For motor racing fans there are some circuits that stand out above all the others. Monza, Monaco and San Marino all have their own special aura, more so than more recent additions to the season in places like Bahrain, Jeddah and Shanghai.
One vital edition to this list of iconic circuits is Silverstone, since 1987 the sole home of the British Grand Prix.
The history of Silverstone is a fascinating one and begins in the years following the end of the Second World War.
Across Britain there were many disused RAF airfields, of which this was one. In 1947 a group of motor sport enthusiasts led by a man called Maurice Geoghegan were searching for a venue for an impromptu race. Geoghegan lived nearby to the airfield and suggested this could be the place.
What followed was a race over a two-mile circuit around the perimeter road between twelve cars and their drivers. The only accident involved a sheep that had inadvertently stepped onto the track, earning the race the title “the Mutton Grand Prix”.
At around the same time the Royal Automobile Association was searching for an official venue for the British Grand Prix and took out a lease on Silverstone, aiming to establish a proper circuit.
In its early days, the runways and perimeter road were used. But as it became more developed corners and the famous chicane were introduced. Today their names also tell an interesting story about the history of its development.
Over the decades there have been countless famous victories at Silverstone, all of which have added to its aura as one of the most special circuits in the world.
1950
Silverstone’s first ever Formula 1 Championship race took place on May 13 1950 and it was one dominated by the Italians. Run over 70 laps the battle was between the Alfa Romeo drivers Giuseppe Farina and the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio. The latter had to retire early thanks to a damaged oil pipe leaving Farina to take the chequered flag in front of, King George VI, said to be the only time when a reigning monarch has attended a British Grand Prix.
1967
This was to be the fifth and final British Grand Prix victory for the Scottish driver Jim Clark. Driving the Lotus 49 in its distinctive green and yellow livery and powered by the newly-introduced Cosworth DFV engine he took control of the race from the very first lap. His record of five wins on UK soil stood right up until 1993 when Alain Prost matched it but it wasn’t until 2019 when it was overtaken by Lewis Hamilton.
1969
Two years later another Scotsman took to the podium in the form of Jackie Stewart. He was on a winning streak having already taken first place in four of the season’s five races to date. But the driver who looked set to prevent a fifth win was Jochen Rindt in his Lotus. However disaster struck for him when a tyre was damaged thanks to bodywork cutting into it – something that, in a show of great sportsmanship, Stewart had indicated to him. The resulting pit-stop relegated Rindt to fourth position giving Stewart the victory.
1987
This year it was the turn of Nigel Mansell to delight the home crowd with a stunning display of audacious driving. His chief rival in the race was the Brazilian Nelson Piquet who had an advantage over him right from the grid. His response was to sell him a major dummy on the Hangar Straight looking to overtake on the outside but quickly ducking inside to pass him before the corner to take the lead, and the win.
1991
1991 was another great year for Mansell at Silverstone. He took pole position from Ayrton Senna and never really looked like relinquishing the lead after that. So it wasn’t the race that attracted so much attention, it was the aftermath. Senna’s car ran out of fuel on the final lap, leaving him stranded half way around the circuit but Mansell gave him a lift back to the finish line as part of his own victory lap.
2022
This year was the one in which it was revealed that Lewis Hamilton truly lived a charmed existence. It was a race in which there was a large number of tyre failures among the drivers. Hamilton’s own drama came in the final lap as his own tyre began to deflate. Rival Max Verstappen was fast gaining on him but in an act of sheer determination saw him cross the winning line first on just three wheels.
2025?
So who knows what this year’s British Grand Prix has in store for us. The F1 betting odds suggest it will be Lando Norris or Max Verstappen. Or perhaps Hamilton again, so long as Ferrari get their act together and avoid another disqualification?
All will be revealed on Sunday July 6th.