British GP: Preview and weekend times

This year too the Formula 1 circus returns to the place of its birth, in England at Silverstone where in 1950 the first Grand Prix valid for the world championship was held. However, unfortunately it will be the last year, yes, because from 2010 the British Grand Prix will move to the Donington circuit and will remain there for a good ten years. Everything suggests that this year will be the farewell Grand Prix at Silverstone.

In any case, the British Grand Prix has not always been held on the Northamptonshire track. Several races were held at Brands Hatch and Aintree. The Silverstone route is created from what were once the perimeter roads of an old airfield used by the RAF during the Second World War. Over the years the layout of the circuit has changed many times: at the beginning it was a very fast track, but from year to year the route has been slowed down to ensure safety, even if the average hourly rate remains above two hundred kilometres.

The mythical points however remain the succession of the "s" Maggots, Becketts and Chapel. The track is one of the few that still allows overtaking, especially at the end of the Hangar Straight, before the Stowe curve, the one that saw the terrible accident in 1999 in which Michael Schumacher broke his leg. The Woodcote and Copse curves are beautiful, which "open" and "close" the finish straight, also allowing for some overtaking.

Last year's race saw the "host", Lewis Hamilton, triumph with a clear victory, closing off a gap of over a minute to second and third and lapping all the others, under a rain at times which gave one of the races most beautiful of the last season. Ferrari driver Massa came to the fore with a series of embarrassing spins, even when accelerating on a straight line, a sign that the car's setting was probably not the best.

Silverstone is also very dear to Ferrari, which achieved its first victory here in 1951 with the Argentinian Juan Froilan Gonzalez, known as the "cabezon" due to the curious shape of his head.

The old airport is still used today mainly for small tourist planes and private jets, and during the race weekend, it becomes one of the busiest airports in the whole of the United Kingdom, so much so that a special airport control is set up air traffic.
Little curiosity, the circuit is located in two different counties: the northern part is in Northamptonshire, the southern part in Buckinghamshire.

Formula 1 arrives at Silverstone with its mind more occupied by politics than sport. If the dominance of Button and BrawnGP is now unchallenged, the public's attention shifts to the "war" which for several months now has pitted FIA President Mosley and the squares' association, FOTA, chaired by Montezemolo. The President of Ferrari, who was in Le Mans last Saturday to attend the famous 24 Hours (for the record, Peugeot won with Gene, Wurz and Brabham), in conversation with the journalists he basically gave a real aut-aut to Mosley: either the FIA ​​reforms from the ground up, or the teams will be forced to set up their own series autonomous from the Federation.

We'll see. Last Friday Mosley, with what can only be defined as a forced effort, automatically registered all the FOTA teams plus three other unknown teams for the next world championship. The response from the Rossa and the other teams quickly followed, immediately deeming this registration invalid until the conditions previously set by FOTA were fully satisfied.

With the British Grand Prix we are at the halfway point, and with half the world championship already contested Jenson Button and BrawnGP seem blissfully on their way to winning both titles. Under current conditions, frankly, no one seems capable of undermining their dominance.

After this Grand Prix, there will be two Sunday stops, before arriving at the Nurburgring on July 12th for the German Grand Prix.

Domenico Della Valle

Circuit length: 5,141 km
Laps to go: 60
Total distance: 308,355km
Number of curves: 17 – 10 right and 7 left
Bridgestone compounds: soft/hard
Test lap record: 1:18.233 – K Raikkonen – McLaren Mercedes – 2004
Race lap record: 1:18.739 – M Schumacher – Ferrari – 2004
Distance record: 1h21:43.074 – K Raikkonen – Ferrari – 2007
Record of victories by driver: 5 – J Clark, A Prost
Record of victories by team: 15 – Ferrari
Pole record per driver: 5 – J Clark
Team pole record: 14 – Ferrari
Fastest lap record by driver: 7 – N Mansell
Record of fastest laps by team: 17 – Ferrari

Golden Dawn
01. 1950 N Farina – Alfa Romeo
02. 1951 J Gonzalez – Ferrari
03. 1952 In Ascari – Ferrari
04. 1953 In Ascari – Ferrari
05. 1954 J Gonzalez – Ferrari
06. 1955 S Moss – Mercedes
07. 1956 J Fangio – Ferrari
08. 1957 S Moss – Vanwall
09. 1958 P Collins – Ferrari
10. 1959 J Brabham – Cooper Climax
11. 1960 J Brabham – Cooper Climax
12. 1961 W von Trips – Ferrari
13. 1962 J Clark – Lotus Climax
14. 1963 J Clark – Lotus Climax
15. 1964 J Clark – Lotus Climax
16. 1965 J Clark – Lotus Climax
17. 1966 J Brabham – Brabham Repco
18. 1967 J Clark – Lotus Ford
19. 1968 J Siffert – Lotus Ford
20. 1969 J Stewart – Matra Ford
21. 1970 J Rindt – Lotus Ford
22. 1971 J Stewart – Tyrrell Ford
23. 1972 E Fittipaldi – Lotus Ford
24. 1973 P Revson – McLaren Ford
25. 1974 J Scheckter – Tyrrell Ford
26. 1975 E Fittipaldi – McLaren Ford
27. 1976 N Lauda – Ferrari
28. 1977 J Hunt – McLaren Ford
29. 1978 C Reutemann – Ferrari
30. 1979 C Regazzoni – Williams Ford
31. 1980 A Jones – Williams Ford
32. 1981 J Watson – McLaren Ford
33. 1982 N Lauda – McLaren Ford
34. 1983 A Prost – Renault
35. 1984 N Lauda – McLaren TAG
36. ​​1985 A Prost – McLaren TAG
37. 1986 N Mansell – Williams Honda
38. 1987 N Mansell – Williams Honda
39. 1988 At Senna – McLaren Honda
40. 1989 At Prost – McLaren Honda
41. 1990 A Prost – Ferrari
42. ​​1991 N Mansell – Williams Renault
43. ​​1992 N Mansell – Williams Renault
44. 1993 A Prost – Williams Renault
45. 1994 D Hill – Williams Renault
46. ​​1995 J Herbert – Benetton Renault
47. 1996 J Villeneuve – Williams Renault
48. 1997 J Villeneuve – Williams Renault
49. 1998 M Schumacher – Ferrari
50. ​​1999 D Coulthard – McLaren Mercedes
51. ​​2000 D Coulthard – McLaren Mercedes
52. ​​2001 M Hakkinen – McLaren Mercedes
53. 2002 M Schumacher – Ferrari
54. 2003 R Barrichello – Ferrari
55. 2004 M Schumacher – Ferrari
56. 2005 J Montoya – McLaren Mercedes
57. 2006 F Alonso – Renault
58. 2007 K Raikkonen – Ferrari
59. 2008 L Hamilton – McLaren Mercedes

These are the times for the 62nd Santander British Grand Prix

Friday 19 June
10:00-11:30 (11:00-12:30) Free Practice 1 – Live on Sky Sport 2/16:9/HD
14:00-15:30 (15:00-16:30) Free Practice 2 – Live on Sky Sport 2/16:9/HD

Saturday June 20
10:00-11:00 (11:00-12:00) Free Practice 3 – Live on Sky Sport 2/16:9/HD
13:00-14:00 (14:00-15:00) Qualifying – Live on Sky Sport 2/16:9/HD and Rai Due

Sunday 5 June
13:00 (14:00) Race – Live on Sky Sport 2/16:9/HD and Rai Uno

The times in brackets refer to Italy. 1 hour time difference.