eyes and body language when he is having to grapple with both his emotions and the sheer sensory overload.

This all spilled over on the morning of the race. He woke up feeling poorly, half wanting to go home and half wanting to go back to the track. Moved to tears, this was likely autistic burnout from the day before starting to show itself.

Thankfully, with patience and rest it passed - and we were ready to go again and bring the noise.

Noise level, given we're dealing with state-of-the-art racing machines thundering around a circuit, is actually a big talking point currently and particularly pertinent for neurodivergent fans.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem - the president of governing body the FIA - would like to see a return to V8 engines in either 2030 or 2031. In layman's terms, this means the cars would go back to producing the much more dramatic - and much louder - sound of years gone by.

Some supporters have long campaigned for such a switch, but it could negatively affect the growing neurodivergent fanbase who have become used to the quieter hybrid engines used since 2014.

In the immediate term, though, the team at Silverstone can only concentrate on what is within their control - and they are getting plenty right.

In the family zone, an area accessible to all and where Joshua got lost in Lego, there is a sensory room designed to offer some refuge from the hordes.

There were also an extra 120 volunteers - or 'race makers', as they are called - to help Silverstone fulfil its accessibility requirements in 2026.

"It's just so lovely to see more and more people realise they can go out, they can do it, they can take their families with them and they can have a really good time," said Broomhall.

So, did Joshua end up having a really good time?

“One of the best days of my life."