How much do F1 DRIVERS spend on HOTELS?

What hotels do F1 drivers stay at and how much do they spend every year? F1 driver's spend about half of the year away from home every year during the F1 calendar and that is certainly no different during the 2024 F1 schedule - but where do they stay normally? Well they're at different hotel chains pretty much every race. From incredible 5 star hotels to small and convenient accomodation to F1 driver's homes at some races! So if you have ever thought where do F1 drivers stay in Monaco or where do F1 drivers stay at your afvourite race, this is the video for you!
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00:00 intro
00:18 Bahrain GP
00:56 Saudi Arabian GP
01:18 Melbourne GP
01:37 Japanese GP
02:23 Chinese GP
02:47 Miami GP
03:18 Imola GP
04:18 Monaco GP
05:10 Canadian GP
05:24 Barcelona GP
05:45 Austrian GP
06:07 British GP
06:39 Hungarian GP
07:12 Belgian GP
07:50 Dutch GP
08:23 Monza GP
08:45 Azerbaijan GP
09:10 Singapore GP
09:34 United States GP
09:55 Mexican GP
10:18 Brazilian GP
10:48 Las Vegas GP
11:10 Qatar GP
11:38 Abu Dhabi GP
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[@tombarratt1571]

Have you ever done a vid of your total annual costs Kim? If not, would be interesting. I know you often divulge them per vid but one summary would good

[@KymIllman]

I do one once a year for the tax man that’s enough

[@iGamerTags]

@@KymIllman thankgod u arent an american kym or the TAXs would have sucked the living soul out of u

[@tomasjohansson9495]

@@KymIllman Good dodge Kym , but still a good question.

[@freddiefreihofer7716]

Kym has done a video of what it would cost to attend all the races in a low-end and also in a high-end way. Very informative! Of course, that was for 22 races, I believe.

[@zqzj]

​@@KymIllmanI could see that evoking a bit of tax season PTSD 🤣

[@user-ff9er4dl6g]

Thank you Kym. You allow fans to see wonderful places we could never see in a lifetime of trying.

[@KymIllman]

Happy to share them with you

[@shush1791]

i love how you keep coming up with topics that never were in my mind but i keep clicking, being intrigued, and honestly just impressed by your knowledge and connection every time hahaha Keep it up!

[@KymIllman]

Music to my ears my friend

[@nnonotnow]

The Pinnacle of Motorsports requires the Pinnacle of accommodations which gets the Pinnacle of pricing. And the Pinnacle of motor sports photographers covering the whole thing. 💯

[@user-ff9er4dl6g]

yes

[@KymIllman]

You’re most kind

[@watson956]

@nnonotnow Well Said !

[@AP02112]

Highest quality F1/travel content there is on KZbin. Bar none.

[@KymIllman]

Delighted was such positive feedback

[@noellehaitsma]

In Zandvoort NL some of them also stay in a motorhome which would be parked at the golfcourse a short bike ride away

[@paulbeltran7132]

Can’t wait for f1 Las Vegas. I live in Southern California but will stay at my house at the Colorado river. It’s about 1 hour drive from Vegas.

[@KymIllman]

You’re saving a fortune then

[@harmanarora283]

Dude I’ll pay ya to crash 😂

[@jackassplus]

As a Vegas native, it was slightly cheaper to go to the British GP (Abbey GS) than to drive across town for the LV GP.

[@two6520]

Who cares the teams and drivers have millions. Where do the mechanics stay, the real people of the sport.

[@Cherry-bc5jf]

👍 I'm very much interested in where mechanics stay during the race week, too.

[@spartanp2064]

They stay in the garage. Fixing the broken bits. Especially if they are Albon’s mechanics. 😂

[@Cherry-bc5jf]

@@spartanp2064 Spartan P, thx for the reply. Maybe you're right👍 The mechanics might be spending more time in garage than in buildings they stay😂

[@circle_line]

I was staying at a long-term hotel in-between apartements in Austin. During the GP weekend, I saw McLaren F1 team SUVs parked there. It's one of the cheapest places to stay in Austin, but I think pretty good and clean for the price. less than $60/night for a few nights

[@fdavila021]

When I went to the Monaco Grand Prix a few years ago, I stayed in the neighboring town of Menton. I met the Transport Driver for Stroll’s car and a few mechanics Friday night and had some beers with them. They said they can’t afford to stay in the city of Monaco so get cheaper places nearby.

