Silverstone Circuit, home of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix
For many teams, the British Grand Prix can be considered a second home race as many have their headquarters nearby.
The Silverstone Circuit is also inextricably linked with Formula 1: it staged the opening round of the inaugural world championship in 1950 and has been the exclusive home of the British Grand Prix since 1987.
Weather could be an issue
The track is situated on a plateau, on the site of a former World War II bomber station and, despite several facelifts over the years, it still retains much of its original high-speed challenge.
As well as several high-speed corners that put plenty of lateral energy through the cars, Silverstone is often characterized by a wide variety of climatic conditions over the race weekend each year. The track surface is also quite abrasive, which further increases tire wear and can have an effect on braking distances.
Teams will be testing a new hard compound for sole tire supplier Pirelli during practice today, and will revert to the standard P Zero Silver hard compound and P Zero Yellow soft compound for the rest of the race weekend. Last year, the early stages of the British Grand Prix were affected by rain, so the Cinturato Green intermediate and Cinturato Blue wet tires will also be on standby.
Alonso leads the pack
Going into qualifying tomorrow and Sunday’s eventual race, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso leads the pack with a healthy 111 points to Red Bull Racing’s Mark Webber and his 91 points in the Drivers’ standings. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton sits on 88 points, with reigning world champion Sebastian Vettel sitting on 85 points.
Red Bull holds the lead in the Constructors’ Championship with 176 to McLaren's 137, with Lotus at 126, Ferrari at 122 and Mercedes-AMG holding 92 points rounding out the top five.
Will the weather play a part in this upcoming race? It has a tendency to do so. Will Ferrari continue to improve and allow Alonso to claim his third championship? A bit too early to tell, especially with the two world champions at McLaren keen to wow their home crowds, though it sure is looking solid for Alonso and his Ferrari team.
