01
Memorable moments
02
Through the years at Silverstone
Daniel and Max greeting fans in 2016
© Getty
Daniel and Daniil greet fans at Silverstone in 2015
© Getty
The RB11 gleaming in the sunlight in 2015
© Getty
Max took the victory on 2023
© Getty
03
What makes Silverstone unique?
Two things: heritage and high-speed thrills. Silverstone is one of F1’s most iconic circuits. Developed on the site of a former WW2 airfield, the first British Grand Prix was held at Silverstone in 1948 on a makeshift track bordered by hay bales and canvas barriers. Two years later, the track hosted the very first Formula 1 World Championship Grand Prix, won by Giuseppe ‘Nino’ Farina, and the rest is history. The track has held all but 17 editions of the race, and this year’s race will be the 60th British Grand Prix to be held at Silverstone.
What keeps the sport, its drivers and its fans coming back here year after year is Silverstone’s status as one of F1’s true power circuits. With average speeds of around 250 km/h and approximately 80% of the lap run at full throttle, it’s an awesome place to watch F1 drivers do their thing.
It’s also our local track. Our Milton Keynes base is just 21 miles, or 34 km, from the track, so there’s an added pride in competing at what amounts to our second home race in front of family, friends and fans.
04
Circuit characteristics
Silverstone is one of the few remaining true power circuits on the calendar. As well as the pit straight, it features two flat-out sections in the Wellington and Hangar Straights, and half of its 18 corners are taken at over 200 km/h.
Among those high-speed corners are the flat-out right-hander of Copse (Turn 9), the incredible changes of direction through the high-speed complex of Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel, and the 200 km/h right-hand flick of Stowe.
There are slower areas, such as Village (Turn 3), The Loop (Turn 4), Luffield (Turn 7), and 90 km/h Club and Vale (Turns 16 and 19) at the end of the lap, but they’re brief waypoints on a screaming lap that has an average speed of 250 km/h.
However, in 2026 that could mean we are in for an energy-poor race. Those few hard-braking points won’t help with harvesting, and while the sport’s authorities made some changes to harvesting and deployment ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, there are fears that we might see the dreaded ‘superclipping’ this weekend.
05
Key overtaking zones
Silverstone offers several standout overtaking opportunities. Stowe (Turn 15) is one of the best places to make a move, with drivers arriving at the end of the Hangar Straight at full tilt before braking hard into the right-hander. Village (Turn 3) is another good spot, as cars slow sharply after powering out of high-speed Abbey (Turn 2), often creating wheel-to-wheel battles that continue through The Loop. At the end of the Wellington Straight, the slower left-hander of Brooklands (Turn 6) provides another opportunity, and if you don’t get the move done there, the battle can continue through the following corner, Luffield. At the end of the lap, Vale and Club (Turns 16 and 17) provide a final chance to attack, as drivers slow dramatically after Stowe.
06
Strategy watch
Silverstone’s surface is one of the most abrasive and, as it has done since time immemorial — or at least since it became the sport’s tyre supplier in 2011, Pirelli is bringing the hardest compounds in its range, C1-C3, to Silverstone.
If we’re talking about a dry race, then it tends towards a two-stop. That was how Carlos Sainz won for Ferrari in 2022, running Mediums to lap 20, choosing Hard tyres for a 19-lap middle stint and then closing out the win with Softs. It was a similar story in 2021, when Lewis Hamilton won with a two-stop plan. The exception to the recent rule is Max’s 2023 win. On a cloudy but warm and dry afternoon, the Dutchman made a single stop from Mediums to used Softs on lap 33. On that day, just one driver in the top 10, Charles Leclerc (P9), ran a two-stop race.
Suzuka is the only other circuit where we’ve had a C1-C3 allocation so far this season, and there all but three finishers ran a one-stop. Barcelona, which has a similarly abrasive surface to Silverstone, was one step softer this year, with the C2-C4s on offer, and that resulted in a mix of two- and three-stop races.
What does all that tell us? Well, if it’s dry, it probably points to a mix of one- and two-stop plans. Rain isn’t currently forecast, but if it is wet, then all bets are off.
07
What should fans look out for?
First, it’s a Sprint weekend, the first time Silverstone has been the venue for one of those since 2021, when it hosted the first-ever short-format race. The winner on that day was none other than Max Verstappen. Sprints obviously make for a much more complex weekend, and the single practice session puts a lot more pressure on set-up choices. Tyre-wise, expect everyone to start on Mediums and hang it out for 17 laps to the flag.
Off track, Silverstone has become a kind of motorsport Glastonbury, and there’s now so much to do around the vast site that we can’t possibly list all of the attractions. However, if you are making the pilgrimage this year, then we’ll recommend concerts by David Guetta, Richard Ashcroft, Chase & Status and James Arthur, as well as the comedy tent. There’s even a late-night darts tournament happening! A Night at the Darts is on at BOXPARK on Sunday and features Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Fallon Sherrock and Michael van Gerwen. It’s sold out, but there might be late tickets on offer somewhere if you scout around.
08
The Team's recent race results
Silverstone Circuit
Driver
Start Position
Finish Position
2021
Max Verstappen
1
DNF
Sergio Pérez
20
16
2022
Max Verstappen
2
7
Sergio Pérez
4
2
2023
Max Verstappen
1
1
Sergio Pérez
15
6
2024
Max Verstappen
4
2
Sergio Pérez
20
17
2025
Max Verstappen
1
5
Yuki Tsunoda
11
15