British Grand Prix 2017: Preview and Weekend Times

Opening hours

Friday July 14

Free 1: 10:00-11:30 (Sky Sport F1 HD)

Full broadcast at 15pm on Rai Sport/Rai Sport HD

Free 2: 14:00-15:30 (Sky Sport F1 HD)

Full broadcast at 18pm on Rai Sport/Rai Sport HD

Saturday July 15

Free 3: 11:00-12:00 (Sky Sport F1 HD)

Full broadcast at 15pm on Rai Sport/Rai Sport HD

Qualifying: 14pm (Sky Sport F00 HD)

Full deferral at 18pm on Rai 00

Sunday July 16

Race: 14pm ̶ 00 laps ̶ 52km (Sky Sport F306,198 HD – Rai 1)

Full deferral at 21pm on Rai 10

* all times indicated refer to Italy: there is a 1 hour difference between Italy and Great Britain.

Previous race

It was a podium once again without Lewis Hamilton, the one staged at the Red Bull Ring, with the spotlight on the other Mercedes, driven by the icy Valtteri Bottas, taking his second career victory. The Finn is starting to take a liking to it, so much so that he has rightfully entered the list of title contenders, with just a few points separating him from his teammate, second in the general classification behind leader Vettel. The one who has taken a liking to it - alas, even drinking from his shoes - is Daniel Ricciardo, who with five consecutive podiums reminded us that Red Bull, until proven otherwise, would be a top team. In short, for Luigino this race for the championship is becoming a bit crowded, with a Ferrari that doesn't give up and keeps pace - Vettel finished in second place in Austria - and a Mercedes that, having filled the initial technical gaps, has found in its new standard bearer, another valid competitor for the World Championship. And if the Briton really starts to feel the pressure, the fans finally enjoy the show.

Predictions from F1GrandPrix.it

Hamilton must not waste time. And even less Vettel. If the former risks seeing his rival and leader in the general classification fly away, the latter must ride the wave of the Briton's latest DNFs on the podium, to try to rebuild an important gap between himself and the Mercedes driver. Silvestone is a fast track, where the Red and the Silver Arrow will hold the court, with Bottas easily entering the fight between the two. It would be nice to also find the fourth force on the pitch in this World Cup, who would be called Kimi Raikkonen: when he's having a good day and when the dark moon isn't falling on him. Red Bull certainly won't want to go back behind the scenes, and Max Verstappen being out of action for too long - even just the checkered flag - could further liven up the match there in the front rows. Let's remember that this will be Hamilton's home race, where he has already triumphed 4 times: we are certain that the three-time world champion will show off his modality for a similar occasion great time… So, let everyone save themselves.

Circuit

Name: Silverstone International Circuit

Place: Silverstone, Northamptonshire, England, UK

Construction: Like most runways in England, Silverstone was born from the union of three runways of a military airfield. At the end of the Second World War, due to the degradation into which the legendary Donington and Brookland tracks had fallen, the Northamptonshire track was adopted by the Royal Automobile Club as the venue for the 1948 British Grand Prix. When it was born in 1950 the modern one formula 1, the English track hosted the first ever race, later won by Farina. In the immediate following years the track underwent several changes, and for a few years it did not host the world championship race, only to return in the 60s alternating with Brands Hatch. In 1971 the British Racing Drivers' Club bought the entire track land and modernized the track facilities. Over the years the track has undergone many changes, and from the original triangular shape it has changed to having different curves, while still retaining the layout of a very fast and treacherous circuit. The last change dates back to 2010, when the section following the Abbey curve was redesigned and the starting straight was moved after the Club curve.

Distance per lap: 5,891km

Number of curves: 18, ten on the right, eight on the left

Direction of travel: clockwise

Technical data:

Characteristics of the Track: although a fair amount of aerodynamic load is required on this circuit, it is possible that the teams choose to reduce the angles of incidence of the wing profiles, in order to reach higher speed peaks and limit fuel consumption, also considering that the engine is kept at most for about 67% of the lap. There are forty-five gear changes per lap, 2.184 in the entire race. The hourly average is 227 km/h.

Brakes:

Rubber:

DRS zone: between Turn 5 (Aintree) and Turn 6 (Brookland), with detection point before Turn 3 (Village), and between Turn 14 (Chapel) and Turn 15 (Stowe), with detection point before Turn 11.