[@YESHIVA2919]

There is a new Hilton hotel at Silverstone, opposite the paddock. I'm sure that will be popular this year.

[@raaj85]

Most of the teams have sponsors. When I was in Singapore last year Ferrari had a deal with Marina Bay Sands. Mercedes have Marriott on their car and race suits.

[@MAvery106]

Thank you for such quality, Content WE Love you KIM!

[@onemoretime107]

I've had the pleasure of working with 1 of the teams for the past 2 years as an engineer. They put all of us in hotels, drivers are usually in a home, like an Airbnb.

[@benlewis-yp3km]

Love the content kym it's great to find out stuff I would never have known about

[@donny1boykie]

I Love these kind of insights Kym. Awesome. Keep up the good work mate.

[@KymIllman]

I never stop Donny.

[@jancam464]

The outtakes at the end of this video are hilarious

[@GameTrailblazerX]

Awesome work lots of research and spendings subscribed :)

[@KymIllman]

Welcome aboard!

[@ruhanherselman3309]

Great insight!

[@calebbritannia6283]

Nice Kym! When I went to Silverstone I stayed at Whittlebury camp next door to the hotel.

[@vyomakeshaconsultancy3406]

Another nice video with an interesting update on hotels worldwide in f1 World cheers kym keep up the good work 👏

[@KymIllman]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@kennethnielsen3864]

Thanks for sharing.

[@KymIllman]

Our pleasure!

[@pennytilghman3003]

Hyatt is an excellent hotel chain with high end options.

[@bradtaylor76]

It’s the no pants at the end for me. 😂😂. Great content as always Kym. ✌️

[@Success_is_inevitable]

Amazing videeeo! Do you have any videos explaining about cheapest hotel options for fans for each f1 track?

[@martinc.720]

I have to go to Montreal during the Grand Prix weekend (not for the race). I still haven't decided what I'll do without for a few months to pay for that hotel room.

[@Car_Fanatic]

Keep it up great content ❤

[@KymIllman]

Thank you! Will do!

[@colmherbie8261]

G'day Kym! Thanks for all the great and relevant information you share with everyone, very informative and always interesting. quick ?? How does everyone and especially the drivers deal with 'Jetlag' traveling so much of the year ?? cheers Colm

[@taahirgause7392]

love these vids

[@MarkoVukovic0]

Amazing numbers, Kym. I wish F1 could come back to Kyalami, probably the only place I could go for a race weekend due to our useless ZAR currency.

[@paolofrancini1219]

Amazing Video! Do you know which drivers stayed on the The Setai in Miami Beach? I want to meet them next year

[@Cherry-bc5jf]

Kym, thanks for providing the V on another very interesting F1 matters🙇‍♀

[@xRicCi]

Great video!

[@KymIllman]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@xRicCi]

@@KymIllman see you in Montreal in a few weeks!

[@WOOMMPOW]

I’d like to see a cost analysis of the transportation costs of an F1 team and equipment.

[@marknicol9405]

would be interesting to see the environmental impact from hauling the F1 equipment around the world, when they want to put the whole "hybrid cars and fuels" on the pedestal for marketing.

[@mclarenF1race]

Hey Kym! I would hope those prices include breakfast and evening dinner lol 😂... cheers 🍻 for the content!

[@MDSECTOR]

I always stay for the outtakes this one was epic 😂

[@michaeltorpy3366]

Hi kym greetings from Thailand I stayed in a small family run hotel in spa in the mid 80s Hotel was OK comfortable ut the food was stunning stay passionate 😊

[@stanislas4990]

Nice selection of hotels near race tracks. In Monaco Columbus Hotel is not crazy expensive in normal times (from 300€ to 500€), but they charge more for special event such as the GP. It has been bought by Hilton.

