Need to know ahead of the British Grand Prix
Round 12 of the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship sees teams and drivers compete at the home of motorsport, the British Grand Prix. F1Technical's senior writer Balázs Szabó picks out the trivia ahead of the Silverstone round.
Track facts – The 5.891km-long track is one of the favourite with drivers and fans thanks to the sequences of fast and flowing corners that thrill both competitors and spectators alike.
Drivers will cover a total of 52 lap today to complete the race distance of 306.198km. The fastest race lap belongs to Max Verstappen who set the fastest ever race lap with a time of 1’27.097 in 2020. Drivers will need to adhere to a speed limit of 80km/h in the pit lane when diving into the pits for fresh tyres.
Three – Over the 75-year-long history of Formula One, three different venue have hosted the British Grand Prix. Aintree has appeared four times on Grand Prix calendar, Brands Hatch on twelve occasions while Silverstone has given place to all the other races. Brooklands held the first two races, albeit it was ahead of the birth of the F1 championship.
Ferrari and Ferrari – The Italian manufacturer is the most successful marque both as a constructor and an engine supplier. They have claimed 16 victories so far in history of the British Grand Prix.
McLaren is the second most successful constructor with fourteen wins followed by Williams with ten wins. Among the engine suppliers, Ferrari is followed by Ford with fourteen triumphs and Renault with twelve victories.
79 – Today’s race will be the 79th running of the British Grand Prix and the 75th FIA Formula One British Grand Prix. It was first held back in 1926, followed by three other races before 1950. The venue then became the birthplace for Grand Prix racing. Since then, the venue has never missed the calendar and will play host to the 74th Formula One British Grand Prix today.
First triumph - Silverstone is the venue where Scuderia Ferrari took its maiden F1 victory in 1951 courtesy of José Froilán González in a 375 F1.
Overtaking aid – There are two DRS zones at Silverstone. The first one has its detection point 25m before Turn 3 and its activation point 30m after Turn 5. The second zone has its detection point at Turn 11 and its activation point at Turn 14.
Hard compounds - With the British circuit placing the highest energy demands on tyres all year, Pirelli has nominated the three compounds of the more durable end of its range for this weekend: C1 as the P Zero White hard, C2 as the P Zero Yellow medium, and C3 as the P Zero Red soft.
Modifications – The 5.891km Silverstone track has gone through some changes for this year. The combination kerb at Turn 3on the right-hand side has been removed.
A new gravel bed has been installed at Turn 14 on the left, while the gravel bed on the left at Turn 15 has been extended by 6-8m towards the track.
A new tyre barrier with conveyor has been installed on the right side in Turn 15 and in Turn 16 in the run-off. Moreover, the asphalt strip between Turn 18 and Turn 1 on the left side has been replaced with grass.
The home hero – The most successful driver in the UK is Sir Lewis Hamilton who has won eight of his home Grands Prix, while next up are Jim Clark and Alain Prost with five wins apiece.
The seven-time world champion Mercedes driver also has the most poles (7) and podium finishes (13) while fellow countryman Nigel Mansell tops the list for fastest race laps in this event with seven.
