Image source- Formula1.com
It’s British Grand Prix week, and that means we’re heading to Silverstone. Before anything else, let’s get the technical details of the track out of the way. Located in Northamptonshire, the iconic Silverstone Circuit spans 5.891 km (or 3.611 miles) and will host 52 laps of racing this weekend. That brings the total race distance to 306.198 km. The track has moderate elevation changes (11.23m), a kind of abrasive surface, and medium downforce. There’s also a pretty high chance of a safety car at 75 percent, which could definitely shake things up. And, the track runs clockwise.
Silverstone’s got 18 turns and two DRS zones, one on the Wellington Straight and the other on the Hangar Straight. Plus, we’ve got two rookie debuts in FP1 to look forward to, Arvid Lindblad for Red Bull Racing and Paul Aron for Kick Sauber. Now, let’s talk tyres because honestly, that’s my favourite part. Pirelli’s bringing softer compounds than last year: C2s as the hards (2 sets), C3s as mediums (3 sets), and C4s as softs (8 sets plus one extra for Q3). Oh, and don’t forget the four sets of inters and three sets of full wets, just in case the British skies do their thing.
Race Weekend Weather
Friday’s looking pretty pleasant for FP1 and FP2 with a high of 25°C and a low of 14°C. There is just a 4 percent chance of rain, so we’re likely staying dry. Saturday cools down a bit for FP3 and qualifying. We’re looking at a high of 22°C, the same 14°C low, and the rain chance climbs to 24 percent. It could get a bit tricky if clouds roll in during quali. Sunday’s race could see a high of 20°C, a low of 12°C, and yep, another 24 percent chance of rain.
Upgrades
All of this comes straight from The Pit Lane Preview, where Sam Collins walked us through the early garage activity. Nothing has been officially submitted to the FIA yet. Over at Red Bull, Max Verstappen is still making the RB21 sing, but Yuki Tsunoda? Not so much. The car is ultra-sensitive. Brilliant if you’re Max, borderline impossible if you’re not.
Now for the fun stuff. Haas has gone all in with a new sidepod concept, a strange bodywork bulge hiding a cooling duct, and they’ve ditched their futuristic mirror design for something more old-school. McLaren has brought both a new floor and changes to rear brake cooling. That should help with tire wear, which has been a bit of a sore spot this year. Aston Martin has fitted Alonso’s car with a new floor. Sauber, soon to become Audi, is still evolving their floor concept from Spain and quietly collecting points. Even Williams has joined in by adjusting Carlos Sainz’s seating position to lower the center of gravity.
Important Track Trivia
Image source- Formula1.com
It was originally built on the grounds of a Royal Air Force bomber station that was active during and shortly after World War II. If you look closely, you can still spot the old runway woven into the circuit layout. Sir Lewis Hamilton has won the British Grand Prix nine times, which is the most wins by any driver at a single circuit in F1 history. He’s also scored 12 consecutive podiums here. The big question is, can he keep that streak going this year in red?
Here’s something else cool. Six F1 teams have their headquarters within 75 kilometers of Silverstone. We’re talking Mercedes, McLaren, Haas, Alpine, Red Bull, and Aston Martin. And Cadillac, the American newcomers, are setting up shop there, too. This year’s British Grand Prix also marks 75 years since the very first Formula 1 race, which took place at Silverstone in May 1950. Back then, the average speed was 146.378 km/h. Today, it’s up to a rapid 215.570 km/h. Safe to say, a few things have changed.
