1089th F1 GRAND PRIX | 78th BRITISH GRAND PRIX | 58th GRAND PRIX AT SILVERSTONE
2022 POLESITTER: CARLOS SAINZ | 2022 WINNER: CARLOS SAINZ
Silverstone is the birthplace of Formula 1. The very first World Championship Grand Prix was held at the circuit in May 1950. The 2023 British Grand Prix is set to take place on July 7-9
2023 BRITISH GRAND PRIX: WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday 7th July
Free Practice 1 – 12:30pm Local Time
Free Practice 2 – 4:00pm Local Time
Saturday 8th July
Free Practice 3 – 11:30am Local Time
Qualifying- 3:00pm Local Time
Sunday 9th July
The 2023 British Grand Prix – 3:00pm Local Time
2023 BRITISH GRAND PRIX: WEEKEND MILESTONES
At the 2023 British Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso makes his 20th start at the Silverstone circuit. Kimi Raikkonen is the only other driver to have made 20 starts here. Alonso will be the first driver to contest the British Grand Prix 20 times at the circuit.
If Lewis Hamilton wins the 2023 British Grand Prix, it would be his ninth win at Silverstone. That would be a new record for the most wins at a single circuit.
Victory for Lewis Hamilton at the 2023 British Grand Prix would see him equal Michael Schumacher as the driver to have taken the most wins on home soil in Formula 1 history. Hamilton has won at Silverstone eight times so far in his career, compared to Schumacher’s nine wins in Germany. Schumacher benefited from the fact that both the German Grand Prix and the European Grand Prix took place in his home country during his career. Read more: Most F1 wins on home soil.
READ MORE IN MILESTONES AND RECORDS TO BREAK
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 2023 BRITISH GRAND PRIX
WHAT HAS CHANGED AT THE CIRCUIT SINCE LAST YEAR?
Since the 2022 British Grand Prix, the gravel in the run-off at Turn 1 has been replaced with asphalt, while various other barriers and walls have been realigned and installed.
HOW MANY DRS ZONES WILL THERE BE AT THE 2023 BRTISH GRAND PRIX?
Like last year there will be two DRS zones there will be at the 2023 British Grand Prix. The activation zones are on the Wellington and Hangar Straights.
SILVERSTONE TRACK GUIDE
Other circuits have all played their part in British motorsport history but none more so than Silverstone, the home of British Motor Racing. The much-loved track delivers high excitement year on year to a passionate and knowledgeable crowd.
Silverstone’s story begins in 1943. RAF Silverstone was built at a cost of over £1 million, with 5 hangars and three intersecting runways. The area of land is situated in the village of Silverstone, near Towcester, and straddles two counties – Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire.
The runways were surrounded by a 3 mile perimeter track which would later serve as part of the race track. The base operated for two years as a training establishment during World War II and was home to a range of Halifax, Lancaster and Wellington bombers. It fell into inactivity in 1946.
Despite the hard times faced by Britons post-war, enthusiasm among certain groups for motorsport didn’t die. There was, however, no major race track in Britain. Brooklands had been handed over to the war’s aviation, as had Donington Park which now acted as a dumping ground for military vehicles.
It was in 1947 that the first race was held at the former RAF aerodrome. The first attempt didn’t go entirely to plan, however. An impromptu race meeting had to be abandoned as sheep invaded the track in what became known as the ‘Mutton Grand Prix’. Maurice Geoghegan ran over a sheep which was killed upon impact and the car was written off.
Silverstone’s central location was seen as an ideal location for international motor racing. In 1948, Silverstone held its first official Grand Prix – the RAC International Grand Prix. James Wilson Brown, a farmer, was employed by the RAC and in August 1948 he was given two months to transform the airfield into a fully-fledged race track.
100,000 fans witnessed Silverstone’s inaugural offering, as crops and piggery were bundled into the centre of the circuit and shielded by hay bales. As would become the custom at Silverstone, traffic jams plagued the weekend as fans made their way to the circuit. Luigi Villoresi was the victor of this race. The 1949 race at Silverstone was the first to be titled the ‘British Grand Prix’. It was run on a different track configuration, which was the full three mile perimeter road of the former airfield. It promoted flat out, high speed racing and can perhaps be considered as the birthplace of modern motorsport. It was run over 300 miles, with Toulo de Graffenreid taking the win after 100 laps.
