Race Week in the United Kingdom
FORMULA 1 BRITISH GRAND PRIX
It's race week in the United Kingdom.
F1 stops at the historic Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England.
British GP History: The British Grand Prix is one of four races on the 2024 calendar that were part of the inaugural F1 season in 1950. The first official F1 Drivers' Championship race was held at the British GP and was won by Emilio Giuseppe "Nino" Farina with Alfa Romeo. British driver Lewis Hamilton holds the record for eight wins at the British Grand Prix.
From 1950 to 1986, the British GP alternated between Silverstone, Aintree Circuit, and Brands Hatch. Since 1987, Silverstone has been the permanent host of the British GP. The race remains among the most popular on the F1 calendar, attracting over 450,000 attendees yearly.
About the Track: Silverstone Circuit, located in Northamptonshire, England, was built on the site of RAF Silverstone, a World War II Royal Air Force bomber station that opened in 1943. After the war, an informal race was held there in September 1947. The Royal Automobile Club leased the airfield the following year and established a more formal racing circuit.
In 1950, Silverstone hosted the first official Formula 1 race as part of the World Drivers' Championship. Since then, it has hosted nearly 60 British Grand Prix events. The circuit is 5.891 km (3.6 miles) long with eighteen corners, and the race consists of 52 laps.
Weekend Highlights:
The current season standings are anything but predictable. After Lando's DNF, Max Verstappen extended his Drivers Championship lead, still with a controlling lead; Max could really pull away in the points with a strong July. The Constructors Championship is still the one to watch this season, with a charging McLaren, inconsistent Red Bull, and a dysfunctional Ferrari team; it could still go to any of these teams. The uncertainty adds a layer of intrigue to the upcoming race weekend.
Less than a stellar weekend for Red Bull. Max Verstappen had a bit of luck after his collision with Lando Norris, which cost him the victory at the Red Bull Ring. Fortunately, Max could continue in the race, finishing fifth, but those points added to his lead over Lando Norris, who did not finish the race after the collision. Max still has a significant lead in the Driver's Championship. After back-to-back DNFs at Monaco and Canada, Sergio Perez has had two points finishes in a row. While he's not fighting for podiums yet, this is a slight improvement for Checo, and hopefully, he can compete at the top again. For Red Bull to win the Constructors Championship, Sergio's improvement is crucial.
McLaren just missed out on a mega weekend. McLaren was on the doorstep of having one of the best race weekends for the team in years. Lando had a car competing for the win in Austria, and Oscar had a fantastic race, advancing from a 7th-place grid position to a 2nd-place podium finish. Unfortunately for Lando, he could not finish the race after contact with Max Verstappen, resulting in his first DNF of the season for Lando. However, with a vital home race for Lando expected at the British GP, the team has a sense of hope and optimism.
Mercedes is back on the top of the podium. After finding the podium in the last two races in a row, Mereceds finally found the top position on the podium after a two-season winless drought. In the last three races, Mercedes has finished fourth or better for both cars. Unless something changes, Mercedes will find itself in contention for podiums and wins again. A double home race for Lewis and George, the British GP is a massive race for the Silverstone home-based team.
A 50/50 weekend for Ferrari. Charles LeClerc has had quite a time since his victory in Monaco, only having one points finish in the last three races. After early contact in Austria, LeClerc was forced to pit on the first lap for a front wing change that instantly took Charles out of contention. Carlos had a reasonably uneventful weekend and found himself on the podium in Austria after a clean race. Carlos won his first race at the British GP in 2022; Silverstone is a good circuit for him. This could be a strong weekend for the Ferrari team.
Haas cleaned house in Austria. With a total of 12 points in the weekend, Haas had its biggest points haul since 2022. Twelve points in one weekend is more than the team scored during the 2023 season. With additional upgrades at Silverstone, Haas could have another great weekend at the British Grand PRix.
Alpine scores a point again. Pierre Gasly has been on a roll the last four races, scoring points in four consecutive races. Esteban Ocon just missed out on points, finishing in the twelfth position after a Q3 appearance in qualifying. Alpine has taken a step forward.
VCARB scores a point in Austria. After nearly a six-consecutive race points-scoring run, VCARB cooled off but has found a way to score points in two of the last three. Yuki Tsunoda clearly outperformed Daniel Ricciardo in the first eight races of the season, but in the previous three races, Ricciardo outperformed Yuki in nearly every single session and race.
Williams is stagnant. The past few races have been challenging for the Williams team. The most exciting takeaway of the weekend was Logan Sargeant's outqualifying teammate Alex Albon for the sprint race. Williams lacked pace all weekend, and Sunday's race was disappointing. I don't know how Williams shakes this off, but the need for a good weekend is dire.
