Posted on 25th June 2013
I will be reporting live from the Silverstone paddock throughout the weekend, I can't wait to bring you all the action from the British Grand Prix. Here's everything you need to know for Silverstone.
The Facts.
Lap: 5.891 km
Race Laps: 52
Lap Record: 1:34.661
K Raikkonen (2012)
2012 Winner: Mark Webber
Race Date: 30.06.2013
Safety Car – Possible
Race Day Weather – Changeable
Tyre Allocation – Medium & Hard
DRS Zones: Wellington straight & Hanger straight with separate detection zones.
The Circuit.
The Silverstone circuit is a favourite for the fans, drivers and the teams. Like many race circuits in Britain, it was originally an RAF base. This rich history remains, with the Hanger and Wellington straight's lending their names to this rich pastime. Britain is a very proud nation, Silverstone is a treasure to those who have visited. It's the theatre of speed, and one of the fastest circuits in F1 today.
The layout has changed since it hosted the very first world championship race way back in 1950, but the passion, speed and the pride still remain. Fans make an event come alive at any sporting event, but at Silverstone they really are quite something. British fans are the best in the world alongside the Italians in my opinion. The passion, knowledge and sheer dedication is just tremendous. When there is a race on, the Northamptonshire circuit is alive with adrenaline, and excitement. It could be blazing sunshine and baking hot, or pouring with rain and freezing cold, the British fans remain glued to the action on track.
This is such a fast technical circuit, it has everything a that makes a fantastic race track. Here are some of my favourite Silverstone sections. The first highlight for me is the recently added arena section, proving a great view for fans, and the first breaking zone from the start finish line. A good acceleration zone too onto the Wellington straight. Heading into Brooklands and Luffield, this is my favourite part of Silverstone, the tricky braking zone for Brooklands often catches drivers out.
Luffield itself is a great corner, a constant right turn where patience is a virtue in order to get the best exit. A great theatre atmosphere with the fans too. Then down the old pit straight, almost flat out through Copse, but then the most technical part of the track, Maggots and Beckets are scintillating corners. The cars change direction like house flies, almost flat out through the twists and turns. It really is an incredible sight to behold. Then my final highlight is the amended Club corner, the final corner of this 5.89 Kilometre track. Breaking into the Vale, a very slow left hand turn before constant acceleration around the Club corner which tightens right on exit. This corner was amended when the Circuit was revamped and it’s much more of a feature than it was. A great place to spectate from.
After all the excitement in the last week or so with the testgate saga, it's time to get the action back on track. But many of our Twitter followers have been saying let's have some thoughts on the British teams and drivers. So F1 fans, here you go.
British Fans Favourites.
We will start with Marussia and young Max Chilton. Last time out in Canada it could have gone slightly better, Max was beaten by his teammate Jules Bianchi. Their aim at Silverstone will be to beat main rivals Caterham, Max however will also want to get ahead of his teammate and impress in front of his home fans.
Caterham and Williams will be hoping for a good British Grand Prix performance after disappointing races in Canada. The Williams team had a fantastic result with Bottas qualifying 3rd, but in the race on Sunday he went backwards. Caterham will be hoping to beat rivals Marussia, Van Der Garde however will hope for a clean race after a number of incidents in Montreal. Upgrades will be brought to Silverstone by all the teams, but we will have to see what difference it makes to the performance. Williams celebrate their 600th Formula 1 Grand Prix this weekend, they are one of the legends of the sport and I hope they can perform well on this special occasion.
McLaren have suffered poor results throughout the whole season so far in 2013, their home race isn't going to be easy especially for Jenson Button. Pace and performance is what the team are in urgent need of, a series of significant upgrades will be tested here, lets hope they can begin to improve. Jenson Button is hugely popular with the fans here, he will be pushing hard for points, but a podium finish is a tall order.
Force India and Paul Di Resta have had a strong season so far, points are more than possible for the home team, but they will surely be pushing for the podium. Formally the Jordan team Force India are based just 2 minutes from the gates of Silverstone, a podium here in front of the home fans would be something very special indeed.
Mercedes have been busy over the last week with the FIA tribunal, but their focus returns to the racing. Lewis Hamilton has always said the support at Silverstone is incredible, he took victory around this famous circuit in 2008 to a delighted 100,000 strong crowd. Victory this weekend might be a little more challenging, but a podium will certainly be the aim. Mercedes are based in Blackley not to far from Silverstone, this is the first of two home races for the team, the second being the German Grand Prix next weekend.
Tom Wilkinson's Pre-race Pointers.
There is sure to be lots of talk this weekend about the FIA tribunal involving Mercedes and Pirelli. The outcome announced last week may have not come to much, however Ferrari and Red Bull are less than happy with the punishment. I believe we will still be hearing about it for some time yet, Silverstone is used to political storms in F1, but there will be some interesting debates I’m sure. According to The Times newspaper this week, Red Bull are already threatening to run their own 3 day private test exactly the same as Mercedes.
Drivers will soon be in the market for race seats for the 2014 season. A question mark still remains for Mark Webber however, many believe that he could be quitting F1 at the end of this year. With all the turmoil in the past with teammate Sebastian Vettel, nothing would surprise me. There are a number of drivers positioned well to replace him, including both Toro Rosso drivers. However a complete exit from F1 is unlikely in my book, I think a move to a different team is a more realistic possibility. Which team you ask? I suspect Lotus, knowing Mark he will want a competitive car that’s for sure.
F1 British Grand Prix Session Times (GMT)
Practice 1 – 10:00 Practice 2 – 14:00
Practice 3 – 10:00 Qualifying – 13:00
Race – 13:00
You can stay up to date with all the Formula 1 news by following me on Twitter @TomWilkinsonF1 #TWF1 where I'll be commentating Live from the Silverstone paddock throughout the weekend.
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