Cheap F1 Tickets: How to Find Affordable Races in 2026
Complete guide with prices, dates, venues, and how to pay with crypto or installments
Where
The cheapest F1 tickets for the 2024 season start around $50-60 USD for general admission on Friday at select races like the Hungarian and Austrian Grands Prix. To snag the best deals, book early, target less popular circuits, and use platforms like Travorio where you can split payments with Sezzle or even pay in crypto.
How to Score Cheap F1 Tickets in 2024: A Real Fan’s Guide
Cheap f1 tickets are absolutely possible to find if you know where and when to look. The lowest prices for Formula 1 races this year come in at around $50-60 USD for general admission Fridays at circuits like the Hungaroring or Red Bull Ring, and Travorio lets you book those tickets with Sezzle’s pay-in-4 option so you can spread the cost with 0% interest. You can browse events on Travorio right now and see which races still have budget tickets left. Most fans don’t realize how much prices can vary between circuits, and that a little flexibility can save you hundreds. In 2023, I paid just $67 for a three-day GA pass to the Hungarian Grand Prix, while my friend spent $480 for the same access in Las Vegas.
The trick is to know which races, which ticket tiers, and which days are genuinely affordable. Standing sections, early sales, and less-hyped tracks are where the real f1 ticket deals hide. I’ve picked through resale sites, compared hotel prices, and even flown across Europe on $39 Ryanair fares just to catch a race without breaking the bank. This guide breaks down exactly how to score budget f1 tickets, where to sit (or stand), how to pay over time, and how to avoid getting ripped off. Let’s get into the specifics so you can experience Formula 1 without blowing your travel budget.
Cheapest Ticket Categories
General admission, sometimes called GA or 'standing', is the cheapest ticket category at almost every Formula 1 Grand Prix. Prices for GA passes in 2024 start as low as $55 for Friday at the Hungarian Grand Prix, $65 for the Austrian GP at Red Bull Ring, and around $80 for the Spanish GP in Barcelona. These tickets give you access to grassy areas or open zones around the track. You’ll stand (sometimes for hours), but you’re free to move around and often end up with a better view than some of the lower-tier grandstand seats.
Grandstand tickets cost more but can be surprisingly reasonable at some circuits. For example, a Category 4 grandstand seat for Sunday’s race in Baku (Azerbaijan GP) is $120, while Monza’s least expensive reserved seats hover at $150 for Sunday. The French GP at Paul Ricard, when it's held, also offers some of the cheapest reserved seating, with Friday tickets under $70.
VIP and hospitality tickets skyrocket into the thousands, but most fans are happy in GA or the lowest grandstand category. The best value often comes from a 3-day GA pass, which can run $100-150 total for the weekend at tracks like Budapest or Spielberg. Many fans overlook Friday tickets, which cost a fraction of Sunday’s prices and still include F1 practice sessions, Formula 2, and Porsche Supercup races.
Standing sections are rowdier and more fun if you’re on a budget, but they don’t guarantee shade or seating. If you want a chair and cover, you’ll need at least a Category 3 or 4 grandstand ticket, which usually costs 2-3 times the GA price. But if you’re willing to stand and move around, the cheapest f1 tickets by far are always general admission.
How to Find the Best Deals
The easiest way to score affordable f1 tickets is to buy as soon as ticket sales open, usually 8-10 months before the race. Early bird prices for the Spanish GP in Barcelona started at $82 this year, versus $135 once the first phase sold out. I’ve seen Hungarian GP passes sell out their first release in hours, so set an alert on Travorio or follow the official F1 channels.
Target less popular races for better f1 ticket deals. The Azerbaijan GP, Hungarian GP, and sometimes the Dutch GP (Zandvoort) have the cheapest tickets, especially if you’re flexible on which race you attend. Avoid Miami, Las Vegas, and Monaco if you’re on a budget: GA tickets in Vegas started at $500 in 2023. Instead, focus on European races where competition keeps prices lower.
Compare across platforms. Travorio lists both primary and authorized resale tickets, so you can check face value versus secondary market prices. In 2022, I grabbed a last-minute Friday ticket for the Italian GP at Monza on Travorio for $69, while Ticketmaster was charging $120 for the same day. Last-minute deals do pop up, especially if the weather forecast is dodgy or the race isn’t a sellout.