Previous Editions

Last 3 Editions:

2014 edition: in free practice on Friday the two Mercedes are competing for first place, with Rosberg in FP1 and Hamilton in FP2. Of note is the return to the track of a woman, Susie Wolff aboard Williams, 22 years after Giovanna Amati. Rain characterizes the third session on Saturday morning, where Sebastian Vettel (RBR – Renault) is the fastest ahead of teammate Daniel Ricciardo. Qualifying: the unexpected arrival of rain strongly affected the drivers who went out in the final minutes available in Q1, including the two from Ferrari, Alonso and Rӓikkӧnen, 19th and 20th respectively. At the end of Q3 it is Nico Rosberg to win the pole position, alongside him there is not Hamilton (6th time) but Sebastian Vettel. Race: Rosberg starts well while the two McLaren they bring behind him, then Vettel and Hamilton. Coming out of Aintree Rӓikkӧnen's car leaves the track and when returning it skids out of control and hits the guards; returning to the track it is hit by Massa's Williams, while Chilton and Kobayashi also remain partially involved. The red flag is displayed to give the marshals time to clean the track. The race resumes after an hour, this time without a hitch: Hamilton slips into third position already on lap 3, and a lap later Button also passes for second place. The Englishman manages to make the most of his tires and, when he returns to the track on lap 25, he is ahead of his teammate, who had instead pitted on lap 18^a returned. Rosberg was then forced to retire due to gearbox problems, three laps later. Valtteri Bottas goes second and Daniel Ricciardo third, after both overtook Button. On lap 34, a nice wheel-to-wheel duel begins between Vettel and Alonso for fifth position - also via team radio - which sees the German world champion only gain the upper hand on lap 47. The leading positions do not change, and after 52 laps Lewis Hamilton he triumphs in his home race, placing himself just 4 points behind the leader of the drivers' standings, as well as his teammate.

2015 edition: Friday begins with lights and shadows for Mercedes, with Nico Rosberg first, but forced to replace the gearbox, and Lewis Hamilton, second, author of a spin; behind them the young Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso). In FP2 Rosberg once again dominates, followed this time by the two Ferraris of Räikkönen and Vettel. Tests marked by two red flags caused by Grosjean (Lotus) and Merhi (Manor Marussia). In FP3 on Saturday morning Lewis Hamilton leads the charge, staying ahead of his teammate, still suffering from gearbox problems, and Kimi Raikkonen. Qualifying: in Q1 the Manor, the McLaren , Clean of Felipe Nasr, while at the end of Q2 Ericsson, Maldonado, Verstappen, Grosjean and Pérez were excluded. In the decisive challenge for the front row, Lewis Hamilton prevails, taking the 40th pole position of his career ahead of Rosberg and Massa with Williams. Race: the two Williams have a lightning sprint and overtake the two Mercedes at the start, but Hamilton doesn't let them slip away and engages in battle with Bottas, passing him. However, the safety car took over following some contacts at the rear, effectively freezing the brawl. At the restart the Englishman also tries to pass Massa but shoots long and is passed again by Bottas. On laps 13 and 14 the two Ferraris entered the pits, a bit in crisis after having lost a few positions: the strategy turned out to be a winning one and so Räikkönen placed fifth, Vettel sixth. The leading group also goes to the pits to change tires, and here Mercedes is faster, with Hamilton taking the lead of the race. Towards the second half of the race a light rain makes the asphalt particularly slippery, so the first to change are Iceman, Alonso and the Manor. However, the strategy is risky and they end up wearing out the set of tires excessively. The choice, however, was a good one for Hamilton and Vettel, who benefited from waiting a few more laps: the Englishman is now firmly in the lead while the German is third. The situation does not change and after 52 laps Hamilton takes home the 38th career victory ahead of Rosberg and Vettel.

