British Grand Prix: Preview – Pirelli

The British Grand Prix marks the midpoint of the 2024 FIA Components 1 World Championship and spherical 12 of 24 takes place the place all of it started 74 years in the past.

In 1942, a Royal Air Drive airfield was established in Silverstone, Northamptonshire and on 13 Might 1950 it hosted the primary of the 1112 rounds which have taken place thus far. The winner again then was Nino Farina, driving an Alfa Romeo fitted with Pirelli tyres.

5.861 kilometres lengthy, the monitor is the fifth longest on the calendar after Spa-Francorchamps (7.004 km), Jeddah (6.175 km), Las Vegas (6.120 km) and Baku (6.003 km). It options 18 corners and is likely one of the most fun and likewise some of the demanding for the car-tyre bundle. Some nook combos, equivalent to these from 10 to 14 – Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel – are taken at excessive pace and generate lateral forces on the tyres and drivers of over 5g: the typical determine at Silverstone is just like that seen at Spa and Suzuka. This, together with different technical features, implies that as is at all times the case right here, the compounds chosen for this spherical are the toughest within the vary, the C1 as P Zero onerous, the C2 as P Zero medium and the C3 as P Zero comfortable. The entrance axle comes underneath the best pressure and the prevalence of proper hand turns implies that the left entrance is the tyre that wears probably the most.

The climate in England in the summertime can at all times be very changeable, an additional issue to be considered, particularly as circumstances can change very quickly. Final 12 months all the race was run within the dry, with the Comfortable a considerably stunning protagonist, with solely two groups not utilizing it. Nonetheless, probably the most used compound was the Medium, which was used to finish half the general mileage. The nice majority of drivers went for a one-stop technique, even when previously, a two-stop had been a well-liked alternative.

At this race final 12 months, Pirelli launched a brand new tyre building to take care of the rise in masses seen over the primary few races of the season, as these forces exceeded the typical figures seen from simulations offered by the groups over the earlier winter. With out altering tyre efficiency in any approach, the development proved its price and will probably be used as much as the top of the 2024 season, despite the fact that there was a rise of round 10% within the masses generated by this 12 months’s vehicles in comparison with figures seen on the finish of final season.

Solely two Grands Prix have been everlasting fixtures on the Components 1 calendar, this one and the Italian Grand Prix. Silverstone subsequently hosts the seventy fifth British Grand Prix this weekend, the 58th to be held at this monitor. The race has additionally been run twelve occasions at Manufacturers Hatch and 5 at Aintree. In 2020, Silverstone hosted an extra spherical, celebrating the championship’s seventieth anniversary.

Even if nearly all of Components 1 groups, previous and current, had or have their headquarters in England, probably the most profitable group at this Grand Prix is Scuderia Ferrari with 18 wins to its identify. Then come McLaren on 14 and Williams on 10. With 16 pole positions, Ferrari additionally tops this listing, because it does for quickest race laps (20) and podium finishes (59). Essentially the most profitable driver within the UK is Sir Lewis Hamilton who has gained eight of his house Grands Prix, whereas subsequent up are Jim Clark and Alain Prost with 5 wins apiece. The seven-time world champion Mercedes driver additionally has probably the most poles (7) and podium finishes (13) whereas fellow countryman Nigel Mansell tops the listing for quickest race laps on this occasion with seven.