British Grand Prix: Preview – Pirelli

The British Grand Prix marks the midpoint of the 2024 FIA Formulation 1 World Championship and spherical 12 of 24 takes place the place all of it started 74 years in the past.

In 1942, a Royal Air Drive airfield was established in Silverstone, Northamptonshire and on 13 Might 1950 it hosted the primary of the 1112 rounds which have taken place thus far. The winner again then was Nino Farina, driving an Alfa Romeo fitted with Pirelli tyres.

5.861 kilometres lengthy, the observe is the fifth longest on the calendar after Spa-Francorchamps (7.004 km), Jeddah (6.175 km), Las Vegas (6.120 km) and Baku (6.003 km). It options 18 corners and is without doubt one of the most fun and likewise one of the crucial demanding for the car-tyre package deal. Some nook combos, similar to these from 10 to 14 – Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel – are taken at excessive pace and generate lateral forces on the tyres and drivers of over 5g: the common determine at Silverstone is just like that seen at Spa and Suzuka. This, together with different technical elements, signifies that as is all the time the case right here, the compounds chosen for this spherical are the toughest within the vary, the C1 as P Zero laborious, the C2 as P Zero medium and the C3 as P Zero mushy. The entrance axle comes underneath the best pressure and the prevalence of proper hand turns signifies that the left entrance is the tyre that wears probably the most.

The climate in England in the summertime can all the time be very changeable, an additional issue to be considered, particularly as situations can change very quickly. Final 12 months your entire race was run within the dry, with the Smooth a considerably stunning protagonist, with solely two groups not utilizing it. Nevertheless, probably the most used compound was the Medium, which was used to finish half the general mileage. The nice majority of drivers went for a one-stop technique, even when prior to now, a two-stop had been a well-liked alternative.

At this race final 12 months, Pirelli launched a brand new tyre building to cope with the rise in hundreds seen over the primary few races of the season, as these forces exceeded the common figures seen from simulations supplied by the groups over the earlier winter. With out altering tyre efficiency in any method, the development proved its value and shall be used as much as the top of the 2024 season, though there was a rise of round 10% within the hundreds generated by this 12 months’s automobiles in comparison with figures seen on the finish of final season.

Solely two Grands Prix have been everlasting fixtures on the Formulation 1 calendar, this one and the Italian Grand Prix. Silverstone due to this fact hosts the seventy fifth British Grand Prix this weekend, the 58th to be held at this observe. The race has additionally been run twelve instances at Manufacturers Hatch and 5 at Aintree. In 2020, Silverstone hosted an extra spherical, celebrating the championship’s seventieth anniversary.

Even if nearly all of Formulation 1 groups, previous and current, had or have their headquarters in England, probably the most profitable staff at this Grand Prix is Scuderia Ferrari with 18 wins to its title. Then come McLaren on 14 and Williams on 10. With 16 pole positions, Ferrari additionally tops this record, because it does for quickest race laps (20) and podium finishes (59). Probably the most profitable driver within the UK is Sir Lewis Hamilton who has gained eight of his house Grands Prix, whereas subsequent up are Jim Clark and Alain Prost with 5 wins apiece. The seven-time world champion Mercedes driver additionally has probably the most poles (7) and podium finishes (13) whereas fellow countryman Nigel Mansell tops the record for quickest race laps on this occasion with seven.