Posted on 6th July 2016
As we head to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix this weekend for the tenth race of the 2016 season just a week after the Austrian Grand Prix, Pirelli have selected the hardest Pirelli tyres which are Orange Hard, White Medium and Yellow Soft P Zero tyres.
It's only the second time this year that the hardest tyres have been selected (after Spain) and this is due to the high-energy, high-speed demands of the British circuit, which features fast straights and rapid changes of direction.
Silverstone is one of the circuits that take the most lateral energy out of the tyres all year. The asphalt offers high levels of grip, which works the surface of the tyre even harder. With high levels of downforce pushing onto the cars, the tyres face forces from all directions.
At least two pit stops per car are expected, due to high levels of tyre wear and degradation. The weather is notoriously unpredictable: there can be bright sunshine or torrential rain and this could spice up the action for us all on Sunday with an unpredictable and hopefully exciting race.
As was the case in 2014, Silverstone will host a two-day in-season test after the grand prix. However, Mercedes will run an additional car for Pascal Wehrlein at the test, which will be a 2014-specification car fitted with prototype tyres (in 2016 dimensions, but with new technical contents).
Here's my facts and figures as well as my predictions 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.
•Lewis Hamilton is the most successful current driver with three wins
•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:-
•2011-Fernando Alonso
•2012-Mark Webber
•2013- Nico Rosberg
•2014- Lewis Hamilton
•2015- Lewis Hamilton
My five things to look out for this weekend:-
1.Tyre performance-With Pirelli bringing a relatively normal tyre choices to Silverstone, all eyes will be upon Pirelli to see if the tyres will spice up the action at the track this weekend. But it will be interesting to see how that affects tyre usage and strategy during the race especially given the fact that the circuit has been resurfaced. Will this impact anyone's race on Sunday as a result?
2.Safety Cars- With the demands of the Silverstone circuit, there is no room for mistakes or errors. And if that does happen, the Safety Car will be brought out onto the circuit. But will we see the Safety Car making an appearance this weekend?
3.Weather- With the great British summer finally here, the weather could play a part in the development of the race weekend, especially the race on Sunday. But with epic past races such as 2003, 2008 and 2014 (first three that spring to mind!) Question is, will the weather be a key factor in the winner of the race on Sunday?
4.Performance of McLaren and Force India- With both teams at their home Grand Prix this weekend and both teams having good showings in the last few races, all eyes will be upon them to get the best results possible this weekend. Question is; can they score points this weekend and take the fight to the midfield at their home race?
5.Performance of the Mercedes team- With Mercedes being the firm favourites heading into the race this weekend, all eyes will be upon them to see if they will still be as competitive as they were last season, especially Lewis Hamilton at his home race. But with Ferrari showing good performance and pace in the first few races, has their advantage and stranglehold on the sport been broken?
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 Channel Four also are showing coverage, details for both are below:-
•*Sky Sports F1*:- Friday (Practice 1 and 2) 9.45pm and 1.45pm, [Replays throughout Friday], Saturday (Practice 3 and Qualifying) 9.45pm and 12.00pm, [Replays throughout Saturday], Sunday (Race) 11.30pm
•*Channel Four*- Friday (Practice 1 and 2) 9.55am and 1.55pm, Saturday (Practice 3 and Qualifying) 9.55am and 12.00pm, Sunday (Race) 12.00pm
Sarah Jones- @jonesy_laaa
