British drivers swept the rostrum locations two rounds in the past – will they do the identical at their dwelling occasion? Listed here are 5 speaking factors for the British Grand Prix.
How a lot slower is Silverstone in 2026?
Silverstone’s signature, high-speed corners similar to Copse, Maggotts and Becketts have lengthy made it a favorite of drivers. However Max Verstappen gave a worrying evaluation of how the present era of System 1 automobiles will carry out at one of many championship’s hottest tracks amongst drivers and followers.
“I did a couple of laps on the simulator and I simply began laughing,” remarked Verstappen, a two-times winner on the monitor in F1.
With few low-speed corners by way of which automobiles can cost their batteries, drivers can have significantly much less power to make use of on straights. That may make the method speeds to Silverstone’s quickest corners noticeably slower.
The identical downside has already been evident at one other of F1’s nice drivers’ tracks, Suzuka. Since then, F1 launched modifications to alleviate a few of the issues attributable to its new era of energy items. Silverstone shall be a revealing measure of how profitable these have been and one other will comply with quickly afterwards when the sequence heads to a different of its quickest circuits – Spa-Francorchamps.
Excessive hopes for dwelling win
Silverstone hasn’t been wanting dwelling winners these days, with Lando Norris final 12 months and Lewis Hamilton the 12 months earlier than. Hamilton gained his dwelling race seven occasions out of eight till 2021: the British Grand Prix has solely been gained by a non-British driver thrice since 2014 (Verstappen additionally gained the one-off seventieth Anniversary Grand Prix in 2020).
George Russell hasn’t gained his dwelling race but however his possibilities have by no means been higher. He and Hamilton have already gained grands prix this 12 months, and Norris will race at dwelling with the champion’s primary for the primary time, so expectations for a house win shall be increased for this race than doubtlessly every other this 12 months.
Has Russell begun a fightback?
Following back-to-back point-less weekends which had been brutal for his championship possibilities, Russell has reduce into championship chief Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s lead over the previous two rounds. Is that this the signal of a resurgence from Russell, or has fortune been on his aspect?
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He was working behind Antonelli when his crew retired in Spain. Nonetheless it was not recognized on the time that Antonelli had an unserved penalty which might have dropped him again behind Russell had he completed. Russell got here out on high final weekend, although the bizarre circumstances on the finish of qualifying helped him achieve a bonus on Antonelli, and Russell was being caught quickly by his crew mate and Verstappen on the finish of the race.
This has all been worthwhile progress for Russell within the factors standings, however he has maybe not been as conclusively aggressive as he would love. He should keep away from permitting the initiative to swing again to Antonelli and must proceed making positive aspects as his crew mate nonetheless lies 40 factors forward.
Will Williams’s large improve ship?
The British Grand Prix seems like being an necessary win for a neighborhood crew which scored its first triumph within the race 47 years in the past. Off the again of their finest season in years, Williams has made a faltering begin to 2026, and its early run of minor factors finishes didn’t proceed within the final two rounds.
The FW48 was completed late and obese. Carlos Sainz Jnr, who stunned himself by choosing up a pair of podium finishes in his first season on the crew final 12 months, has been visibly dismayed by the crew’s backwards step.
Now the crew has readied a big improve bundle which crew principal James Vowles has mentioned will go a way in direction of bringing down its weight. Will it show sufficient to permit them to combat the likes of Alpine and Racing Bulls for the factors?
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5 years of dash races
For the primary time since System 1 launched its dash race format 5 years in the past, Silverstone will maintain a dash occasion this 12 months. The format has been extensively tweaked since then: the primary dash race in 2021 was formally known as ‘dash qualifying’, set the grid for the grand prix and solely awarded three factors to the winner.
F1 has pushed on with the format whatever the combined response it has acquired from followers. From the outset, F1 has characterised its occasional further races as an unqualified constructive, although the very fact they haven’t rolled them out past one-quarter of the championship rounds within the intervening years makes that declare onerous to take at face worth.
Are you going to the British Grand Prix?
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2026 British Grand Prix
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