In Pictures: Great Britain 2023
Right after Austria, Formula 1 headed for one of its most iconic and legendary venues, Silverstone! Where the World Championship started back in 1950…
THE AREA
The Silverstone Circuit is nestled near the Northamptonshire villages of Towcester, Silverstone, and Whittlebury.
Towcester lays claim to being the oldest town in Northamptonshire and possibly, because of the antiquity of recent Iron Age finds in the town, to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the country. It was the Roman town of Lactodurum, located on Watling Street, today’s A5. In Saxon times, this was the frontier between the kingdom of Wessex and the Danelaw.
The town is approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) southwest of Northampton and about 11 miles (17.7 km) northwest of Milton Keynes, the nearest main city. Oxford is about 20 miles (32.2 km) away.
The village of Silverstone is a civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is about 4 miles (6.4 km) from Towcester.
THE CIRCUIT
The Silverstone circuit, situated on the grounds of the former RAF Silverstone bomber station, holds historical significance. Operating between 1943 and 1946, the station served as the home for the No. 17 Operational Training Unit during World War II. The present-day track layout incorporates the airfield's three runways, arranged in the classic triangular formation commonly seen during that era.
Motorsport activity at Silverstone commenced in September 1947 when a group of friends organized an impromptu race. Led by Maurice Geoghegan, a resident of nearby Silverstone village who knew of the abandoned airfield, twelve drivers participated in a race over a 2-mile (3.2 km) circuit. Unfortunately, Geoghegan's car collided with a sheep that had wandered onto the track, resulting in the death of the animal and the destruction of the vehicle. Subsequently, the informal race became known as the Mutton Grand Prix.
In the following year, the Royal Automobile Club secured a lease on the airfield and established a more formal racing circuit. Initially, races took place on the runways themselves, featuring long straights and tight hairpin corners marked by hay bales. However, for the 1949 International Trophy event, the circuit was shifted to the perimeter track.
The 1950 British Grand Prix was a significant occasion for two reasons: it was the first ever World Championship Grand Prix, carrying the title of the European Grand Prix; and the event was graced by the presence of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the first and only time a reigning monarch has attended a motor race in Britain
A significant redesign occurred between the 1990 and 1991 races, transforming the ultra-fast track into a more technically challenging circuit. Nigel Mansell claimed victory in the first Formula One race on the reshaped track, delighting his home crowd. During his victory lap, Mansell famously offered a lift to his stranded rival Ayrton Senna, whose McLaren had run out of fuel on the final lap.
Following tragic fatalities at Imola in 1994 involving Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger, various Grand Prix circuits underwent modifications to enhance driver safety and reduce speeds. Silverstone was no exception, with alterations made to the entry from Hangar Straight into Stowe Corner in 1995 to improve the runoff area. Additionally, the Abbey kink was transformed into a chicane in just 19 days prior to the 1994 Grand Prix. Certain parts of the circuit, including the starting grid, now adhere to the latest safety guidelines, measuring 17 m (19 yd) wide.
To accommodate Bernie Ecclestone's demands, a new Wing-like pit and paddock complex was to be built between Copse and Abbey, with the circuit swooping infields to a new 'Arena' complex before rejoining the existing circuit on the former Club Straight, now renamed in honor of the Wellington bombers which once took off along it.
The new course debuted in 2010, although work to complete the new pit complex was completed in time for the 2011 Grand Prix.
After Monza, Silverstone is one of the most historic permanent tracks on the F1 calendar, having hosted 57 grands prix. In 2020, the British Grand Prix was followed one weekend later by another grand prix to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the very first F1 race in history, which took place at Silverstone on May 13, 1950.
Seven of the ten teams currently in Formula 1 call Britain home, only Ferrari, AlphaTauri, both in Italy, and Alfa Romeo (Sauber) in Switzerland, do not have offices in England.
FRIDAY
Gorgeous day at Silverstone, the Sun was shining, and large crowds were in the stands for Friday’s practices.
FP1
As soon as the green light came on, cars took to the track for some proper laps, only Bottas stayed in the pits for the first few minutes. And as expected, Max Verstappen set the pace around Silverstone, a 1:30.443 on hard tires.
A few drivers complained about their cars bouncing in certain areas around the track.
