Around the world in (about) 80 days

With a little planning getting to distant Grands Prix can be easier than you might imagine. Here’s how to plan the ultimate 2017 travel itinerary 

Round 01 Australian Grand Prix March 24-26

Head out a week in advance and you could also take in the Phillip Island Classic at a wonderful unspoilt circuit about 90 minutes away by road.

Flying Mon-Mon, 6 nights 
Weekend Tickets £122.50
Flights London to Melbourne, £641 Cathay Pacific 
Internal Transport Train/Tram, £2.50
3* Hotel £55 (Melbourne)
Beer £5
Total £1902*

Round 02 Chinese Grand Prix April 7-9

Shanghai is a wonderful, vibrant city, but it’s also at least 45 minutes from the circuit. Stay there by all means – but commute by train. Taxis and shuttles are cheap, but terrifying.

Flying Mon-Mon, 6 nights 
Weekend Tickets £63.29 
Flights London to Shanghai, £430 China Southern 
Internal Transport Metro, £1 
3* Hotel £20 (Shanghai)
Beer £5
Total £1143

Round 03 Bahrain Grand Prix April 14-16

Better than it used to be, because the nightscape adds atmosphere –but bear in mind that locally, weekends means Friday and Saturday, so in effect race day is on a Monday.

Flying Mon-Mon, 6 nights 
Weekend Tickets £133.34 
Flights London to Bahrain, £362 Pegasus  
Internal Transport Taxi, £18 
3* Hotel: £47 (Manama)
Beer £2.91
Total £1398

Round 04 Russian Grand Prix April 28-30

Make sure your visa has some built-in flexibility: if you overstay your welcome through no fault of your own – a delayed flight, say – you’ll still be fined. 

Flying Mon-Mon, 6 nights 
Weekend Tickets £71.12  
Flights London to Sochi, £311 S7 Airlines   
Internal Transport Shuttle bus/Aeroexpress railway, £5.60
3* Hotel: £20 (Sochi)
Beer £1.26
Total £925

Round 05 Spanish Grand Prix May 12-14

The city centre has obvious attractions, but you might find cheaper accommodation to the north, along the coast, while remaining within a cab ride of Las Ramblas.

Flying Wed-Mon, 5 nights 
Weekend Tickets £116.36 
Flights London to Barcelona, £82 Vueling  
Internal Transport Train, £2.16 
3* Hotel: £103 (Barcelona)
Beer £3.39
Total £945

Round 06 Monaco Grand Prix May 25-28

Forget flying, you can pick up a Standard Premier return from London to Nice on Eurostar/TGV for about £220, changing in Paris or Lille – a far more civilised way to travel.

Flying Wed-Mon, 5 nights 
Weekend Tickets £133.61
Flights London to Nice, £185 BA/Iberia
Internal Transport Train, £3
3* Hotel £67 (Nice)
Beer £1.50
Total £1017

Round 07 Canadian Grand Prix June 9-11

Instead of flying directly to the host city, go to Newark and take the I-87 North – an easy drive that covers 375 miles of prime upstate New York. You can stop off in Woodstock en route.

Flying Mon-Mon, 6 nights 
Weekend Tickets £88.80
Flights London to Montreal, £391 KLM/Airfrance 
Internal Transport Metro, £2 
3* Hotel £48 (Montreal)
Beer £3
Total £1296

Round 08 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, June 23-25

Proof that you can’t create an event overnight. The promoter promised that locals would flock to attend, but they didn’t. At least it is no longer called the GP of ‘Europe’… 

Flying Mon-Mon, 6 nights 
Weekend Tickets £96.57 
Flights London to Baku, £295 Turkish  
Internal Transport Metro, £1 
3* Hotel: £84 (Baku)
Beer £1.50
Total £1302

Round 09 Austrian Grand Prix, July 7-9

This is no longer the most popular of the continental GPs, which means small local guesthouses are plentiful and reasonably priced if you don’t fancy a daily commute to Graz.

Flying Wed-Mon, 5 nights 
Weekend Tickets £90.50
Flights London to Vienna, £75 Eurowings   
Internal Transport Train, £19
3* Hotel: £104 (Graz)
Beer £2.61
Total £981

Round 10 British Grand Prix July 14-16

Buy a tent, book an early campsite pitch, pack the coolbox with wine/beer/cheese and embrace the full 1970s-style GP experience (including occasionally sticky traffic).

Thu-Mon, 4 nights 
Weekend Tickets £199 
Internal Transport £70 (£30 fuel & £40 parking), Train/bus, £20 (from London) 
3* Hotel: £85 (Silverstone)
Beer £3.90
Total £831

Round 11 Hungarian Grand Prix July 28-30

The views across the circuit are as good as the urban landscape. Stay anywhere close to the centre and savour the twin delights of architecture and cuisine.

