British Grand Prix 14th July
The circuit
The circuit in Silverstone was the first on to hold the modern era Formula One Championship in 1950, and is also widely known as the “home of motorsport”. Originally constructed to be an airfield, the circuit is a flat, high-speed and high down-force circuit. There are many high-speed corners to tackle, but the most challenging is the Maggots – Becketts – Chapel corner combination – one of consecutive “S” turns that the drivers could lose a lot of time in if they do not take the line correctly. The track surface at Silverstone is abrasive and very hard on the tyres, but has been resurfaced recently.
Every turn has a name
Silverstone, similar to Monaco, is one of the few circuits on the Formula One calendar at which every turn and even the straights have a corresponding name. Interestingly, many drivers and teams refer to the turns by their names rather than using their numbers as a reference. The corners are called: Abbey, Farm, Village, Loop, Aintree, Wellington, Brooklands, Luffield, Woodcote, Copse, Maggots, Becketts, Chapel, Stowe, Vale and Club. They are mostly taken from towns close to the circuit, or other significant landmarks from the past.
Tyre selection
Hard, Medium and Soft – The hard tyres compound will be making a debut appearance at Silverstone for the first time in the 2018 calendar. The track is extremely hard on the tyres with the asphalt and the lateral high-speed turns, and Pirelli’s 2018 tyres are said to be made of softer compounds than last year, so durability and management of the tyres, along with the unknown characteristics of the resurfaced track for this year, will shape strategies for the race.
