BRITISH GP

1-3 July 2022 Silverstone

THE MAIN EVENT

Straddling Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire, the speedbowl which hosted the very first world championship GP had a very short life as a wartime airfield before it was adopted by racers. It’s changed almost beyond recognition since then, but the challenges remain consistent: this is a fast, physically tough and rewarding track to race on.

The prevalence of fast corners means most drivers rate Silverstone very highly but these characteristics also make the track tough on tyres. F1’s new generation of cars make their downforce differently and it should be easier to follow each other through sections such as the Maggottsbecketts complex. But the additional weight of the new cars may also tell through these quick changes of direction, punishing the tyres even more.

2021 RACE RECAP

Silverstone hosted the first F1 Sprint, a 17-lap thrash to determine the grid for Sunday’s race. Max Verstappen passed polesitter Lewis Hamilton on the opening lap and held on to claim pole position for the grand prix, but when the main event got under way Hamilton was in no mood to be frustrated in front of his home crowd again. The duo battled throughout the opening lap until they reached Copse side by side.

The controversial collision which ensued sent Max hard into the barriers and earned Lewis a 10-second penalty from which he recovered to win, passing long-time leader Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari with two laps to go. Afterwards Red Bull raged that the penalty wasn’t severe enough…

KEY CORNER: TURN 4 The Loop, introduced in the most recent revamp of the circuit in 2010, is a sharp late-apex left-hander. It is the slowest on the track but important for speed down the Wellington Straight which follows after the next corner…