Feature

28 Aug 2025

11-hour layovers, a two-day trip to Brazil: What it takes to fulfil the dream of attending every Grand Prix in an F1 season

Formula One fan Brandon Burgess lifts the lid on what it's like to attempt to attend every Grand Prix in a single season.

In English football there's a saying of 'doing the 92', a quest that sees fans embark on a journey around the country, visiting each of the 92 Football League clubs.

In Formula One, there's no real coined equivalent – though that may change as the story of Brandon Burgess gains traction.

Brandon, or @full.time.formula as he is known via his burgeoning TikTok account, is bidding to attend every Formula One Grand Prix this season on a budget of £20,000 and 28 days of annual leave, a challenge he set himself.

A lifelong Formula One fan, he has completed 14 legs of his marathon trot around the world, following every twist and turn of this season's story and taking in races across Australia, Asia, North America, and Europe.

And, after a well-earned summer break, he's ready to get going once more. We caught up with him before he makes the short trip from the UK to the Netherlands for this weekend's Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, as he seeks to 'complete the 24', as it were.

How did you come up with the idea of the ultimate Formula One fan trip?

"I've been into Formula One from a very young age after watching it with my dad. Like so many people, going to even one race was always a dream, but I suppose the ultimate for any Formula One fan is to follow an entire season and be at every Grand Prix.

"That always felt out of reach; I thought that to go to every race you'd have to be retired or super rich, but, last summer, I started thinking about it more seriously and did some rough calculations on how much it would cost and how much annual leave I would need.

"I figured £20,000 could be a possible budget if I was savvy, and then I worked out the annual leave side of things, finding travel options that meant I used as little as possible.

"It soon dawned on me it was possible and so I thought, 'Why not?' And it’s been the best thing I've ever done."

There have been times when I've landed home at 09:00 on Monday morning from somewhere like Japan and had to log on for work.

How have you juggled all the travel whilst working your regular job?

"Some of the long-haul races have taken a lot of planning. I used a week of annual leave quite early between Australia and China, and I've got some pretty ridiculous trips planned towards the end of the challenge. For example, for Brazil I'm flying there on Friday night, arriving Saturday morning, and leaving Sunday night to arrive back in the UK on Monday. I can't remember what time I land but I'm set to be working Monday afternoon, so I'm using half a day's annual leave to go to São Paulo.

"I'm also allowed to work from abroad for a limited time in the year so between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia I was able to work from Saudi for the week, which really helped. While I was there, I was lucky enough to visit the Aston Martin Aramco garage at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit and the excitement and adrenaline of that really pushed me through as we were at the end of a long triple-header. It's been pretty intense so far but I'm loving it."

What has been the reception from your place of work?

"I'm very lucky, my colleagues are super invested in it; they love hearing about each weekend, and my manager is really supportive. There have been times when I've been landing back home at 09:00 on Monday morning and logging on at midday after getting back from Japan or somewhere crazy, so it's great that they are so understanding.

"I'm hoping I'll only use my 28 days annual leave but, if I need more, I have an allowance of five unpaid days."

What have been the most challenging journeys you've done so far?

"The longest travel in terms of layover was for the Japanese Grand Prix. I went to Japan just for the weekend, but I stopped in China and one of my layovers was 11 hours in Beijing. I couldn't leave the airport so I had to wander around the terminal for much of that time, though it did give me a chance to edit some of my videos.

"Getting to Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is probably going to be quite difficult as well. My girlfriend's joining me and we're going to fly to Turkey, where I'll work for a day or two, and then we'll move on to Azerbaijan because the direct flights are too expensive for my budget."

How are you tracking in terms of budget and annual leave days remaining?

"I have just under £10,000 left so I'm roughly where I need to be money-wise, and I've used about 60 per cent of my annual leave. The European portion of the season has really helped because I've used very little annual leave and the races are also a bit cheaper to attend. I've tried to build a bit of a buffer so, post Monza, I'm ready to take on the final long-haul flights.

"I’ve stayed in two-star, no-frills hotels that have been functional. And in Singapore I'm staying in one of the pod hotels which will be fun; I'm looking forward to seeing what that's like."

What have been the highlights of your challenge so far?

"The Japanese Grand Prix was one of my favourites because the fans and atmosphere were awesome and the Austrian Grand Prix was another because it's surrounded by such incredible scenery. One of my TikTok followers invited me onto their boat at the Monaco Grand Prix which I was hugely grateful for; that was a cool experience too."

People have recognised me from my videos... that's been surreal.

How much interest has your challenge been getting on TikTok?

"I've had loads of interaction with really nice Formula One fans and people have recognised me from my videos and come to chat to me at races; that's been surreal. In Japan, for example, I was in the fan zone and a couple of guys recognised me. We started talking and we ended up watching the race together.

"Meeting people at every race and getting to know new Formula One fans has been one of my favourite aspects of this challenge. I only made the account in February so it's incredible how popular it's become."

What are you looking forward to most in the remainder of the season?

"The United States Grand Prix in Austin is high on my list. I've heard so many good things about the circuit and the general vibe the city has during race week, plus my parents will be joining me so that will make it extra special. I'm also excited about Baku in a few weeks because it's always looked cool on TV.

"I've had some fantastic experiences so far and I can't wait for more."

11-hour layovers, a two-day trip to Brazil: What it takes to fulfil the dream of attending every Grand Prix in an F1 season

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