2016 edition: British Friday opens under the banner of Mercedes, with Hamilton ahead of Rosberg and Hulkenberg's Force India in third position. Vettel fourth, followed by Ricciardo and Hamilton. The German in Free Practice 1 tries a new version of Halo, the system designed to protect the pilots' heads. In the afternoon, Rosberg's Mercedes was "held" in the pits due to a power unit problem, while on the track Hamilton set the best time again. The Englishman is followed closely by the two Red Bulls and the two Ferraris. Sixth time for Alonso, while Button and Kvyat remain stranded due to a hydraulic leak and a front wing failure respectively. On Saturday morning the Silverstone track was inaugurated with intermediate tyres, due to the asphalt being damp from the rain. Towards the middle of the session we switch to slicks. 7 minutes from the end the red flag waves on the track: Ericsson's Sauber ends up against the barriers. At the restart, Hamilton achieved the best time ahead of Rosberg and the two Red Bulls. Vettel was only fifth, crippled by a gearbox problem: the transmission was replaced at the end of practice, with the German receiving a 5-place grid penalty. Qualifying: Ericsson does not take part in the session, admitted to the medical center for tests. In Q1 the best time goes to Nico Rosberg, who precedes Hamilton by a few thousandths. Eliminated in the first round are Palmer, Button, the two Manors and Nasr. Even in Q2, the Mercedes dictate the pace, with Hamilton still ahead of Rosberg, ahead of the Red Bulls. Raikkonen is the protagonist of a spin and a long shot, but passes the cut at the last moment. Haas, Perez, Massa, Kvyat and Magnussen abandon the field. In Q3 the fight is always between the two Silver Arrows, with Hamilton managing to get the start from the pole to the detriment of his rival. In the second row the "drinkers" prevail, Vettel is fifth but will be relegated to eleventh, thus leaving room for Kimi and Bottas, followed by Sainz, Hulkenberg, Alonso and Perez. Race: the British GP starts behind the safety car, while the rain abandons the British track. On the fifth lap the safety car returns, and on the sixth lap the drivers, all equipped with full wets, go from the pits to mount the intermediates. The positions remained unchanged, with Hamilton in the lead. The first retirements are for Wehrlein, in the gravel, and Ericsson. On lap 16 Vettel is the first to stop to put on the slicks. Verstappen overtakes Rosberg and takes second place. On dry tyres, Hamilton leads ahead of Verstappen, Rosberg, Perez, Ricciardo, Kimi, Sainz, Hulkenberg, Massa and Alonso. Retirement for Grosjean's Haas. On lap 26 the other Manor also withdraws. On lap 30 Hamilton continues to lead the group followed by Verstappen, Rosberg, Ricciardo, Perez, Raikkonen, Hulkenberg, Sainz, Massa and Vettel. On lap 39 Vettel overtakes Massa, but pushes him out and gets a 5 second penalty. Rosberg manages to regain his position on Verstappen. Retirement for Palmer. On lap 48 Rosberg has gearbox problems and over the radio they direct him not to remain stranded: after the race he will receive a 10 second penalty and will drop from second to third.

Best edition for Authors:

1999 edition: a two-way championship between Ferrari and McLaren, Schumacher vs. Hӓkkinen; on the eve of the Grand Prix the Finn is ahead in the drivers' championship by 8 points (40 to 32). In Saturday's qualifying, Mika took pole with Schumacher immediately behind, 4 tenths of a second behind. Race: the pole man starts well while his rival is overtaken by Coulthard and teammate Irvine. However, the restart procedure must be repeated as the cars of Villeneuve and Zanardi remain: stuck on the starting grid; in the meantime the leading group arrives at the bend Stowe where Schumacher attempts to overtake Irvine: a failure in the braking system, however, takes him off course, the crazy single-seater slams perpendicularly into the protections at high speed, effectively plunging into them. Extracted from the cockpit, the Ferrari driver suffered a fracture of the tibia and fibula in his right leg, effectively losing the chance to fight for the world title. He restarted the race in a normal way. Hӓkkinen made the first pit stop on the 24th lap and returned to the track, however, hearing strange noises which were not confirmed by the pits. However, a few laps later the left rear detaches from the car and the Finn is forced to retire, so Irvine passes first. However, it was slowed down during the pit stop by problems with the fuel filler, effectively leaving the track free for Coulthard who went on to win without problems after 60 laps, with Ralf Schumacher on the Williams – Supertec taking the lowest step of the podium. Irvine moved within 8 points of Hӓkkinen, effectively keeping the Ferrari drivers' hopes of fighting for the drivers' title alive.

Best Readers Edition:

1998 edition: in Friday's free practice the best were the two McLarens of Coulthard and Hӓkkinen, the Ferraris were in difficulty with Schumacher seventh who complained of traction problems with the rear axle, while in the tests held shortly before at Silverstone he had been the fastest. Qualifying: Mika Hӓkkinen as expected took pole position, the ninth out of nine seasonal races for the Woking team, but behind him was Schumacher, intent on reopening the fight for the title. Race: the start takes place in the rain and all the drivers decide to start with intermediate tyres. At the start the two leaders get off to a good start while behind Coulthard he immediately begins to follow Schumacher and after a few laps overtakes him; Irvine started badly, climbing from fifth to tenth, only to then begin a good comeback. From the 13th lap onwards an impressive series of retirements caused by bad weather begins, in order: Hill, Frentzen, Herbert, Salo, Rosset, Tuero, Coulthard in an attempt to overtake Wurz, Trulli, Verstappen, Barrichello, Panis, Alesi . In the meantime, under yellow flags, Schumacher overtook Wurz to lap him, but this cost him a stop&go which still left him in second position behind the Finn. The safety car takes over and regroups a group of only 10 cars, on the restart Hӓkkinen ends up wide in the corner and is overtaken by Schumacher who, a few laps from the end, receives a second stop&go from the stewards. Disturbances ensue within the Maranello team as to what to do, when the unthinkable happens right on the finish line: Schumacher pays off his penalty by returning to the pits on the final lap, effectively winning the race. Various complaints and protests followed, especially from McLaren, which was opposed by the FIA ​​as the order to Ferrari had been given late. Thereby Michael Schumacher he returns to just two points behind Hӓkkinen.