And that brings an end to FP1 with both Red Bulls at the top of the standings, Verstappen leading with a 1:28.600 and Perez +0.448 behind. Albon is in third +0.489 behind, followed by Alonso in fourth +0.668, and Leclerc in fifth, +0.680.
Interestingly, the top nine drivers were within the same second. Everyone set their respective fast laps on softs, except Mercedes, whose test was completed on medium tires. They finished Hamilton twelfth, +1.168, and Russell fourteenth, +1.274 behind Verstappen.
““It was a valuable session, not just with the new front wing but also new aero parts. We didn’t run the soft tire, so it’s difficult to judge where we would have ended up, but that was not our aim. Generally, I’m happy.””
FP2
A beautiful sunny day meant some more dry practice in gorgeous England.
The start of the session was delayed five minutes after some crashes in Formula 2 earlier which damaged a barrier that needed to be repaired.
Cars began to cue up at the end of the pit lane and as soon as the green light was shown, out they went. Timewise, FP2 is about the same time as the middle of the Grand Prix, so teams took time to test a few setups to better prepare for the race. Most drivers were on the mediums, although a few were on the hards. Five minutes into the session, Verstappen is on top with a 1:29.550 on the medium tire, and just Leclerc and Magnussen had not set a timed lap, both in the pits. Leclerc with electrical issues in his SF23.
After 16 minutes, it was contrasting fortunes for Ferrari as Leclerc’s teammate, Carlos Sainz, went to the top of the timesheets with a 1:29:083 on the medium. There was lots of action in the Ferrari pits as a human barrier was formed impeding view inside, although several fire extinguishers were on site.
Charles Leclerc's electronic issue saw him sit out the whole session, so that was lost preparation time for him and his team.
Nevertheless, in the end, it was Max Verstappen’s early timed lap of 1:28.078 the fastest of the session. Behind him came Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, just 0.022 seconds off, and a surprising Alex Albon, third, +0.218 behind Verstappen’s time. Then came Sergio Perez’s RB19, and Logan Sargeant, in the other Williams.
SATURDAY
British summertime is famously unpredictable. The sun was gleaming at the circuit on Friday, but on Saturday, it could be a very different story. Intermittent rain is expected at various points, so teams were keeping an eye on those radars.
FP3
The last practice session started with 12 out of the 20 drivers taking to the track as soon as possible, including Charles Leclerc, who missed FP2 altogether.
Since there was a strong possibility of rain, some teams were doing qualifying runs, with Leclerc, Hamilton, and Sainz, trading places, until Leclerc set a 1:27.419, which was 0.529 faster than Hamilton, and 0.545 than Sainz. A few minutes later, Albon joined the party, setting a lap just 0.173 shy of Leclerc’s, so did Alonso and Gasly, now third and fourth, respectively. Then the heavens opened… Everyone went back to the pits… And the track went quiet…
A bit less than half a session left, Norris went out on Intermediate tires, and so did Piastri, Sargeant, Sainz, and Albon. A few minutes later, Leclerc also came out. All of them trying to understand how their cars behave on a wet track, with qualifying still unknown, weather-wise. A bit later, they were joined by Russell, Tsunoda, De Vries, Ocon, Bottas, and Gasly.
And after the hour had gone, it was Charles Leclerc’s time the fastest of the day. He was followed by Albon, Alonso, Gasly, and Hamilton, the top five.
QUALIFYING
Q1
Due to the threat of rain, everyone went out immediately on soft tires. Track evolution was critical, taking a toll on some, especially the Williams drivers, so fast in the three practice sessions, and now they were 18th and 20th. And as happened in Austria, there were several laps deleted for track limits.
Then, with just 3:11 minutes left, Magnussen’s Haas turned off in front of the pit entry, bringing out the first red flag of the weekend.
Q1 resumed, and again, track evolution was mighty, improving times by the minute. The biggest surprise was Sergio Perez, eliminated! He finished fifteenth. Behind him were Tsunoda, Zhou, De Vries, and Magnussen.
Q2
Fantastic session that was, everyone setting the fastest laps, but in the end, Hulkenberg, Stroll, Ocon, Sargeant, and Bottas did not go through to the last shootout. Fantastic laps from the McLaren guys, finishing Q2 in second (Piastri) and third (Norris), and Albon, fourth fastest in the Williams.