[@raydriver7300]

500th Like! Another interesting and erudite video 🌞

[@leprechaun7667]

F1 Drivers are not paying anything 😂

[@shrimpinpat]

Exactly. If anything the hotel pays them to stay there. They want people to see them and take pics in their hotels

[@JaysonCue]

Love it!!

[@chrisjames4150]

Kym: what camera and mic do you use for your videos. They’re always awesome! Plus your family do a great post production job 👍

[@KymIllman]

Canon r5 and 15-35mm lens

[@bytex666]

This is an extremely high budget for hotels per year, I've been wondering, who pays YOU for following the circus around the world every year? Do you have a separate employer? Are your wages and travel costs paid by someone or do you shell out of your own pocket? I would assume this is your fulltime job?

[@KymIllman]

I’m a freelancer.

[@spikedcoffee9195]

Look up Kyms history. He is ok

[@brookehepburn7866]

earliest I’ve been to a video!

[@DonLee1980]

Last time I went to the Shanghai GP, I stayed at a very nice place for some $200 usd that was near Shanghai city center. That was 2018.

[@alexanderstromer5106]

Breakfast comes extra for 200$ every morning, which is 10 000$ per year

[@RiminiVirage]

I think DC divested his hotel interest in Monaco a few years ago.

[@tonyspring]

Four Seasons MONTRÉAL is $3400 CDN per night minimum four nights.

[@bigrdog27]

Are they required to stay at their sponsors hotels? When I was in Miami it seemed half of Merc was at the Ritz South Beach but the drivers were elsewhere... less busy maybe Edition or St Regis Coral Gables area? Idk

[@einezcrespo2107]

Thanks Kym for opening the lid on drivers hotel expenses.

[@KymIllman]

My pleasure

[@sread833]

Kym, not sure if you have done a video on this before, but how do you do all of your accommodations and airfare. Do you plan yourself or does F1 do this for you.

[@brianiswrong]

I remember watching a documentary on red bull, it focused on christian and he mentioned a driver putting in a reciept for a €3 bottle of water, so i can only imagine the mini bar bill and room service bills they rack up and pass on to the teams.

[@movus5]

G'day Kym! Can you make a video about how drivers manage to cope with Jet Lag? That's a question I've always asked myself

[@KymIllman]

Not sure I’d get much of a video out of that one

[@BeethovensLaguerreRacing]

I’m sure the drivers have sleep cordinators. I know in American football everything in the hotel and plane are manage to make sure the drivers get a good night sleep , all the way down to the curtains they use for windows . You need complete darkness and a rigid schedule to fight off jet lag

[@andrefournier]

my heart pumps shit for them with the money they make and it's the team that pays wow you are truly a genius

[@rickintexas1584]

The estimates are crazy! I travel a lot for work. I spend about the same amount of nights in hotels. But my costs are a small fraction of this estimate.

[@KymIllman]

Yeah, but you’re not going in peak season every weekend

[@martinc.720]

Are you going everywhere during peak season? Do you really stay at the Ritz when you travel for work?

[@rickintexas1584]

@@KymIllman Understood. I was in Austin a few weeks ago. I stayed at a normal business hotel (Hilton, Hampton Inn) for about $150 a night. It was about 30 minutes drive north of the COTA track.

[@allanreardon]

I'm assuming the drivers aren't staying in the average or bottom end rooms that average folks would use.

[@Toolmanrules15]

What's your favorite Hotel Chain? Got any tips on getting upgrades? Heading to the US next week

[@saltau3734]

does the photo of lando's win include a pic of the safety car?

[@JTW05]

If they have a good accountant, nothing. It's a business expense for a start and there are many other loopholes a good accountant will know to bring down their overall personal expenses. They may pay when they stay but by the end of their financial year it will be nothing

[@Bill-uf6os]

A life of luxury hotel living with some driving.

[@deweberis2709]

David 'Brick-Head' Coultard sold the Columbus Monte-Carlo back in 2010 🤔

[@crazybungee]

Hotels/Meals/Transport are tax write-offs in most countries.