Flying Wed-Mon, 5 nights 
Weekend Tickets £85.33
Flights London to Budapest, £158 AirFrance 
Internal Transport Free bus transfer/Metro under £1
3* Hotel £45 (Budapest)
Beer £1.11
Total £724

Round 12 Belgian Grand Prix August 25-27

Start your day around Les Combes and make your way downhill, along the Kemmel Straight, towards Raidillon. Eau Rouge is tamer now, but that’s not the same thing as being tame.

Thu-Mon, 4 nights 
Weekend Tickets £133.60 
Internal Transport £251 (£120 fuel, £90 ferry, £41 parking)/£10 train and bus from Brussels 
3* Hotel £51 (Ardennes)
Beer £2.03
Total £734

Round 13 Italian Grand Prix September 1-3

Bergamo airport is almost as close to the circuit as Milan Linate. Avoid the more distant Milan Malpensa. Despite its local popularity, grandstand seats can be found.

Flying Wed-Mon, 5 nights 
Weekend Tickets £93.95  
Flights London to Milan £70 Ryanair/Flybe  
Internal Transport Train, £1.70 
3* Hotel: £60 (Milan)
Beer £4.30
Total £664

Round 14 Singapore Grand Prix September 15-17

In some places, fans are able to stand just over a metre beyond the circuit perimeter. The evening timetable leaves scope for daylight exploration, too: Singapore Zoo is excellent. 

Flying Mon-Mon, 6 nights 
Weekend Tickets £156.65 
Flights London to Singapore, £373 Turkish Airlines  
Internal Transport Bus, £1.30
3* Hotel: £45 (Singapore)
Beer £5.29
Total £1369

Round 15 Malaysian Grand Prix September 29-October 1

This might be the penultimate opportunity to see an F1 race at Sepang. The racing is often good; but pack an umbrella – thunderstorms are pretty much guaranteed.

Flying Mon-Mon, 6 nights 
Weekend Tickets £26.45  
Flights London to Kuala Lumpur, £345 Turkish Airlines 
Internal Transport Train, £3.60  
3* Hotel: £16 (Kuala Lumpur)
Beer £3.48
Total £881

Round 16 Japanese Grand Prix October 6-8

When it comes to ambience Suzuka is a case apart. Make sure you wander the packed – and wacky – fan zones on race morning.

Flying Mon-Mon, 6 nights 
Weekend Tickets £70
Flights London to Nagoya, £583 Air China
Internal Transport Train, £1.60 (plus £16 return from Nagoya to Suzuka)
3* Hotel £72 (Suzuka)
Beer £4.13
Total £1788

Round 17 USA Grand Prix October 20-22

Austin makes visitors feel welcome and is rammed with bars that feature live music most evenings. With an uncertain future, you should get there while you can.

Flying Mon-Mon, 6 nights 
Weekend Tickets £135
Flights London to Austin, £612 Air Canada  
Internal Transport Shuttle, £8 
3* Hotel £86 (Austin) 
Beer £2.01
Total £2070

Round 18 Mexican Grand Prix October 27-29

With its packed-out grandstands from first thing Friday morning this is a template for how F1 crowds should be – and if you don’t like Mexican food your palate needs retuning.

Flying Mon-Mon, 6 nights 
Weekend Tickets £80 
Flights London to Mexico City, £434 Air France
Internal Transport Metro, 20p 
3* Hotel: £10 (Mexico City)
Beer £1.22
Total £1097

Round 19 Brazilian Grand Prix November 10-12

Getting there can be a bind, because long flights are inevitably followed by tedious cab rides in São Paulo’s traffic glue, but it’s worth it. This is still a fine, old-world racetrack.

Flying Mon-Mon, 6 nights 
Weekend Tickets £168
Flights London to Sao Paulo, £574 AirFrance/KLM   
Internal Transport Metro, £1
3* Hotel: £33 (Sao Paulo)
Beer £1.01
Total £1694

Round 20 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix November 24-26

Do racing circuits need to be straddled by a hotel with a multi-coloured, illuminated roof? Not really. Worth visiting, but not as a priority.

Flying Mon-Mon, 6 nights 
Weekend Tickets £217 
Flights London to Abu Dhabi, £279 Turkish Airlines   
Internal Transport Free park and ride/Taxi, £15
3* Hotel: £66 (Abu Dhabi)
Beer £4.56
Total £1505

Total cost: £24,266 for all GPs