Q3
The final shootout did deliver lots of excitement. Silverstone did not disappoint. Max Verstappen did get Pole Position, but behind him were the McLarens of Piastri and Norris. Then came the Ferraris of Leclerc and Sainz, the Mercedes of Russell and Hamilton, then came Albon in the Williams, Alonso in the Aston, and Gasly in the Alpine.
It was his twenty-seventh Pole Position for Max Verstappen, his seventh of the season, and his fifth consecutive one. Masterclass from the Dutch and from his Red Bull.
““It’s been quite a crazy qualifying. It’s been quite hectic and quite slippery in places, but we did our laps. In Q3 I was surprised to see those two there but great for McLaren.””
SUNDAY
It was a beautiful day in Silverstone, perfect for the British Grand Prix fans, more than 480,000 over the three-day weekend.
INTERESTING FACT: The 2023 British Grand Prix was the 50th front-row start for Max Verstappen, and it was his 150th start for Red Bull.
Valtteri Bottas made it into Q2 on Saturday, but his Alfa Romeo subsequently ground to a halt at the end of Q1, leaving him stranded on the Silverstone circuit. After the car was recovered the FIA was unable to extract the stipulated one-liter fuel sample, which meant he was disqualified from proceedings and started 20th.
British actor Damian Lewis was invited to sing "God Save the King”, the national anthem of the United Kingdom and the British Crown Dependencies, one of two national anthems of New Zealand since 1977, and the royal anthem of most Commonwealth realms.
Lots of celebrities for the race at Silverstone, from chef Gordon Ramsey to Pep Guardiola, Sam Ryder, Florence Pugh, Shakira to The Grand Tour Richard Hammond and Jeremy Clarkson, among many others
Lights out and away we go! The 2023 British Grand Prix was underway… Mix tires as Russell, Ocon, Tsunoda, and De Vries opted for soft tires. Hulkenberg and Bottas for hards, while everyone else started on the mediums.
And it’s Norris! Lando Norris took the lead in the Grand Prix on the opening lap!
Norris could not hold feisty Verstappen and had to relinquish his hard-fought lead, settling for second place, ahead of teammate Piastri.
On lap 10/52, Alpine decided to retire Esteban Ocon’s A523. Lots of fights around as Russell was pursuing Leclerc for fourth place and Hamilton pursuing Sainz for sixth… The fights were on!
On lap 13/52, and for the second time. Verstappen complained about how difficult it was to drive (because of the strong winds around the track). But it was the same for everyone.
By lap 16/52, Perez had passed Albon for tenth place, pushing the Williams driver out of the points. Meanwhile, up ahead, the fight between the Mercedes over the Ferraris was still going on, Russell on soft tires trying everything he could to overtake a defensive Leclerc.
Three laps later, Ferrari called Leclerc to put the hard tires on the SF23, coming out in twelfth place but in free air. That stop promoted Russell to fourth place.
On lap 33/52 Kevin Magnussen’s Haas stopped on track. There was smoke billowing out of his Haas and a lick of flame, bringing out the Virtual Safety Car. One lap later the Safety Car came out. Lots of pit stops for tires.
The Safety Car bunched up the cars on track, setting up for a juicy restart… And on lap 38/52, the race resumed… And the fight for second began, with Hamilton doing everything he could to pass Norris… Behind them, from Russell down, everyone had DRS, what a high-speed train it was!
The big loser was the Ferrari team, dropping from 4th and 5th to 9th and 10th. Terrible strategies for the Italian squad. McLaren’s gamble did pay off, somewhat, as Mercedes also played it right, especially with Hamilton, sitting third in the closing laps.
But up ahead, it was all Max Verstappen winning the 2023 British Grand Prix, quite an impressive drive from the Dutchman. Red Bull equaled McLaren’s record from 1988 (Senna and Prost) with eleven wins in a row. Behind him a couple of Britts, Lando Norris taking second place, and Lewis Hamilton, third. Piastri came up fourth, followed by Russell, Perez, Alonso, Albon in the Williams, and the Ferraris of Leclerc, and Sainz.
QUOTES FROM THE PODIUM
““We had a terrible start, so we need to look into why that was. “But after that both McLarens at the beginning were super quick. It took a few laps to pass them and everything after that was quite alright.””
““Pretty insane... it was an amazing fight with Lewis, I brought the fight to Max as much as I could... a big thanks to all the British fans out here supporting us.””
““To start seventh and come third is a mega job. Big thank you to my team. It continues to be an honor to race and represent all of you.””
