Formula 1 British Grand Prix 2013 Chat and Predictions

The British Grand Prix - did you know?

Great Britain is one of only two countries (the other being Italy) to have been on the Formula One calendar every year since the world championship began back in 1950. As Silverstone prepares to play host to the 64th running of the race this weekend with the 2013 Formula 1 Santander British Grand Prix, we compile all the essential facts and figures…

• Three venues have hosted the British Grand Prix - Silverstone (46 times), Brands Hatch (12 times) and Aintree (five times). Another circuit - Donington - has also hosted a world championship race in Britain, but it was the European Grand Prix in 1993. Silverstone has been the only circuit to stage the British Grand Prix since 1986.

• 142 British drivers have started a world championship Grand Prix - more than any other country (if you ignore the large number of American drivers who competed only in the Indianapolis 500 when it was a world championship event between 1950 and 1960).

• The victor of the first world championship British Grand Prix (held at Silverstone in 1950) was Giuseppe Farina for Alfa Romeo. Watching Farina’s victory from the sidelines were King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. It remains the only time a reigning British monarch has attended the race, which was also given the prestigious ‘Grand Prix of Europe’ title.

• British drivers have won the British Grand Prix 16 times. The first to take victory in his home race was Stirling Moss for Mercedes in 1955. Eleven other Brits have emulated Moss, including:
- Tony Brooks in ‘57 (sharing with Moss)
- Peter Collins in ‘58 (the first Brit to win at Silverstone)
- Jim Clark, who won four consecutively from ‘62 to ‘65, plus the 1967 edition
- Jackie Stewart in ‘69 and ‘71
- James Hunt in ‘77
- John Watson in ‘81
- Nigel Mansell in ’86, ‘87, ‘91 and ‘92
- Damon Hill in ‘94
- Johnny Herbert in ‘95
- David Coulthard in ‘99 and ‘00
- Lewis Hamilton in ‘08

• Ferrari took their first ever Formula One world championship victory at Silverstone in 1951, with Jose Froilan Gonzalez at the wheel. They then dominated the event for the next three years with Ascari recording two victories (in 1952 and ’53) and Gonzalez a further one (in 1954). After such a start, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the Scuderia have won the race more times than any other team - 16 times in total. McLaren are next up with 14 wins, but it’s Red Bull who have set the pace in recent years, winning three of the last four races at Silverstone.

• At 5.891 kilometres, the current track is the 2nd longest on the calendar, behind only Spa in Belgium which is 7.004 kilometres. Drivers completing the 52 lap race will cover 306.198 kilometres.

• In the 63 previous British Grands Prix, the pole sitter has been victorious only 24 times. The lowest any winner has started on the grid is 8th - that was Ferrari’s Carlos Reutemann in 1978.

• Pirelli will take part in their 250th Formula One event at Silverstone. Appropriately their first was also at Silverstone - the very first world championship Grand Prix in 1950, a race which they won with Alfa Romeo’s Nino Farina. Of course, unlike in 1950 when there were numerous tyre suppliers, Pirelli are guaranteed victory this year…

• At Silverstone this weekend Williams will be celebrating 600 race starts, although technically they say their 600th start will be at the next round in Germany. According to Sir Frank Williams, 78 teams have come and gone or changed ownership since Williams were founded in 1977. Williams have won the British Grand Prix 10 times.

• Jim Clark and Alain Prost share the record for most British Grand Prix wins with five apiece. Clark won an unprecedented four consecutive British races from pole between 1962 and 1965, before adding a further win in 1967. Only Ayrton Senna has won the same Grand Prix more times consecutively - he won in Monaco five years in a row between 1989 and 1993.

• Clark’s tally of 365 laps in the lead of races in Britain is still a record today.

• Amazingly, for three consecutive years (’63, ’64 and ’65) the podium was filled by the same three British drivers - Clark, Graham Hill and John Surtees. In fact, in 1965 the first five drivers home were all British (Mike Spence and Jackie Stewart were the other two).