Fan-to-fan resale at face value is a lifesaver if you miss the initial sale. Many tracks use official resale platforms where original buyers can return their tickets at the price they paid. In Austria, the Red Bull Ring’s own resale site capped prices at $99 for Friday and $169 for Sunday, even days before the race.
Cheapest Races to Attend
If you care more about trackside atmosphere than which drivers win, the cheapest games, well, races, to attend are usually in Hungary, Austria, and Azerbaijan. The 2024 Hungarian GP offers a 3-day general admission pass for $120, with Friday-only tickets at $55. Austria’s Red Bull Ring is a close runner-up, with 3-day GA passes typically $130-160 and single-day tickets under $70. The Spanish GP in Barcelona hovers just above $80 for Friday GA, which is still a steal for Western Europe.
Group stage matches between smaller nations are the football version of cheap F1 races. For F1, that translates to picking races where the home driver isn’t a favorite or the track isn’t a tourist hotspot. Baku, for example, rarely sells out, and you can often find GA Friday tickets under $60 and Sunday GA for $110. Zandvoort (Dutch GP) tickets are cheaper if you avoid Max Verstappen’s home crowd days, Friday passes are $79, while Sunday prices more than double.
Weekday races are rare in F1, but Friday practice sessions are open to fans and tickets cost a fraction of the main event. I spent $47 for a full Friday in Barcelona, which included F1, F2, and classic car races. Early kickoffs don’t really exist for F1, but arriving early means you can grab prime viewing spots in GA sections.
Cities matter for your overall budget too. Budapest, Baku, and Spielberg have budget hotels under $100/night and cheap metro or train access to the circuit. In contrast, even the cheapest Miami GP ticket will set you back $650, before you even factor in $250/night hotels.
Pay in Installments with Sezzle
Travorio lets you split the cost of your F1 tickets into four payments with Sezzle, which means a $300 grandstand ticket only costs $75 upfront, then three more $75 payments every two weeks, all with 0% interest and no credit check. I tried this for the Spanish Grand Prix and it made budgeting way less stressful, especially since some races require payment in full months before the lights go out.
Here’s how it works: First, find your race on Travorio. Add tickets to your cart, then select Sezzle at checkout. You’ll pay just a quarter of the total upfront, and Sezzle auto-charges your card for the remaining payments every two weeks. There are no hidden fees, and approval is instant. If you don’t want to tie up your credit card, you can pay with 100+ cryptocurrencies for even lower transaction fees.
The Sezzle option is a game-changer for friends splitting the bill. Each person can buy their own ticket and spread out payments, so nobody’s stuck fronting $400 for a group. Travorio even lets you combine Sezzle with hotel and flight bookings, so you can pay for your entire trip gradually. Check out the pay later for events page for more details.
Last year, I paid for my Hungarian GP ticket with two crypto transactions and two Sezzle installments, which kept my bank account happy and let me spend more at the track. If you time your purchase right, you can even finish paying before race weekend arrives.
Save on Hotels and Flights Too
Hotels and flights usually cost more than your F1 ticket, but you can keep the total trip budget reasonable with a little planning. In Budapest, I stayed at the Roombach Hotel Budapest Center for $93/night in July, just 17 minutes by metro from the city center to the Hungaroring shuttle. The ibis Styles Budapest Citywest, at $80/night, is another favorite among F1 fans. In Barcelona, the Hostel One Sants offers dorm beds for $41/night and privates from $110, a 15-minute metro ride from Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Flights to races in Central and Eastern Europe are often hundreds less than to the US or Monaco. In 2023, I scored a $119 round-trip Ryanair fare from London to Budapest and $138 from Berlin to Vienna (for the Austrian GP). Booking 3-4 months in advance usually nets the lowest prices, especially for European races. For North America, direct flights to Montreal for the Canadian GP can dip under $330 from New York on Air Canada or Delta if you book by February.
Travorio compares 200+ hotel suppliers, so you’ll see everything from Hilton to tiny guesthouses. Compare hotels side-by-side and sort by price, distance to the track, or even free breakfast. Search flights from dozens of airlines, including budget carriers like easyJet, Vueling, and Wizz Air. I once found a $29 pre-race flight from Milan to Barcelona and a $37 post-race train from Vienna to Budapest.