READ MORE IN OUR ULTIMATE TRACK GUIDE
WHO WILL BE IN THE 2023 BRITISH GRAND PRIX PRESS CONFERENCES?
The world’s media will have the opportunity to talk to the drivers on Thursday. The drivers appearing in the press conference are:
Group 1
Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
Alex Albon (Williams)
Group 2
Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Lando Norris (McLaren)
Sergio Pérez (Red Bull)
The media will also be talking to prominent members of Formula 1’s teams on Friday. The team members who will appear in the press conference are Frederic Vasseur (Ferrari), Toto Wolff (Mercedes), Mario Isola (Pirelli), Mike Krack (Aston Martin), Zak Brown (McLaren) and James Vowles (Williams).
WHO WILL BE THE RACE DIRECTOR AT THE 2023 BRITISH GRAND PRIX?
Niels Wittich will be the race director at the 2023 British Grand Prix.
WHO WILL BE THE DRIVER STEWARD AT THE 2023 BRITISH GRAND PRIX?
Each weekend a former Formula 1 driver, or a driver from another prominent series of motorsport, joins the stewards to help judge any incidents from a drivers’ perspective. The Driver Steward this weekend is Derek Warwick.
WHICH TYRE COMPOUNDS WILL BE USED AT THE 2023 BRITISH GRAND PRIX?
Pirelli have announced that the C1, C2 and C3 tyre compounds will be used at the 2023 British Grand Prix. The C1, C2 and C3 compounds were used in 2022.
WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME AT THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX?
Sainz secured his first pole position in a wet weather qualifying session for the 2022 British Grand Prix and went on to take his maiden win in the dry.
After mixed weather conditions in the practice sessions, qualifying for the 2022 British Grand Prix was held in the rain. Nicholas Latifi impressed in the wet conditions, reaching Q3 for the only time in his career. It was Carlos Sainz who set the fastest time in the final part of qualifying, securing the first pole position of his career. Despite a spin on his first attempt at a lap in Q3, Max Verstappen joined him on the front row.
Verstappen passed Sainz on the run to Turn 1 at the start of the Grand Prix but there was big drama behind with a crash involving multiple drivers. Zhou Guanyu’s Alfa Romeo slid upside down along the track, eventually coming to a rest between the barriers and the catch fencing. The red flag was shown and Zhou was lucky to escape without injury. The collision also eliminated George Russell from the race, while Alex Albon was taken to hospital after hitting the pit wall in an incident with Sebastian Vettel.
The race restarted almost an hour later with the drivers starting from their original grid positions. This time around, Sainz boldly defended his lead and stayed ahead of the Red Bull. Behind them, Charles Leclerc made contact with Sergio Perez. Leclerc then went side-by-side with Verstappen at Brooklands, but the Red Bull did not yield. Perez made an early stop due to damage picked up in his contact with Leclerc.
Sainz maintained the lead until Lap 10, when a wide moment allowed Verstappen to overtake. Two laps later, however, Verstappen slowed, allowing both Ferraris to pass him. Red Bull later confirmed that Verstappen was struggling with bodywork damage.
On Lap 31, Sainz was instructed to allow Leclerc to pass as the other Ferrari had better pace. On Lap 39, Esteban Ocon came to a stop on the old pit straight leading to a Safety Car period. Sainz pitted under Safety Car conditions, as did Lewis Hamilton – who had shown good pace in the race. At the restart Perez made a move on the Mercedes for third. Simultaneously, the lead of the race changed hands. Leclerc went wide, allowing Sainz to re-take the lead at Brooklands.
Two laps later, Perez and Leclerc duelled for second place. Their battle sent them both slightly wide, allowing Hamilton to pull off the overtake of an action-packed race, passing both cars in one corner. Hamilton was soon re-passed by both drivers and came under pressure from Fernando Alonso. Alonso was unable to make a move but Hamilton then fought back against Leclerc for the final podium spot.
Sainz held on to take his first win in Formula 1 and was followed over the line by Perez and Hamilton. Further back, Verstappen – still struggling with car damage – was embroiled in a late race dice with Mick Schumacher for seventh place. The Haas driver finished behind Verstappen but still picked up the first points of his career.
WHAT’S THE FASTEST EVER LAP TIME AT THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX?
Attending the 2023 British Grand Prix? Learn more about visiting Silverstone in the F1Destinations Travel Guide.
