Silverstone holds a special place in the Formula 1 history books, as host of the very first World Championship round in May of 1950. Since then, it has remained a classic addition to the calendar with motorsport fans travelling far and wide for this bucket list event.
Home to some of the most recognisable corners in racing, such as Stowe, Copse and of course the iconic Maggotts and Becketts duo, the circuit now also includes the ‘Hamilton Straight’. Named after our very own seven-time champ, the renaming of the pit straight was revealed to Lewis at the end of the 2020 season, and is the only part of the track to be known after an individual.
Formerly an old RAF airfield, the circuit has undergone several changes over the years with the most notable being a big renovation project in 1991, and further modifications to make the place safer in 1994.
It’s a place that the drivers adore, especially with this being a home race for both of our drivers.
In addition to the hundreds of thousands of fans that will line the grandstands, the profile of the circuit also makes it a brilliant lap to drive.
It’s fast and flowing, but the lateral forces can be brutal. Some corners, such as Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel are all taken flat out which can result in up to 5G on the drivers’ necks and bodies. The tyres are also put through their paces, especially the front-left which is used heavily across a single lap. Tyre management is crucial, with this being one of the toughest places on the calendar for stress on our Pirellis.
Silverstone also hosted the first official Formula 1 event in 1950, and was home to a very unique event in 2020 when it hosted the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix – an event that we recorded a double podium at.
Being in England, you can also expect the unexpected when it comes to weather. No British summertime is complete without a random rain shower or two, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on the weather radars and packing for all weathers and temperatures!
Fact File: British Grand Prix
Silverstone's legendary layout is tough on tyres, especially the left-front which has huge loads imposed on it through Turns 1, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 15.
Given its high-speed nature with fast, flowing corners, brakes are not put under a great strain at Silverstone. Teams therefore can focus on other areas such as fine-tuning aerodynamic set-up rather than on brake cooling.
As an open, exposed, former airfield, the circuit is notoriously windy and changes in wind direction happen frequently. That can have a major impact on vehicle balance and change the car's behaviour. This forces drivers to adjust accordingly in terms of braking points, entry speeds as they approach the apex of turns, and acceleration as they exit.
From the start, drivers will complete two corners before hitting the brakes for the first time at Village (Turn 3). The distance from pole position to this point is 644 metres but, on full fuel tanks at the beginning of the Grand Prix, they do have to lift off the throttle after 225 metres.
The only race where we see a longer distance from pole position to first braking zone is at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico. The vast start/finish straight there sees drivers hit the brakes for the first time 811 metres from pole position.
Silverstone also has the second longest pit lane length of the season at 509 metres - the pit lane entry begins after Turn 15, with the pit exit feeding in at Turn 2.
This means that whilst time in the pit lane clocks in at 23 seconds, the third highest of the season, time loss is limited with drivers not having to negotiate Turns 16, 17, 18, and 1.
The long straights and flat-out sections around the circuit mean that 78% of the lap is taken at full throttle, the fifth highest total of the season.
Silverstone boasts some of the most iconic corner names in the whole of motorsport. It is one of only three tracks on the calendar where engineers discuss corners through their names and not numbers; the other two being Spa-Francorchamps and Monaco.
Drivers experience some of the highest lateral g-forces of the season at the British Grand Prix, with an expected maximum of 5g at Turn 11 through the Maggotts-Becketts sequence.
Silverstone is something of a home race for the team. The Brackley factory is a mere nine miles away and the home of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains at Brixworth is just over 20 miles from the track.