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Arrive in style with Flexjet at the F1 British Grand Prix in Silverstone
Chris Carter hitches a ride aboard a Flexjet helicopter to check out the British Grand Prix sprint qualifying at Silverstone – and to find out whether it was faster than Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari.
Flexjet, the private aviation operator, has teamed up with Formula 1 as an official supplier. To find out what that means in practice, Flexjet invited MoneyWeek to watch the sprint qualifying at Silverstone last Friday, before the British Grand Prix held on Sunday. Naturally, this being Flexjet, half the fun was in getting there – by helicopter.
Ensconced in the leather-trim cabin of Flexjet's own Sikorsky S-76 helicopter – whirring over the fields of Northamptonshire on the way to the famous racing circuit (55 miles from London as the chopper flies) – it set me to wondering while gazing out of the window… which is faster, a modern F1 car of the type driven by Lewis Hamilton or a Sikorsky S-76?
Inside Flexjet's Sikorsky S-76
An hour or so before vertical takeoff, I had arrived at London Heliport in Battersea to find the lounge busy with genuine fans of sport and those just out for the summer season, mixed in with odd clusters of business types. One of the first things you will notice about London Heliport is that it isn't very big. From the lounge, I watched a small helicopter with skids hover a few feet off the ground, then squeeze past a much larger helicopter to inch its way out over the Thames, whence it ascended to the heavens.
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Nobody around me seemed to notice. I figured they were probably used to it. Passengers waited with cups of coffee and glasses of English fizz to be buzzed into Wimbledon and, as I would soon be, the British Grand Prix. It was a busy day in the British sporting calendar. But as much as I would have wanted it otherwise, the thing that struck me was how normal everyone looked. No audacious tiaras, top hats or high heels. No footballers, billionaires or Logan Roys barking orders to their cowed subordinates.
The choppers arrived like bees. One helicopter would descend over the River Thames, then creep into the hive, to be followed shortly by another. I was to be “hot-loaded”, I was told – that is, I would be boarding the helicopter while the rotor blades were still spinning. There is, I was told, no danger – it's just a bit loud. The heliport was simply too busy for the chopper to power down. I clambered in, conscious of the blades spinning a few feet above my head. But once inside, it was lovely.
This particular Sikorsky had been decked out in Flexjet's Phantom trim – dark-hued seats and a creamy white ceiling, all in leather. It had the look and feel of an executive car, which is very much the point. Thanks to the cabin's noise-cancelling design, there is no need for headphones and you can chat easily enough with your neighbour. It is only the whirr of the engine and the tips of the spinning blades visible out of the window – along with the tree tops and tiny houses – that remind you of where you are. In fact, this workhorse, the S-76, which first flew in 1977, has two engines and its safety record is excellent. But the hot weather that has “blessed” Britain this summer doesn't help – the engines have less oxygen and there are fewer air molecules for the rotor blades to “grip”. So, our party was slimmed down to six people. Usually a helicopter such as this can carry eight passengers, plus the two pilots.
The private aviation sector has taken off
The private aviation sector has soared since the pandemic began, with the number of flights taken anywhere in the world rising 4.6% in 2025 from a year earlier, according to data firm WingX. Flyers are also getting younger. “Our average age has dropped ten years. I can see right now a significant impact from… AI wealth,” Andrew Collins, Flexjet's global CEO, tells the Financial Times.
Another trend is the recent spate of collaboration between companies working in the luxury sector. In addition to F1, Flexjet has partnered with Ferretti Yachts and France's LVMH.
(Image credit: Flexjet)
Luxurious, yes, but, to be sure, flying private isn't the most environmentally friendly way to travel. So, all of the helicopter flights Flexjet will undertake as part of its partnership with F1 will use sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which is made from vegetable oils and other materials. It is less polluting than conventional aviation fuel. This mirrors the way in which F1 has sought to reduce its own carbon footprint, aiming to achieve net zero by 2040. Flexjet also offsets the carbon emissions generated by its European fleet by 300%. New technology, such as electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, which are just now taking to the skies, promises to minimise the effect on the environment even further.
A day at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone
Like a coiled snake in the grass, the circuit of Silverstone hoved into view 25 minutes after leaving Battersea. I could already make out the fans, dressed in all the colours of the teams, packed into the stands as the helicopter descended. The Sikorsky's undercarriage met the grass without so much as a bump. The door was flung open and we were out in the sunshine, being ushered into the terminal where more fizz awaited, along with a London black cab to take us to the track-side House 44 – the premium hospitality suite backed by Lewis Hamilton – that sits upstairs in the F1 Paddock Club at the end of the pit lane.
The sprint qualifying for the sprint race that would be held the next day was Friday's main event. The sprint race is a 100km dash and a truncated version of the full-fat British Grand Prix on Sunday. Drivers have a limited time to set the fastest lap and the fastest drivers of the sprint race earn themselves a few points towards their championship ambitions.
(Image credit: Flexjet)
But Silverstone is almost as much about the festive atmosphere as it is about the cars. There was a DJ in the Paddock Club, racing simulators, places to buy “merch” as well as bars and snacks. I spent much of the day working my way through the cocktail menu and glimpsing the cars screaming past the observation deck.
British former racing driver David Coulthard popped in for a chat and we were lucky enough to be shown round the paddock (where the teams pitch up for the weekend) by Jamaican racing-car driver Sara Misir. There was also an opportunity to tour the pit lane – some of the activities that are available to “Owners” on Flexjet's Red Label programme.
Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap in the sprint qualifying. He covered the 3.66 miles of a single lap in just one minute, 28 seconds and 593 milliseconds. To go back to my original question of which is faster – Hamilton's Ferrari SF-26 or my Sikorsky S-76, I'm afraid the Ferrari wins. If the track were stretched out in a straight line, it would take Hamilton, driving at the car's top speed of 217mph, one minute to cover the distance, outpacing the 178mph Sikorsky by almost 14 seconds (or so AI tells me). So, there you have it. Hitching a ride with Hamilton may be the fastest way to get around Silverstone. But for getting to the British Grand Prix, you can't beat a Flexjet helicopter for comfort and speed.
(Image credit: Mark Sutton - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
About Flexjet
Flexjet operates on the basis of fractional ownership. You buy a share of an aircraft – a Gulfstream G650 or a Praetor 600, say – and that translates into flying hours. (Other fees apply, such as to cover indirect expenses.) That also means the price per hour varies. For those who would like to try Flexjet's services before jumping in, there is the Jet Card, which acts as a prepaid card, with flights charged at an hourly rate. Red Label is Flexjet's top-tier offering and comes with perks such as behind-the-scenes “experiences” at Silverstone. And there is the Helicopter Access Programme, which begins at 25 hours of flying time a year, and the Helicopter Card – perfect for those who want to take the hassle out of commuting.
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