The ninth round of the 2014 Formula 1 season takes place at the Silverstone circuit, located on the Buckinghamshire/Northamptonshire border in Britain.
The challenging track will host its 50th Grand Prix this weekend and follows an exciting race weekend in Austria, which was eventually dominated by Mercedes.
Silverstone is a favourite amongst fans, drivers and teams. It has a fast and flowing layout, which has changed dramatically since it first hosted a Formula 1 race back in 1950 - in the sport’s inaugural season.
It is the home race for the majority of the teams on the grid, with the track being situated close to eight of the 11 outfit’s headquarters. This makes it convenient to transport updates and new parts to the circuit.
Attendance figures for the British Grand Prix are often one of the highest on the calendar, with 294,000 people making the trip to the venue over last year’s race weekend. The UK fans are so enthusiastic and the atmosphere is always electric.
The new infield loop debuted in 2010, adding more time to the lap but providing more overtaking opportunities. The Silverstone Wing was first used by F1 in 2011, moving the start/finish straight from before Copse to just prior to the new quick right-hander of Abbey.
A lap of the 3.660 mile track starts on the pit straight, with the Wing to the right. Abbey is a fast right-hander, but it will be taken at slower speeds this year due to the decreased downforce levels. Turn two is a flat-out left, but it will be trickier this season.
A short straight leads on to the third corner (Village), which is a good place to overtake – a lot of positions can be gained here on lap one. It will be taken in third gear in 2014 and is a slow right-hander that leads swiftly on to another low-speed hairpin. The left-hander of turn four (The Loop) is followed by the fifth corner (Aintree), which used to be flat but won’t be this year due to the dramatically different cars.
Whilst corner speeds will be lower this season due to the decreased downforce, top speeds on the straights will be higher thanks to the V6 Turbo power-units. Turn six (Brooklands) is a tricky left-hander that follows the Wellington Straight. Next up is turn seven (Luffield), which drivers expect to be particularly tricky in 2014 due to the increased levels of torque.
In the wet, turn eight (Woodcote) will be difficult but it will still be relatively straight-forward in dry conditions. It is a fast right-hand kink that leads on to the old pit straight. The popular turn nine (Copse) will be taken at slower speeds in sixth gear this season thanks to the regulation changes.
The iconic Maggotts-Becketts-Chapel complex will be extremely tricky. According to Jenson Button in the latest F1 Racing Magazine issue, he expects turn 10 – a quick left-hand corner - to require a lift on the throttle and now be taken as a corner rather than flat-out, with an even bigger lift for turn 12, which is a slightly slower right-hander.
Becketts is made up of a faster left-hander and a slower right, which will both be taken at slower speeds this year and require more braking. Chapel – a quick right – will lead the cars on to the Hanger Straight, with top speeds being around 6-9mph higher in comparison to last season.
Some teams may struggle under braking for turn 15 (Stowe) due to the new brake-by-wire system. This corner will be more problematic than usual so expect plenty of errors here.
The exit will also be harder to perfect due to the added torque, which could create more oversteer. Turn 16 (Vale) requires a car that changes direction well. The tight left-hander is followed by the double-apex right-hander of turns 17 and 18 (Club), which leads on to the main straight and concludes the lap.
The pit entry sees drivers go straight on at Vale, cutting out the final two turns. The exit feeds the cars back out on the outside of turn two. There will be two DRS zones this year. The first will be on the straight between Aintree and Brooklands, while the second will be positioned on the Hanger Straight.
Jim Clark and Alain Prost share the top spot on the British Grand Prix winners table, with five victories each. Nigel Mansell is next up on four, while Fernando Alonso is the only driver on the current grid to have triumphed at Silverstone multiple times (twice). Ferrari is the most successful constructor with 15 wins, one ahead of McLaren.
The Woking-based outfit doesn’t look set to add to its tally this weekend. The MP4-29 lacks downforce and that could cause the team to struggle in Silverstone's high-speed corners. Mercedes looks set to dominate once again, but we should expect Red Bull Racing to be closer due to the fact that the RB10 is very strong in the faster turns.
Williams, Force India and Ferrari should also be in the mix. The track requires a car that is aerodynamically stable and is unwavering in changes of direction.
It needs to be responsive, due to the fast corners, and have a strong braking system, although there are not too many heavy braking points so they will not be punished too hard – unlike in Canada and Austria. Pirelli will take the hard and medium compounds to Silverstone.
It will be the home race for three F1 drivers this weekend. Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Max Chilton will all be hoping for a strong resort in front of the British fans.
The circuit – which is built on the site of a World War II Royal Air Force bomber station (RAF Silverstone) – has quite a bumpy surface so ride heights will be raised. The weather often plays its part over a race weekend, with typical British rain often making an appearance.
After attending the last race at the Red Bull Ring as part of the media, I will actually be at the British Grand Prix on Saturday and Sunday as a fan, so if you see me come and say hello! It should be a fantastic weekend of racing.