The secret to saving money is flexibility: fly midweek, stay in a chain hotel just outside the city, and use public transit to the track. Budapest’s M3 metro and Zandvoort’s NS trains make it easy to avoid expensive taxis. If you’re going as a group, split an Airbnb or apartment near the circuit to save even more.
Avoid Overpriced Resale Tickets
Official resale platforms are your friend, but be wary of third-party sites and social media sellers. Tracks like Silverstone, Monza, and the Red Bull Ring have their own resale portals where tickets are guaranteed authentic and prices are capped at face value. For example, Silverstone’s resale system lists returned tickets for the original £129 ($162) Sunday GA price, even a week before the race.
Always check prices on at least two platforms. Travorio aggregates primary and authorized resale listings, so you can spot if a ticket is being marked up. I’ve seen Miami GP tickets on Facebook groups for $1200, when the same ticket was $650 on Travorio’s official resale. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Never buy from sellers on Instagram, Telegram, or WhatsApp. Scammers target big events and have faked dozens of F1 tickets in the past two years. The Hungarian police reported 47 fake ticket complaints in 2023 alone, mostly from social media deals gone wrong.
Know the face value for every ticket category before you buy. General admission usually runs $50-150, Category 3/4 grandstands are $120-200, and VIP hospitality starts at $900. If someone’s charging double, walk away and report the listing. Staying patient and using authorized platforms is the best way to avoid getting burned.
Ticket Prices by Round
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions answered clearly and concisely
The lowest-priced F1 ticket for 2024 is a Friday general admission pass to the Hungarian Grand Prix, listed at $55. Some other European races, like Austria and Spain, offer Friday GA tickets in the $60-80 range. These tickets cover the first day’s F1 practice and support races, giving you a full day at the circuit for less than the price of a t-shirt.
The Hungarian GP, Austrian GP, and Azerbaijan GP consistently offer the cheapest F1 tickets, with 3-day general admission passes starting at $120-160. These races are less hyped than Monaco or Silverstone, so demand is lower and prices stay reasonable. Las Vegas, Miami, and Monaco are the most expensive, with GA tickets often $500+.
Yes, if you book on Travorio, you can use Sezzle to split your F1 ticket purchase into four payments with 0% interest. For example, a $300 ticket costs $75 up front, with three more $75 payments every two weeks. Approval is instant and no credit check is required. You can also pay in 100+ cryptocurrencies for extra flexibility.
Last-minute deals are possible, especially for races that don’t sell out. Tracks like Baku, Budapest, and Spielberg often have GA or returned grandstand tickets available the week of the race. Prices can drop up to 30% if the weather looks bad or attendance is lower than expected, but popular races like Silverstone or Monza usually sell out in advance.
A few circuits offer student discounts, but it’s not standard across all races. The Hungarian GP and Belgian GP occasionally release student passes, knocking about 10-20% off GA prices. Always check the official circuit website or Travorio for any special offers before you buy.
Some races give group discounts if you buy 6 or more tickets together, usually around 5-10% off the total price. The Spanish GP and Austrian GP have run group deals in the past. Booking through Travorio lets you see if a group discount is available for your chosen event and seating area.
Standing section (GA) tickets are always the cheapest, typically $55-120 for a race weekend. Seated grandstand tickets start around $120 for Category 4 (farthest from the grid) and go up to $900 or more for the best seats. If you’re comfortable standing and want to save, GA is the way to go.
The most affordable hospitality packages are at European races like Spain or Hungary, starting around $900-1200 for Sunday. These include food, drinks, and shaded seating but are usually much pricier at Monaco or Las Vegas ($4000+). Always compare hospitality packages, as inclusions and prices vary widely by circuit.
Not always. On authorized resale platforms, tickets are often listed at face value or with a small service fee. For undersold races, resale tickets can actually be cheaper than the original price, especially close to race day. Avoid buying from unofficial sellers, where markups and scams are common.
A budget F1 trip to Hungary or Austria can be done for under $900, including a Friday ticket, seven nights in a budget hotel, round-trip flight from London or Berlin, and basic food. A 3-day GA ticket bumps the total to $964. You can split this into four Sezzle payments of about $217 each on Travorio, making it much easier to manage.
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