British Grand Prix 2018: preview and weekend times

Opening hours

Friday 6 July

Free 1: 11:00-12:30 (Sky Sport F1 HD)

Free 2: 15:00-16:30 (Sky Sport F1 HD)

Saturday July 7th

Free 3: 12:00-13:00 (Sky Sport F1 HD)

Qualifying: 15pm (Sky Sport F00 HD)

Full broadcast at 19pm on TV00

Sunday July 8th

Race: 15pm ̶ 10 laps ̶ 52km (Sky Sport F306,198 HD)

Full broadcast at 21pm on TV00

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

Previous race

In the sacred temple of Red Bull it was the young and suddenly mature Max Verstappen who toasted on the top step of the podium, surrounded by the two standard bearers of the Red Bull, Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel. The Dutch F1 baby phenomenon, after a start to the season peppered with errors and criticism for excessive exuberance on the track, in recent races has demonstrated that he is capable of winning with his head as well as with his foot: after the third place in Canada and second in France, the Austrian victory has definitively consecrated him in the Olympus of top drivers. But for one young star that shines, others have dimmed on the track in the heart of Styria. Both Mercedes raised the white flag, betrayed by the reliability of a no longer invincible W09 - even if Hamilton had already risked the leadership with an error in the pits, due to a missed early pit stop - while Ricciardo's Red Bull he stopped on lap 55 due to power unit problems. The three remaining top drivers thought about it this way to keep us entertained until the checkered flag: this time it was Vettel who took advantage of the exit of his closest rival - taking the lead in the World Championship with a one-point advantage - and thus eliminating the battle with the Briton again, while a good Raikkonen contributed to restoring the leadership to Ferrari also in the Constructors' standings.

Predictions from F1GrandPrix.it

Everything to do again at Silverstone for Mercedes. After the Austrian debacle the Silver Arrows will have to roll up their sleeves, work on reliability, and avoid further errors of judgment on the pit wall. The double DNF at the Red Bull Ring weighs heavily at this point in the season, especially when from +14 - the points advantage Hamilton had over Vettel before the last round - it went to -1, with the German now at command in the general classification. In Great Britain it will therefore be the ball in the centre, on a circuit where the British four-time world champion rarely makes mistakes (he has won the last four editions here). For Hamilton, the home race, with its long and fast corners, will be an excellent war ground against Ferrari, which at the moment is however traveling more relaxed than its Brackley rivals. And while waiting to understand how and when it will be decided to intervene on Ricciardo's car, which after the failure of the MGU-K in Monaco, also suffered a broken exhaust in Spielberg, we feel like focusing on another good performance from by Max Verstappen, the new "official heckler" of this exciting 2018 World Championship.

Circuit

Name: Silverstone International Circuit

Place: Silverstone, Northamptonshire, England, UK

Construction: like most circuits in Great Britain, Silverstone was born from the union of three runways of a military airport. At the end of the Second World War, due to the deterioration 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 it 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 land of the track 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 maintaining 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:

Special features of the route: medium aerodynamic load circuit, severe for endothermic, 0"23 sec every 10 kg of weight, 0"18 sec every 10 HP, the ERS is worth 2"9 per lap and 25 km/h top speed, 101 kg of petrol. the engine is kept at maximum for approximately 70% of the lap. The hourly average is 250 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:

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 dominates again, this time followed by the two Ferrari by Räikkönen and Vettel. Tests marked by two red flags caused by Grosjean (Lotus) and Merhi (Manor Marussia). In FP3 on Saturday morning Lewis Hamilton he sounds the charge while staying in front 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 beat the 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 losing 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: they are the first to change Iceman, Alonso and the Manor. However, the strategy is risky and they end up wearing out the set of tires excessively. The choice to wait a few more laps was instead the right one for Hamilton and Vettel: the Englishman is now firmly in command, 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: the Clean of Ericsson 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 is for Nico Rosberg, which 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 gradually 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 leaves the scene. 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 be left stranded: after the race he will get a 10 second penalty and will drop from second to third. Lewis Hamilton wins the British GP ahead of Rosberg, Verstappen, Ricciardo, Raikkonen, Perez, Hulkenberg, Sainz, Vettel and Kvyat.

2017 edition: Ferrari arrives at Silverstone with a new power unit. In FP1, however, the Mercedes immediately dictated the pace, with Bottas ahead of Hamilton. Behind them the two Red Bulls, and then the two Reds. In Free Practice 2 the Finnish driver from Mercedes confirmed his best performance, with Hamilton second, trailing by a handful of thousandths. The two Ferraris move up the rankings a bit: Kimi is third ahead of Vettel, while the two exchange positions with Verstappen and Ricciardo, fifth and sixth respectively. But the emphasis is placed on Free Practice 3 by the Briton, as he approaches pole in the afternoon. Rain and cold characterized the session, where Vettel emerged in second place. Bottas and Raikkonen close the leading quartet. Qualifying: the weather conditions do not improve, but The King of poles it's him again, Lewis Hamilton, who achieved a stratospheric 1:26.600, earning himself the starting spot in the British GP and also breaking the track record (Webber, 2013). The Briton's pole will be put on "stand by" due to an alleged block against Grosjean in Q3, but in the end the starting grid will not undergo changes in this sense. An excellent Kimi Raikkonen in turn earns the front row, ahead of Vettel and Bottas - who will however be moved back 5 places due to the gearbox replacement - while Verstappen, Hulkenberg, Perez, Ocon, Vandoorne and Grosjean complete the first five rows. Race: Lewis Hamilton takes home pole, fastest lap and victory in the Silverstone GP, reopening the World Championship match against Vettel, the unfortunate protagonist of the English race. Thanks to a diversified strategy, Bottas, who started ninth, managed to take the second step of the podium. Keeping the two Mercedes company is Raikkonen, behind Hamilton until the penultimate lap, when he is betrayed by a puncture which allows his compatriot from the Silver Arrows to advance. Verstappen comes fourth, ahead of Ricciardo, Hulkenberg and Vettel, who in turn was slowed down by a puncture, right on the final lap, after he in turn gained the position over his teammate, who was in crisis due to the same problem! While Ocon, Perez and Massa close the top ten.

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