• Of the current grid, Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber have both won the British Grand Prix twice, whilst Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel each have a single British victory to their names. Raikkonen and Alonso have both stood on the podium at Silverstone five times - only two off Alain Prost’s and Michael Schumacher’s joint British Grand Prix podium record of seven.

• 8 of the 11 Formula One teams are based in Britain and all are within a 160-kilometre radius of Silverstone. Force India - whose factory is in Silverstone - are based the closest to the circuit, McLaren - in Woking - are the furthest away.

• Aside from staging the first Formula One world championship round in 1950, the British Grand Prix has played host to a number of other milestones:

- Several drivers and teams scored their maiden wins in Britain: Nino Farina and Alfa Romeo (1950), Jose Froilan Gonzalez and Ferrari (1951), Stirling Moss (1955), Tony Brooks and Vanwall (1957), Jo Siffert (1968), Peter Revson (1973), the Williams team (1979), and Johnny Herbert (1995).

- Riccardo Patrese started his 200th Formula One race at Silverstone in 1990. Michele Alboreto started his 150th race at the same venue the following year, whilst Jack Brabham, Jean-Pierre Jarier and Eddie Irvine all made their 100th starts in British Grands Prix (in 1968, 1981 and 2000 respectively).

- A number of drivers scored their first pole position in Britain: Nino Farina (1950), Jose Froilan Gonzalez (1951), Stirling Moss (1955), Jack Brabham (1959), Tom Pryce (1975), Alan Jones (1979), Keke Rosberg (1982), and Heikki Kovalainen (2008).

- Alain Prost won his 50th Grand Prix in Britain in 1993

• Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen holds the lap record for Silverstone in its current configuration - 1m 34.661s set last year.

• Jenson Button has appeared in more British Grands Prix than any other current driver - 13 in total - but he has never stood on the podium.

• Nigel Mansell had an incredible fastest lap record in Britain - the moustachioed racer took fastest lap in 7 of the 11 British Grands Prix he started.

• Almost 300,000 fans attended the British Grand Prix in 2012 - 80,000 on the Friday, 90,000 on the Saturday and 127,000 on the Sunday.

• 6,000 bottles of Champagne, 10,000 bottles of wine and 20,000 bottles of mineral water were consumed at the 2012 British Grand Prix

• Five drivers have won the British Grand Prix by a lap or more over their nearest rival - Alberto Ascari in 1952, Juan Manuel Fangio in 1956, Jackie Stewart in 1969, Emerson Fittipaldi in 1975 and Alain Prost in 1985. The smallest winning margin in British Grand Prix history came in 1955 when Stirling Moss crossed the line 0.2 seconds ahead of Mercedes team mate Juan Manuel Fangio at Aintree.

• If Ferrari finish in the top ten at Silverstone this weekend it will be their 56th consecutive race in the points, edging them ever closer to McLaren’s record. The British team’s 64-race run finally came to an end at the last round in Canada after Sergio Perez and Jenson Button could only manage 11th and 12th places respectively.

• And finally, Kimi Raikkonen matched Michael Schumacher’s record of 24 consecutive races in the points in Canada by claiming ninth position. If he scores points in Britain, the record he’s pursued since Bahrain last year will be exclusively his. Remember, Kimi has won at Silverstone before - in 2007.

 

Button: "I wouldn't say that Vettel is favourite for this race. I'd say it's Alonso,"

 

Ah, Herbert in 95, quite possibly my favorite GP victory.

 

Gary Anderson has done a Q&A on the BBC website before the race.

One of the questions: Is Vettel the most undeserving world champion? And is Lewis Hamilton right to worry about his legacy with only one world championship title to his name? ‏‪ @JohnLarkinF1

 

He claimed that Hamilton would have led McLaren back the front by now... words don't describe.

