This weekend sees a popular race held for many of the teams competing in the 2013 Formula One World Championship, the British Grand Prix, which once again takes place at the famous Silverstone circuit.
Many teams’ have their headquarters located near the track, including current leader in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ championships, Red Bull Racing. Another team located nearby is Williams, which this weekend celebrates its 600th grand prix.
Silverstone is also inextricably linked with F1: it staged the opening round of the inaugural championship in 1950 and has been the exclusive home of the British GP since 1987.
Located on the site of a former WWII bomber station, the track has undergone several facelifts over the years with the most recent taking place in 2011. This saw the length extended to 3.66 miles.
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.
The current weather forecast calls for a bit of rain during tomorrow’s practice session but dry, albeit cloudy, skies over the weekend. Peak temperature during Sunday’s race is expected to be a mild 72 degrees F (22 degrees C).
Going into the race, Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel leads the Drivers’ Championship with 132 points versus the 96 points of Fernando Alonso and the 88 points of Kimi Räikkönen, who fill the second and third spots on the ladder, respectively.
In the Constructors’ Championship, Red Bull Racing remains the clear leader with 201 points, followed by Ferrari in second with 145 points and Mercedes AMG in third with 134 points.
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