[@kooslehlogonolo2423]

Why Hotel owners fail to maintaing their hotels even though they have good deals like F1 drivers/High profile people prefer their hotels?

[@joep5080]

If you build it people will come. Nothing in that statement requires maintenence, people still flock to ruins lol

[@chloeminh2366]

are the noise levels in hungary really disruptive? I want to stay at a nicer end hotel but tbh I am not sure about having a crowd outside to pay that much lol

[@Chatta-Ortega]

I stayed a few blocks away in Budapest. There are plenty of hotels available. The only crowd I noticed was the one around a Mercedes F1 car parked in front of the Four Seasons (???) Hotel. It may have been a different hotel.

[@NOL1FEK1NG]

wow

[@graemecatty9921]

Things have changed if the teams pay for the drivers accommodation. That was a cost they used to cover themselves as the team only covered the crew.

[@AdrianWalker247]

Totally agree, Whittlebury Hall at Silverstone is a real dump.

[@HondaExige1]

Kym completely overlooked the new Hilton on the pit straight.

[@timothyjohns3561]

Wonder how much extra the F&B bill comes to…. although probably they eat mostly what the team/nutritionist provides… so maybe just WAG for F&B extras 😀🤷‍♂️

[@russking7775]

The Silverstone hotel doesnt have aircon. Dont need Aircon for the 3 days a year the sun comes out in the UK, be grateful for the central heating the 8 months we need it

[@andrewviolidis]

Hello , thank you fot the nice video. The hotels are paid from the drivers it self or the team pays for it ? thank you for your reply. Best A.

[@KymIllman]

Both.

[@andrewviolidis]

@@KymIllman thank you for your reply. Very much appreciated. If I may I would like to rephrase the question. In my first question I mean just for the drivers expenses, not the rest of the team. Also I had in mind that the expenses in traveling are covered by the team for every person 100%. Am I so wrong on that? thank you for your reply. best A.

[@barthermans8243]

Are these rates including breakfast?

[@nasseralsuleimani4807]

Found the insta vid while procrastinating doing work, great now rathet than wasting 1 min its 13 😂😂

[@KymIllman]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@den_525]

I can't even imagine F1 drivers needing to check out.... I would also imagine some F1 drivers stay for free? Surely that's good promotion for the hotel, plus some teams as mentioned like McLaren are sponsored by Hilton... so surely they don't have to pay.

[@willstevens1986]

Isn't there a Hilton at Silverstone now?

[@GooseGooseDuck797]

So much money wow

[@geniferteal4178]

I imagine I'm late to this but if course they stay at the "win".😊

[@dommonte3507]

the stuff that fox sports should show and don't this is brilliant, thanks Kym for the in sight

[@matthewdaub]

I would rather be with the rest of the crew than in a separate, fancier hotel. It has to be boring being by yourself. And what all is different between the 5 star and 4 star hotel's. They both have comfortable beds.

[@senanb1]

Better security. Last thing the driver wants is fans at their door or being loud outside as they need to sleep

[@jennstewart3003]

I wonder if the drivers/teams who are sponsored by the big brands like Hilton or Ritz Carlton or Marriot get a discount or comped?

[@KymIllman]

Accommodation has a dollar value that is included in the sponsorship

[@what.i.see.photography7077]

I would imagine your accommodation costs over the year would not be cheap Kym ?

[@Max_Flashheart]

Hope they get good room service

[@keeloraz9452]

Could you imagine them staying at a Travelodge

[@MuhammadNiz007]

Your annual expense of fixed cost video next please

[@carolyntreadwell6298]

I'm a F1 fan, I love the sport. However, what with the fear of homelessness (I've no car and can't afford my mortgage anymore after a stroke) hearing about these excessive lifestyles make me seriously reconsider our priorities in life!

[@DanBorries]

These guys do have their priorities straight. They take care of themselves and they race. 8000 US dollars for a few nights at a hotel isn’t anything to them. Not because they have so much money but because its a basic thing to them: a place to sleep when you’re racing in another country.

[@martinc.720]

@@DanBorries I think you're missing the point OP is making.

