All you need to know about Silverstone

The British Grand Prix has been the throbbing heart of Formula 1 since its inauguration in 1964. The race kicked-off the sport’s inaugural world championship campaign in 1950 and it’s featured in every subsequent F1 season. Silverstone has been the race’s permanent home since 1987, the track’s intoxicating mix of fast corners making it a firm favourite with drivers and teams alike.

It’s average speed of 140mph makes Silverstone is one of the fastest circuits on the F1 calendar. Only one of its 18 corners is taken at less than 62mph; the remainder are all medium- or high-speed challenges, with the famous Copse-Maggotts-Becketts sequence located in the middle sector. Through these six corners a car’s minimum speed doesn’t drop below 134mph and the drivers face lateral forces of up to 5g.

In F1 high speed stability is essential but that is very difficult to do so at Silverstone as it is situated on the site of a World War II bomber station and it’s often exposed to high winds. There are lots of bumps due to number of facelifts that Silverstone has had over the years.

McLaren has an impressive record at the British Grand Prix. The team has won the race 14 times, with 12 of these victories taking place at Silverstone.

Silverstone – All the stats you need

Race distance: 52 laps 190.263 miles

Circuit length: 3.660 miles

Lap record: Mark Webber (Red Bull RB9) 1:33.401s (227.059km/h)