1113th F1 GRAND PRIX | 79th BRITISH GRAND PRIX | 59th GRAND PRIX AT SILVERSTONE
2023 POLESITTER: MAX VERSTAPPEN | 2023 WINNER: MAX VERSTAPPEN
Silverstone is the birthplace of Formula 1. The very first World Championship Grand Prix was held at the circuit in May 1950. The 2024 British Grand Prix is set to take place on July 5-7.
2024 BRITISH GRAND PRIX: WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday July 5
Free Practice 1 – 12:30pm Local Time
Free Practice 2 – 4:00pm Local Time
Saturday July 6
Free Practice 3 – 11:30am Local Time
Qualifying – 3:00pm Local Time
Sunday July 7
The 2024 British Grand Prix – 3:00pm Local Time
2024 BRITISH GRAND PRIX: WEEKEND MILESTONES
This weekend, Fernando Alonso will become the first driver to make 21 F1 appearances at Silverstone, overtaking Kimi Raikkonen for the most starts at the track.
Victory for a team other than Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull at the 2024 British Grand Prix would equal the record for the most consecutive different team wins at Silverstone. There have been four different teams winning four successive races at the track twice previously – between 1967 & 1973 and between 2006 & 2009.
Nigel Mansell and Lewis Hamilton share the record for most Fastest Laps at Silverstone, with six each. A Fastest Lap for Hamilton at the 2024 British Grand Prix would see him set a new outright record.
Ferrari currently hold the record for most pole positions at Silverstone, with 12. Their record could be equalled at the 2024 British Grand Prix by Williams, who have had 11 pole positions to date at the track.
READ MORE IN MILESTONES AND RECORDS TO BREAK
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 2024 BRITISH GRAND PRIX
WHAT HAS CHANGED AT THE CIRCUIT SINCE LAST YEAR?
Any changes to the circuit since the previous F1 race at the track will be posted here.
HOW MANY DRS ZONES WILL THERE BE AT THE 2024 BRTISH GRAND PRIX?
It’s yet to be announced how many DRS zones there will be at the 2024 British Grand Prix. Last year, there were two DRS zones. The activation zones are usually 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 2024 BRITISH GRAND PRIX PRESS CONFERENCES?
The world’s media will have the opportunity to talk to the drivers ahead of the on-track action. The drivers appearing in the press conference for this race are yet to be announced.
The media will also be talking to prominent members of Formula 1’s teams in a separate press conference over the race weekend. The team members appearing in the press conference are yet to be announced.
WHO WILL BE THE RACE DIRECTOR AT THE 2024 BRITISH GRAND PRIX?
Niels Wittich will be the race director at the 2024 British Grand Prix.
WHO WILL BE THE DRIVER STEWARD AT THE 2024 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 yet to be announced.
WHICH TYRE COMPOUNDS WILL BE USED AT THE 2024 BRITISH GRAND PRIX?
Pirelli are yet to announce which tyre compounds will be used at the 2024 British Grand Prix. The C1, C2 and C3 compounds were used in 2023.
WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME AT THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX?
Verstappen claimed his first British Grand Prix victory, while both Norris and Hamilton finished on the podium in front of their home crowd.
Plenty of teams brought upgrades and updates to the 2023 British Grand Prix, with McLaren – in their special chrome livery – being the most impressive. Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri qualified in the top three, but it was a familiar sight at the very front with Max Verstappen securing a fifth consecutive pole position, despite him damaging his front wing when exiting his garage in Q1.
Things got even better for McLaren at the start of Sunday’s Grand Prix as Norris overtook Verstappen for the lead on the way into Turn 1. Piastri remained on the tail of the Red Bull throughout the opening lap but could not quite find a path past. Norris led until Lap 5, when Verstappen re-claimed the lead at Brooklands.
There were moves throughout the field in the first half of the race with Hamilton making his way by Fernando Alonso, George Russell and Charles Leclerc going wheel to wheel and Sergio Perez making up for a disappointing qualifying performance in which he exited in Q1.
On Lap 33, Kevin Magnussen’s race came to a smoky end as he stopped on the Wellington Straight. The incident brought out the Safety Car, which led to the lead drivers pitting with 18 laps to go. While leader Verstappen and third place Hamilton switched to the soft tyre compound, Norris opted for the hardest compound. As a result of the timing of his earlier pit stop, Piastri dropped behind Hamilton to fourth ahead of the restart.
The race resumed on Lap 40 as Norris came under pressure from Hamilton on his softer tyres. The pair went side by side at the end of the Wellington Straight, and on the old pit straight on the following lap, but Norris’ defensive moves kept the McLaren ahead.
Sainz’s hard tyres led to him dropping down the order in the final stages, being passed by Perez, Alex Albon and team-mate Charles Leclerc in quick succession. Behind the Ferraris, contact between Lance Stroll and Pierre Gasly led to the Alpine driver’s retirement, while Perez recovered to sixth place in the closing laps.
Verstappen crossed the finish line just under four seconds ahead of Norris to claim his first British Grand Prix victory, though it was his second F1 win at Silverstone. It was a record-equalling 11th successive win for Red Bull. With Hamilton completing the podium, this was the first time two British drivers recorded a home podium in the same race since 1999.
WHAT’S THE FASTEST EVER LAP TIME AT THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX?
Attending the 2024 British Grand Prix? Learn more about visiting Silverstone in the F1Destinations Travel Guide.