How To Do Goodwood Festival Of Speed In Style

Every summer, Sussex’s country estate Goodwood comes alive with the sound of roaring engines and cork popping for the Festival of Speed. Revolving around a hay bale-lined hill climb in which hundreds of the world’s most exciting vehicles showcase their performance and presence, the festival has been a firm highlight of the British summer social calendar since its launch in 1993, attracting approximately 200,000 visitors each year. Whether you’re a motor enthusiast or just here for the hospitality (no judgement), Goodwood’s Festival of Speed is not to be missed. Here’s why.

Goodwood Festival Of Speed 2025: A Guide

Hillclimb action at the 2021 Festival of Speed. Photographed by Dominic James.

What Is It?

Goodwood Festival of Speed is an annual event celebrating all things automotive and motorsport, blending modern and retro racecars for a day packed with action for petrol heads and car enthusiasts, all held at the historic Goodwood Estate in West Sussex. Aside from racecars, visitors can expect air displays, motorbikes, rally cars, concept cars, exhibits, displays, shopping opportunities and more.

This year’s Festival of Speed is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Formula 1, and as such will be taken over by the largest fleet of F1 cars the event has ever seen (expect plenty of current and former drivers, too; more on that below).

The highlight of the Festival every year is the famous Hillclimb, where vehicles race against the clock up a 1.16 mile course winding across the estate. Plenty of famous drivers past and present make the journey to Goodwood just for this; preparing to race in 2025, Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto says ‘Driving the Hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed is something I’ve always wanted to do, describing the event as ‘a unique opportunity to see the most iconic racing and road cars up close and in action’.

But there’s always more going on than motorsport, and the 2025 Festival of Speed will give car enthusiasts the chance to glimpse some of the world’s most exciting new cars for the very first time. Debuts this year include: Alpine’s A290 Rallye; Aston Martin’s DB12 Volante, Vanquish Volante, DBX S and Valhalla; BMW’s Concept Speedtop, M2 CS and Vision Neue Klasse X; Denza’s B5, D9 and Z9GT; Ferrari’s 12Cilindri, 296 Speciale, Amalfi and F80; Honda’s 0 SUV, Civic Type R Ultimate Edition, Prelude E:HEV and Super EV Concept; Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 N; Lanzante’s 95-59; MG’s Cyberster Black and Cyber X Concept; Mini’s John Cooper Works Electric, John Cooper Works Aceman; Praga Bohema; and Toyota Yaris Aero Performance.

BMW will also present its Vision Driving Experience (aka VDX), a high-performance test vehicle showcasing BMW’s next generation electric vehicle technology, which we will eventually see implemented in future Neue Klasse vehicles.

Drivers and cars aside, the festival’s food and drink scene is just as enticing with quirky street food stations and pop-up restaurants ideal for refuelling, from Porsche Café Le Mans to Lamborghini Ristorante 1963. Champagne is a must – and you’ll find plenty of it, with numerous Veuve Cliquot (the festival’s official Champagne partner) stands dotted across the estate. There’s also a number of hospitality packages available to those who wish to do the festival in superior style, ensuring outstanding trackside views, bottomless bubbles and more.

Find out more about the food and drink scene here.

Former IndyCar racing driver Sam Schmidt and Lando Norris. Photographed by Jon Nicholson.

Who Attends?

Anyone and everyone is welcome to attend Goodwood Festival of Speed – with a ticket of course. Most attendees are avid motorsport fans (even serious collectors), but you’ll find lots of casual enthusiasts, families and social season devotees among the crowds.

The most illustrious side of the Festival of Speed? The celebrities it attracts, both from the motorsport industry and elsewhere. Previous attendees include Tom Cruise, Renée Zellweger, Bryan Ferry, Simon le Bon, David Beckham, Chris Hoy and Jodie Kidd. But the buzziest side of the guestlist has to be the industry legends: F1 drivers, champions and team principles past and present (more on that below), rally drivers, motorbike icons and more; all draw fans to the Festival of Speed in droves. Elsewhere, car designers and engineers as well as marque CEOs and executives attend to showcase their cutting edge design and technology.

F1 Drivers Attending Goodwood Festival Of Speed 2025

In 2025, 34 F1 drivers past and present are set to attend Goodwood Festival of Speed – including eight world champions – to commemorate 75 years of F1. This includes legends Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and 1992 world champion Mario Andretti who will be speeding up the Hillclimb in his championship-winning FW14B and race-winning FW11. Other notable attendees include Sir Jackie Stewart, Emerson Fittipaldi, Jacques Villeneuve, Damon Hill and Mika Hakkinen.

And as for present drivers, the Esteban Ocon, Oliver Bearman, Gene Haas and the rest of the Haas F1 team will celebrate a decade in the championship. Elsewhere, Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto will make his Festival of Speed debut (racing 2013’s C32). Racing Bulls meanwhile are sending rookie Liam Lawson to drive the Red Bull RB7, while Williams driver ambassador and three-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick will be joined by Williams F1 Academy driver Lia Block and team principal James Vowles. French team Alpine will also attend, represented by reserve drivers Kush Maini and Paul Aron.

The full list of former and current F1 drivers attending Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2025 is as follows:

• Esteban Ocon (current; Haas)
• Oliver Bearman (current; Haas)
• Gabriel Bortoleto (current; Sauber)
• Liam Lawson (current; Racing Bulls)
• Alain Prost (former champion: 1985, 1986, 1989 & 1993)
• Sir Jackie Stewart (former champion: 1969, 1971 & 1973)
• Emerson Fittipaldi (former champion: 1972 & 1974)
• Mika Hakkinen (former champion: 1998 & 1999)
• Damon Hill (former champion: 1996)
• Mario Andretti (former champion: 1978)
• Nigel Mansell (former champion: 1992)
• Jacques Villeneuve (former champion: 1997)
• Riccardo Patrese
• Gerhard Berger
• Mark Webber
• Jacky Ickx
• John Watson
• Johnny Herbert
• Kevin Magnussen
• Karun Chandhok
• Stefan Johansson
• Derek Bell
• Emanuele Pirro
• David Brabham
• Arturo Merzario
• Bruno Senna
• Valtteri Bottas
• Felipe Massa
• David Coulthard
• Patrick Friesacher
• Marc Gene
• Thierry Boutsen
• Jonathan Palmer
• Karl Wendlinger

Genesis at Goodwood Festival of Speed

Where & When?

Goodwood Festival of Speed returns to the Goodwood Estate from Thursday 10 to Sunday 13 July 2025. Plan your day by taking a look at the event map online. Tickets start from £75pp for a day pass.

BOOK IT

If one day isn’t enough, there’s always The Goodwood Hotel. Located within the estate, the luxury establishment offers top-tier accommodation – featuring a gym, pool, and ‘field to fork’ dining – surrounded by all of the action. No taxis necessary – unless you don’t want muck on your shoes, of course. But if you don’t mind mucking in, camping is also an option, with all of the Goodwood Hotel’s amenities included in your stay; find out more here.

BOOK IT

How To Get There

The Goodwood Estate (Chichester PO18 0PY) is located just to the north of the West Sussex cathedral city of Chichester, nestled in the South Downs. To get there from London by car, follow the A3 (Junction 10 on the M25) south towards Guildford. About 3 miles past Guildford, at the Milford turning, take the A283 to Petworth, then the A285 to Chichester for about 6 miles.

By train, there is a regular service from London Victoria to Chichester (1hour 40 minutes), plus the coastal service from Brighton and Portsmouth. Buses or taxis are available at Chichester Station.