British Grand Prix Fact File
Location: Silverstone, UK
Track length: 3.660 miles
Direction: Clockwise
Turns: 18
Laps: 52
First race: 1950
Lap record: Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing, 2013, 1m33.401
Tyre compounds: Hard and medium
2013 winner: Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
2013 pole position: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1m29.607
2013 fastest lap: Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing, 1m33.401
Live on: Sky Sports F1 and BBC
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Silverstone is a favourite amongst fans, drivers and teams. It has a fast and flowing layout, which has changed dramatically since it first hosted a Formula 1 race back in 1950 - in the sport’s inaugural season.
It is the home race for the majority of the teams on the grid, with the track being situated close to eight of the 11 outfit’s headquarters. This makes it convenient to transport updates and new parts to the circuit.
Attendance figures for the British Grand Prix are often one of the highest on the calendar, with 294,000 people making the trip to the venue over last year’s race weekend. The UK fans are so enthusiastic and the atmosphere is always electric.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
The new infield loop debuted in 2010, adding more time to the lap but providing more overtaking opportunities. The Silverstone Wing was first used by F1 in 2011, moving the start/finish straight from before Copse to just prior to the new quick right-hander of Abbey.
A lap of the 3.660 mile track starts on the pit straight, with the Wing to the right. Abbey is a fast right-hander, but it will be taken at slower speeds this year due to the decreased downforce levels. Turn two is a flat-out left, but it will be trickier this season.
A short straight leads on to the third corner (Village), which is a good place to overtake – a lot of positions can be gained here on lap one. It will be taken in third gear in 2014 and is a slow right-hander that leads swiftly on to another low-speed hairpin. The left-hander of turn four (The Loop) is followed by the fifth corner (Aintree), which used to be flat but won’t be this year due to the dramatically different cars.
Whilst corner speeds will be lower this season due to the decreased downforce, top speeds on the straights will be higher thanks to the V6 Turbo power-units. Turn six (Brooklands) is a tricky left-hander that follows the Wellington Straight. Next up is turn seven (Luffield), which drivers expect to be particularly tricky in 2014 due to the increased levels of torque.
In the wet, turn eight (Woodcote) will be difficult but it will still be relatively straight-forward in dry conditions. It is a fast right-hand kink that leads on to the old pit straight. The popular turn nine (Copse) will be taken at slower speeds in sixth gear this season thanks to the regulation changes.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
The iconic Maggotts-Becketts-Chapel complex will be extremely tricky. According to Jenson Button in the latest F1 Racing Magazine issue, he expects turn 10 – a quick left-hand corner - to require a lift on the throttle and now be taken as a corner rather than flat-out, with an even bigger lift for turn 12, which is a slightly slower right-hander.
Becketts is made up of a faster left-hander and a slower right, which will both be taken at slower speeds this year and require more braking. Chapel – a quick right – will lead the cars on to the Hanger Straight, with top speeds being around 6-9mph higher in comparison to last season.
Some teams may struggle under braking for turn 15 (Stowe) due to the new brake-by-wire system. This corner will be more problematic than usual so expect plenty of errors here.
The exit will also be harder to perfect due to the added torque, which could create more oversteer. Turn 16 (Vale) requires a car that changes direction well. The tight left-hander is followed by the double-apex right-hander of turns 17 and 18 (Club), which leads on to the main straight and concludes the lap.
The pit entry sees drivers go straight on at Vale, cutting out the final two turns. The exit feeds the cars back out on the outside of turn two. There will be two DRS zones this year. The first will be on the straight between Aintree and Brooklands, while the second will be positioned on the Hanger Straight.
Jim Clark and Alain Prost share the top spot on the British Grand Prix winners table, with five victories each. Nigel Mansell is next up on four, while Fernando Alonso is the only driver on the current grid to have triumphed at Silverstone multiple times (twice). Ferrari is the most successful constructor with 15 wins, one ahead of McLaren.
The Woking-based outfit doesn’t look set to add to its tally this weekend. The MP4-29 lacks downforce and that could cause the team to struggle in Silverstone's high-speed corners. Mercedes looks set to dominate once again, but we should expect Red Bull Racing to be closer due to the fact that the RB10 is very strong in the faster turns.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Williams, Force India and Ferrari should also be in the mix. The track requires a car that is aerodynamically stable and is unwavering in changes of direction.
It needs to be responsive, due to the fast corners, and have a strong braking system, although there are not too many heavy braking points so they will not be punished too hard – unlike in Canada and Austria. Pirelli will take the hard and medium compounds to Silverstone.
It will be the home race for three F1 drivers this weekend. Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Max Chilton will all be hoping for a strong resort in front of the British fans.
The circuit – which is built on the site of a World War II Royal Air Force bomber station (RAF Silverstone) – has quite a bumpy surface so ride heights will be raised. The weather often plays its part over a race weekend, with typical British rain often making an appearance.
After attending the last race at the Red Bull Ring as part of the media, I will actually be at the British Grand Prix on Saturday and Sunday as a fan, so if you see me come and say hello! It should be a fantastic weekend of racing.
British Grand Prix Fact File
 |
| © AllF1 |
Location: Silverstone, UK
Track length: 3.660 miles
Direction: Clockwise
Turns: 18
Laps: 52
First race: 1950
Lap record: Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing, 2013, 1m33.401
Tyre compounds: Hard and medium
2013 winner: Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
2013 pole position: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1m29.607
2013 fastest lap: Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing, 1m33.401
Live on: Sky Sports F1 and BBC
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