With the British Grand Prix this coming weekend, Silverstone is back! In truth, 'The Home of British Motorsport' never really went away...
After plans to stage the event at Donington Park collapsed, Silverstone immediately stepped back in, securing a new long-term deal which will keep the British Grand Prix at the Northamptonshire circuit for the next 17 years.
Being England in the summer, you never know what the weather will do, so rain and wind can often upset things for drivers and engineers. Facilities improve all the time, but only the British would build grandstands without roofs!
Britain Basics
• This will be the 61st time F1 has staged a British Grand Prix, with Silverstone staging its 44th British GP this year. The race has also been held at Aintree and from 1964 until 1986 Silverstone shared the grand prix with Brands Hatch.
• Both Jim Clark and Alain Prost have racked up five British GP wins each with Nigel Mansell notching four home wins.
• Pole position counts for little here. Of the last 10 grand prix staged here just three have been won from pole – Rubens Barrichello in ’03, Fernando Alonso in ’06 and Sebastian Vettel in ’09. If that pattern continues the next lights to flag victory is not due until 2012!
• Of the current drivers, the best records belong to Fernando Alonso (with two poles in ’06 and ’07 and one win in ’06), Michael Schumacher (pole in ’01 and wins on ’02 and ’04) and Rubens Barrichello (poles in ’00 and ’03 and victory in ’03).
Britain Racing
• Nothing excites as much as a home win and British fans got one to remember in 1991 as Nigel Mansell scored pole and the win, even having enough time to pick up rival Ayrton Senna on his victory lap after the Brazilian had run out of fuel from second position.
• If that was special for the home crowd, it was nothing compared to the following year when ‘Mansellmania’ truly gripped the nation. After Mansell won the race, finishing ahead of Riccardo Patrese and Martin Brundle, the track was invaded by spectators who surrounded Mansell’s car despite the danger of being hit. In the end so thick was the throng that he had to abandon his car and get a lift to the podium ceremony in a marshal’s vehicle.
Britain Analysis
• Silverstone has a new layout this year, which will provide an extra challenge for all the teams. The new ‘Arena’ section introduces a series of corners after Abbey corner before rejoining the old track at Brooklands. It lengthens the track by 0.472 miles to 3.666 miles and is expected to add about four seconds to lap times. According to circuit chiefs the new section has been designed to provide three new overtaking opportunities.
• As with most tracks this season, tyre management will be crucial here. It’s a medium to high wear track so looking after rubber will be crucial to scoring points. Bridgestone are also likely to give the teams headaches by bringing its soft and hard compounds and again the new layout will add further stress to the tyres.
What Happened Last Year
Silverstone last year was about Sebastian Vettel. The Red Bull Racing driver dominated every session and repeated the performance in the race. Starting from pole Vettel simply drove away from the rest of the field, often lapping a second quicker per tour than Brawn rival Rubens Barrichello who had started second. It was a good day too for Mark Webber, the Australian passing Barrichello with a quicker pit stop on lap 20 to record a one-two finish for Red Bull Racing. Championship leader Jenson Button dropped to ninth from sixth on the grid at the start but managed to haul himself back to his starting position by the chequered flag. Barrichello held third ahead of Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Williams’ Nico Rosberg. Vettel was so dominant though that he claimed his first ever race hat-trick, with the pole, win and fastest race lap.
Comments
Add a comment