Silverstone is without doubt one of the absolute highlights of the Method 1 calendar.
The twelfth spherical of the championship is the midway level within the season and it is also Lewis Hamilton’s residence race. A part of what makes the British Grand Prix particular is that that is the place the world championship started again on 13 Might 1950. The next yr, it was the scene of Ferrari’s maiden win, courtesy of Jose Froilan Gonzalez on the wheel of a 375 F1. Silverstone is broadly considered a basic monitor, not only for historic causes but in addition due to the technical problem it presents, making it a favorite for drivers and followers alike.
Constructed on the location of a former World Conflict II army airfield, Silverstone is without doubt one of the few circuits nonetheless in use that featured in that first 1950 season. Through the years, it has undergone many adjustments, the latest courting again to 2010. The present monitor is 5.891 kilometres lengthy and options 18 corners, a lot of their names well-known the world over. The excessive velocity run by means of Maggots, Becketts and Chapel is an exhilarating take a look at of a automobile’s aero effectivity and a driver’s capacity. Tackled flat out at 290 km/h, Copse nook is one other of essentially the most spectacular sections of the season. There are two DRS zones: the primary between turns 5 and 6 and the second on the Hangar Straight, scene of overtaking strikes because the automobiles brake for Stowe nook.
Silverstone is a particularly excessive velocity circuit with one of many highest common lap speeds of the season. It requires a low aerodynamic downforce set-up to supply most velocity for the quick sections, whereas additionally rewarding a automobile that may change immediately rapidly. The tyres are available for a tough time due to the excessive lateral forces, with lengthy corners producing excessive temperatures for the tyres, in order that this has a significant affect on race technique.
The English summer time is understood for its unpredictable climate and Silverstone is not any exception, with solar, rain and robust winds all able to placing in an look on the identical day, including one other problem for drivers and engineers to take care of.
Fred Vasseur: After Austria, we transfer on to Silverstone, a really totally different sort of circuit and one of many actual classics. The upgrades we launched on the SF-25 in Spielberg definitely performed some half in our good outcome final Sunday, and we need to capitalise on that constructive momentum going into this subsequent race. We have seen how necessary it’s to give attention to each facet of our operation to be able to ship a robust efficiency and so, as typical, we’ll consider ourselves, aiming to place collectively one other clear weekend. That is Lewis’ residence race and he’ll be notably eager to do nicely, buoyed by the wonderful assist he can all the time rely on right here. Personally, I am trying ahead to being again on the race monitor with the workforce to benefit from the particular ambiance that is distinctive to Silverstone.
Ferrari on the British GP
72 GP Contested1951 Debut (J.F. Gonzalez 1st; L. Villoresi third; A. Ascari ret.; P. Whitehead ninth)18 (25.00%) Wins16 (22.22%) Pole positions22 (30.55%) Quickest laps59 (27.31%) Podiums
Three inquiries to Lewis Hamilton
Silverstone is the house of the British Grand Prix, your private home race, and a spot the place you’ve gotten many particular reminiscences. How does it really feel to return right here for the primary time carrying the Ferrari colors? Lewis Hamilton: Silverstone has all the time been greater than only a race monitor for me. I’ve had a few of the most unforgettable highs with the gang proper there behind me, however coming right here with Ferrari for the primary time is one thing actually particular. I’ve a lot historical past with this monitor, and for Ferrari to now be a part of that story means so much to me. I am proud to put on crimson right here, and I can not wait to expertise that unbelievable residence crowd vitality once more.
Is there a specific nook or sector at Silverstone that stands out as your favorite? What makes it so particular to drive? LH: There are a couple of sections that basically stand out, however Copse into Maggots and Becketts – that is simply one thing else. It is so quick and, whenever you get it proper, it feels such as you’re flying. However what makes Silverstone so particular for me is the ambiance. There is a cause I’ve stood on the rostrum so many occasions right here, and that is the love from the followers. From my first win in 2008, to my ninth final yr, the gang is all the time with me, and regardless of the place I’m on the monitor, I can really feel their vitality from contained in the cockpit.
You will have followers everywhere in the world, together with many younger individuals who see you as a job mannequin. What recommendation would you give to these dreaming of changing into racing drivers or pursuing a profession in motorsport? LH: Discover one thing you are captivated with and chase it. Ask plenty of questions, take your time and study out of your errors. All of us fall down, nevertheless it’s how we rise that shapes us, so maintain going.
British Grand Prix – Information & Figures
0. The variety of occasions the highest three on the British Grand Prix grid went on to complete the race in the identical order by which they began. Silverstone, which has hosted 59 world championship rounds, is regarded firstly as a monitor that delivers a few of the most spectacular racing of the yr, with loads of adjustments of place. That view additionally holds water for the occasion’s previous venues (Aintree, 5 races) and Manufacturers Hatch (12).
4. The variety of British drivers as a result of begin this yr’s British Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton, Oliver Bearman, Lando Norris and George Russell. Of those, solely Lewis has received at residence, 9 occasions no much less, which is a report that is going to be onerous to beat.
22. The variety of occasions out of a complete of 59 Method 1 occasions held at Silverstone, that the race has been received from pole. Although overtaking is much from unimaginable right here, the statistic confirms the significance of qualifying nicely in Method 1. 18 races have been received from the quantity 2 grid slot, eight from third, 5 from fourth, three from fifth and two from sixth. Solely as soon as has it been received from seventh on the grid, courtesy of Emerson Fittipaldi in a McLaren in 1975.
2021. The yr by which the unitary council of West Northamptonshire was established and by which Silverstone circuit is contained. From the latest out there census (2020), it has 434,349 inhabitants. It was shaped by means of the merger of the non-metropolitan districts of Daventry, Northampton and South Northamptonshire.
2176. The inhabitants of Silverstone village, which provides the 400,000 capability circuit its identify, that means that on race day the native populace is 184 occasions larger than typical. It’s the smallest group to boast a Method 1 circuit. The following two smallest ones are Zallaq, which is residence to Sakhir in Bahrain, with slightly below 4,000 inhabitants and Spielberg, Austria which boasts a inhabitants (in 2022) of 5,383.
