There is an inextricable link between Great Britain and Formula One racing. Not only is the British Grand Prix the oldest race on the calendar, but seven of the championship’s 10 teams are based there. Silverstone started life as an aerodrome. When the Second World War ended in 1945, Donington Park and the legendary Brooklands had fallen into disrepair and so Silverstone was adopted by the Royal Automobile Club as the home for the British Grand Prix in 1948.
From 1955 the British Grand Prix swapped venues between Aintree and Silverstone, but in the early 1960s, Aintree fell out of favour and the race alternated between Silverstone and Brands Hatch. In 1971 the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) bought the entire 720 acre plot on which Silverstone sits and went about redeveloping the track. Further changes to the layout and facilities arrived in 1987, from which time the circuit has remained as the sole host of the British Grand Prix. In 2010 a new infield loop debuted and this was followed one year later by the new ‘Wing’ pit complex.
Join us later in the afternoon for the latest updates and results from the Silverstone Circuit, as the qualifying session for the 2018 British Grand Prix is about to get underway, with Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen at the wheel of the SF71H, ready to challenge Mercedes and Red Bull for pole position.
Leave a Reply