RECORD

Test lap: 1:29.287 – L Hamilton – Mercedes – 2016
Race lap: 1:33.401 – M Webber – Red Bull Renault – 2013
Distance: 1h24:38.200 – M Webber – Red Bull Renault – 2010
Driver victories: 5 – J Clark, A Prost
Team victories: 16 – Ferrari
Driver Pole: 5 – J Clark
Pole team: 15 – Ferrari
Best driver laps: 7 – N Mansell
Best team laps: 19 – Ferrari
Driver podiums: 7 – A Prost, M Schumacher
Team podiums: 51 – Ferrari

Hall of Fame

1. 1926 Senechal and Wagner – Delage
2. 1927 R Benoist – Delage
3. 1948 L Villoresi – Maserati
4. 1949 E de Graffenried – Maserati
5. 1950 N Farina – Alfa Romeo
6. 1951 J Gonzalez – Ferrari
7. 1952 At Ascari – Ferrari
8. 1953 At Ascari – Ferrari
9. 1954 J Gonzalez – Ferrari
10. 1955 S Moss – Mercedes
11. 1956 J Fangio – Ferrari
12. 1957 S Moss – Vanwall
13. 1958 P Collins – Ferrari
14. 1959 J Brabham – Cooper Climax
15. 1960 J Brabham – Cooper Climax
16. 1961 W von Trips – Ferrari
17. 1962 J Clark – Lotus Climax
18. 1963 J Clark – Lotus Climax
19. 1964 J Clark – Lotus Climax
20. 1965 J Clark – Lotus Climax
21. 1966 J Brabham – Brabham Repco
22. 1967 J Clark – Lotus Ford
23. 1968 J Siffert – Lotus Ford
24. 1969 J Stewart – Matra Ford
25. 1970 J Rindt – Lotus Ford
26. 1971 J Stewart – Tyrrell Ford
27. 1972 E Fittipaldi – Lotus Ford
28. 1973 P Revson – McLaren Ford
29. 1974 J Scheckter – Tyrrell Ford
30. 1975 E Fittipaldi – McLaren Ford
31. 1976 N Lauda – Ferrari
32. 1977 J Hunt – McLaren Ford
33. 1978 C Reutemann – Ferrari
34. 1979 C Regazzoni – Williams Ford
35. 1980 A Jones – Williams Ford
36. 1981 J Watson – McLaren Ford
37. 1982 N Lauda – McLaren Ford
38. 1983 At Prost – Renault
39. 1984 N Lauda – McLaren TAG
40. 1985 A Prost – McLaren TAG
41. 1986 N Mansell – Williams Honda
42. 1987 N Mansell – Williams Honda
43. 1988 At Senna – McLaren Honda
44. 1989 A Prost – McLaren Honda
45. 1990 A Prost – Ferrari
46. 1991 N Mansell – Williams Renault
47. 1992 N Mansell – Williams Renault
48. 1993 A Prost – Williams Renault
49. 1994 D Hill – Williams Renault
50. 1995 J Herbert – Benetton Renault
51. 1996 J Villeneuve – Williams Renault
52. 1997 J Villeneuve – Williams Renault
53. 1998 M Schumacher – Ferrari
54. 1999 D Coulthard – McLaren Mercedes
55. 2000 D Coulthard – McLaren Mercedes
56. 2001 M Hakkinen – McLaren Mercedes
57. 2002 M Schumacher – Ferrari
58. 2003 R Barrichello – Ferrari
59. 2004 M Schumacher – Ferrari
60. 2005 J Montoya – McLaren Mercedes
61. 2006 F Alonso – Renault
62. 2007 K Raikkonen – Ferrari
63. 2008 L Hamilton – McLaren Mercedes
64. 2009 S Vettel – Red Bull Renault
65. 2010 M Webber – Red Bull Renault
66. 2011 F Alonso – Ferrari
67. 2012 M Webber – Red Bull Renault
68. 2013 N Rosberg – Mercedes
69. 2014 L Hamilton – Mercedes
70. 2015 L Hamilton – Mercedes
71. 2016 L Hamilton – Mercedes

Sources: Brembo, Pirelli