[@antonels4571]

I am sorry to hear about what has happened to you and can't imagine how you must feel. The reality though is that people's priorities are based on the situations that they find themselves in. F1 drivers make up such a small percentage of the worlds population, 20 or so out of 8,118,835,999 people (8.1 Billion) and they have a job to do, albeit sport, but because it is such an elite sport, the pinnacle of sports, and there are so few of them they get millions of dollars to do it. Our view of other people's priorities are based on our own perceptions. What one should rather say is that they must be grateful for what they are able to achieve, earn and accomplish; which I think they do. Anyone who questions F1 driver's priorities should ask themselves: Would I like to find myself in the situation that Michael Schumacher currently finds himself in? I would not. I am more grateful that I am rather "me" who is able to type this reply and able to watch and enjoy F1 and the see the posts by Kym, even though I cannot afford to go to a race. But once again I hope things take a turn for the better regarding your situation, and that maybe someday you might be able to see a real race.

[@DanBorries]

@@martinc.720 I don’t think he has a point

[@martinc.720]

@@DanBorries News flash: Your not understanding what people say does not mean that what they are is meaningless.

[@Sam-tb4im]

where do the crew stay though?

[@KymIllman]

All over the place

[@hernanhernandez3861]

Plus tax, resort fees, parking, etc. add another 15%

[@jimjones-pz1tt]

If F1 drivers use $300,000 motor homes, they're slumming.

[@tatchity]

Jesus Kym. I’ll rent you my house in Central Austin for a quarter of that price a night. Holler at me!

[@JonathasSucupira]

Who pays for the hotel expenses for the drivers, the drivers themselves or the teams?

[@alexbishop2535]

Austin will be even worse this year because Texas play Georgia that same weekend at DKR. Prices gonna be nuts

[@Chatta-Ortega]

Holy crap! That's a great game. The hotel prices are going to be in the stratosphere. That's why I only attend races in foreign countries.

[@alexbishop2535]

@@Chatta-Ortega yeah it’s fucked. The F1 calendar was out for a while before the SEC published the fixtures so they could’ve played Texas away that week.

[@ramprasanth3343]

Hey Kim just curious does F1 pay for all your tickets or do u actually pay for the flights and accommodation

[@KymIllman]

I’m a freelancer

[@bryanpons6585]

@@KymIllman so not a freeloader?

[@nmdc93]

This makes me more curious in joe lucrative free lance photography is. You're paying a third of this cost + flights and still have to pay a mortgage and raise a family? Very surprised in this lol

[@C7z06PR]

You should make a guide for places normal peorple could stay for every race

[@christianwestling2019]

On Abu Dhabi; how about the hotel on the track?

[@KymIllman]

No one stays there it’s too noisy

[@christianwestling2019]

@@KymIllman Ah, that makes sense.

[@NeverToBeSeenAgain]

saw this 55 seconds after it was posted :)

[@KymIllman]

What took you so long

[@KymIllman]

You’re early! Well done

[@tonyadeney1245]

fast of the grid ....

[@michelg2257]

If you are smart you will get a lot of membership points and don't have to spend less

[@Aiden-if3lf]

does hotel cost include in the cost cap

[@senanb1]

No

[@matttilley8620]

I envy those who have the disposable income to afford $1,000 a night hotels, but in terms of senseless decadence, expensive hotel stays seem absurd when considering that most people use hotel rooms to sleep.

[@HondaExige1]

Need bear in mind that Silverstone has a Hilton on the Pit Straight and you forgot the W on the Circuit in Abu Dhabi!

[@KymIllman]

Not too many drivers stay there due to the noise though

[@ScottMoyse]

And that will be a steal compared to the cost of their flights

[@johnm838]

Is this only for accommodation?

[@KymIllman]

Yes

[@jackmakackov7077]

I thought the drivers stayed at the track in the team buildings. No American sport makes the athletes pay for hotels. Thats all on ownership over here.

[@hannebruyndonckx489]

how come the hotel in spa is so impossible to book??

[@KymIllman]

Once people get a reservation, they never give it up for the next year