Posted on 30th June 2015
As Formula One heads to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix this weekend, the circuit not only is one of the quickest on the calendar and one of the most historic venues on the calendar but it is also a home race for most of the teams and the drivers too.
This weekend Pirelli have opted to bring the P Zero Orange hard and P Zero White medium tyres for the British Grand Prix in order to meet the demands of a fast and flowing circuit that takes a lot out of the tyres, especially during the many high-speed corners.
The Silverstone circuit is well known for its succession of fast and sweeping corners, which load the Pirelli tyres with sustained forces that peak at 5g. The teams use high levels of downforce on the cars during the weekend; meaning that there are often big vertical as well as lateral forces acting on the tyres at the same time. The straights and braking areas are reasonably short which allow the teams and the drivers to run a lot of aero without too much time loss.
Silverstone's asphalt offers a high level of grip, further increasing the workload on the tyre. Tread temperatures can peak in excess of 110 degrees centigrade, visible on the thermal imaging cameras that have formed a popular element of Formula One broadcasting since being introduced in 2013.
As a result of all that the Pirelli tyres have to cope with regards to the wear and degradation; especially if ambient temperatures are high (which is expected to be the case this year), but you must also be prepared for the change in the weather as well as it change very quickly as well if rain should hit the circuit during the course of the weekend.
Silverstone is always a fantastic occasion for anyone who loves motorsport completely. Every year without fail extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic fan base of British spectators spend their hard earned money watching the fastest motorsport in the world and cheering on their home drivers such as Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.
In case you didn't know, Silverstone is one of the few circuits where the drivers say that they can actually hear the crowd as they are driving along.
Silverstone is one of those circuits that really rewards absolute bravery and commitment, so we should be in for a great race this weekend; with the home crowd hoping for a good race and also a good performances from the British drivers currently on the grid.
Here are the facts and figures heading into the British Grand Prix this weekend-
Facts and Figures
•Silverstone has hosted the Grand Prix in Britain since 1926, even though the first Formula One race was in 1950.
•Jim Clark and Alain Prost are the most successful drivers to win the Grand Prix with five wins each.
•Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso are the most successful drivers currently to win the Grand Prix with two wins each.
•Ferrari is the most successful constructors to win the Grand Prix with fifteen wins.
•Race distance: 306.19km (190.26 miles)
•Number of turns:18
•Top speed: 300kph
•Lap record: Fernando Alonso- Ferrari (2011)- 1.34.908
Winners from last 5 British Grand Prix:-
•2010-Mark Webber
•2011-Fernando Alonso
•2012-Mark Webber
•2013- Nico Rosberg
•2014- Lewis Hamilton
My five things to look out for this weekend
1.Weather- As I have mentioned before, the weather can throw a surprise in Silverstone and if that is the case, we should see a good race throughout the field with drivers battling each other and while also managing their tyres too.
2.Tyre performance- With the track having a lot of grip and also wearing down the tyres quickly as a result of this; we could see teams and drivers struggling to get the Pirelli compounds lasting throughout the course of the weekend. Will this impact anyone's race on Sunday as a result?
3.Performance of the Force India drivers- With Force India bringing their B Car this weekend, all eyes will be upon Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez to see if the new car is a significant improvement from the VJM-07 and will be a clear indicator for the rest of their season.
4.Performance of the British drivers- With Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Will Stevens being the only British drivers on the grid this year, fans will be hoping that all three of their drivers have a great race this weekend and will be cheering each of them on trackside. Question is; will they?
5.Performance of the Mercedes drivers- With Mercedes having dominated in Australia, having a “damage limitation†weekend in Malaysia and winning in China, Bahrain, Spain, Monaco, Canada and Austria; Mercedes are clearly still the favourites to retain both of their championships this season and winning at Silverstone this weekend. But the real question is; will anyone be able to pose a challenge over the course of the weekend once again and be able to take the lead of the Driver's Championship away from Hamilton at his home race?
Sky Sports F1 are showing uninterrupted coverage of every Practice session, Qualifying and race for the Grand Prix (and every race of the season) and the BBC also are showing coverage, details for both are below:-
•*Sky Sports F1*:- Friday (Practice 1 and 2) 9.45am and 1.45pm [Replays throughout Thursday and Friday], Saturday (Practice 3 and Qualifying) 9.45am and 12.00pm [Replays throughout Saturday], Sunday (Race) 11.30am
•
BBC– Friday (Practice 1 and 2) 9.55am and 1.55pm [P2 is on the Red Button],
•Saturday (Practice 2 repeat, Practice 3 and Qualifying) 8.55am, 9.55am and 1210pm Sunday (Race and highlights) 12.15pm and 7.00pm
Sarah Jones- @jonesy_laaa
Photos courtesy of Kevin Bennett
