The British Grand Prix

Silverstone

Welcome to tradition, passion, or as the signs at the entrances to Silverstone have it, the home of motor racing.

The British have motor racing in their blood and it was no coincidence that the formula 1 World Championship got under way in England, attracting a huge crowd that has remained faithful over the years.

As ever, ranks of enthusiasts still fill every available space, the most dedicated arriving the Thursday afternoon before the race and leaving on sunday evening, having spent three nights sleeping in their cars.

All of the country's leading drivers have made their mark on this World Championship race: Clark, Moss, Collins, Stewart, Hunt, Herbert, Watson, Mansell and Hill, father and son, are the most prestigious names that the British Isles have offered to Formula 1.

Jim Clark dominated the event in the 1960s, winning five editions (four of which came consecutively, 1962-65).

The feat was repeated by alain Prost in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Silverstone circuit was built on a former military airfiled that was very active during the Second World War.

Located 50km to the northeast of Oxford, the track has been heavily modified over the years so as to slow the cars and increase safety.

This last theme was very topical in 1973 after Jody Scheckter provoked a serious pile-up at Woodcote that involved seven cars.

Brands Hatch

Brands Hatch, 30km from London, was inaugurated in the same year as the World Championship, and between 1964 and 1986 it alternated with Silverstone as the venue for the British GP.

The original Indy-style circuit was just 1.6 Km long and was one of the most difficult in the world, with the Paddock Hill Bend - the first corner after the start - being particularly dangerous and heavily criticized on a number of occasions in relation to safety.

The Aintree circuit was instead located eight Km to the north of Liverpool and was characterized by a layout with very slow corners.
It played host to the British GP on five occasions, alternating with Silverstone between 1955 and 1962.

The British GP has, of course, been the backdrop to drama, debuts and tragedy: in 1954 no fewer than seven drivers recorded the fastest lap, a feat unique in the history of Formula 1 and motor racing in general and undoubtedly favoured by the use of timing instruments that were less precise than those of today.

Three years later a British team, Vanwall, won its national Grnd Prix for the first time.
Nineteen seventy-three was instead the year in which the Italian driver Andrea de Adamich was obliged to abandon the sport: he was involved in an accident and the delayed arrival of the rescue team meant that he was trapped in his car with fractured legs and was never to race again.

Nineteen seventy-seven was a year of debuts: Gilles Villeneuve, the Michelin GP tyre, and Renault's turbocharged engine were all introduced to the Formula 1 circus.