 

good Article by somebody other than Benson at the BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/23048643

 

SILVERSTONE CIRCUIT

Length of lap:
5.891km
Lap record:
1:34.661
(Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus, 2012)
Start line/finish line offset:
0.105km
Total number of race laps:
52
Total race distance:
306.198km
Pitlane speed limits:
60km/h during practice.
100km/h during qualifying and the race

Changes to the circuit since 2012

► A number of new drains have been installed in verges around the circuit in order to improve drainage in areas where water has accumulated in the past.
► The tyre barrier on the driver’s right at the exit of Turn 14 will be extended by 50 metres.

 

Matt Somerfield ‏@SomersF1 4m
Hmmmm Lotus have their DRD Airbox 'Ear's' uncovered during the build process...

On the ball as ever Silv...Captain.

 

Triple post

Lotus front brake ducts getting excessive

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Lotus' unblocked 'ears'

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Merc front wing

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Then back to Lotus: Perforated Bargeboard

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and finally, a quick snap for Alonso's BFFs album

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Which later became this:

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I thought I picked Vettel in the last outing!!! Picked him again.

 

First visit to the forum in a while. Had been busy what with final year exams (graduated with a 2:1!) but I have to say while I am looking forward to the British Grand Prix I can't get too excited about f1 this season. The tyres, the DRS and the admirable but boring dominance of Vettel is testing my patience. I still watch the Grand Prixs in full but I cannot deny that this season has perhaps been the worst season I have ever witnessed in all the years I have been watching f1 (since I was 9 years old in 2000). A dominating weekend from Vettel and Red Bull (I persist one of the most professional yet classless teams I have ever seen) yet again at Silverstone will only dent this season even more in my eyes. Really for the first time my faith in f1 is being tested this season somewhat and it is actually little to do with Vettel and Red Bull as I actually really enjoyed the racing in 2011 even though Vettel dominated most the races. The races this season though have been so sub standard that it is depressing. ****ing Pirelli and the FIA just not allowing the sport to settle down into something we can call 'real racing'.

 

Ferrari F138 - Rear Wing, slots added to the leading edge to help control tyre wake

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Mercedes W04 - Rear End Details

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Williams FW35 Blown Front Axle

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Ferrari F138 - Great shot of the underside of the Front Wing and the control vanes

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Lotus E21 - Monkey Seat, shortened version that was last used in combination with DRD during testing

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Red Bull RB9 - Exhaust has been heat treated (looks like Zircotec heat reflective coating)

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New rear suspension for Lotus:

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New rear wing and floor for Ferrari:

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I saw that Ferrari floor picture earlier Forza, seems a very large gap between it and the tyres?

 

It just doesn't want to let me vote Alonso, dunno whose side it is (suspect my old rickety PC), but tried twice on Sat or Sun to vote for him and again earlier, but not gone through again. lost the 2010 crown due to it not accepting my votes for Vettel 2 or 3 times.
So, in summary,
Alonso please

 

It seems odd. I don't know what's happening to the exhaust gasses now but if it makes the car quicker, I don't really care.

 

Both Mercedes and Lotus hoping for a dry FP2 so they can evaluate their pDRD.

Some pic's from FP1's almost no existent 'running'


Mercedes W04 - Under Nose Twin Element Turning Vanes

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Ferrari F138 - Flo-Viz applied to the Beam Wing

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Red Bull RB9 - Pitot Test Tubes attached to the top of the Rear Wing ahead of the new Louvres

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Marussia MR-02 - Looks like they may be using blown front axle

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Ferrari F138 - Note the slot in the Rear Wing leading edge & use of older Sidepod Airflow Conditioner

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Lotus E21 - Kimi's car prepped with DRD (Drag Reduction Device)

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Lotus E21 - Detailed shot of the rear of the floor shows the curved vertical Floor Strake being employed

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Lotus E21 - Whilst Kimi's car fitted with the DRD setup, Grosjean has a new Engine Cover with Shark Fin

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Ferrari - New Rear Wing (Blue Arrows) Larger Cutout to reduce drag (Tip Vortices) & (Yellow Arrows) leading edge slot

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What browser are you using?

 

Red Bull heating (or maintaining heat) in brakes?? interesting

 

Massa 3 in 3