Silverstone Circuit

How it began

The circuit grew out of RAF Silverstone, an airfield that bombers flew from during the Second World War. The British Grand Prix was first held here on 2 October 1948, on the runways and taxiways, and was won by Luigi Villoresi in a Maserati.

On 13 May 1950 Silverstone hosted the very first World Championship race — the British Grand Prix, won by Nino Farina for Alfa Romeo. From 1955 to 1962 the race alternated with Aintree, and from 1964 to 1986 with Brands Hatch; since 1987 the British Grand Prix has been held only here. The contract has been extended until 2034.

The track

The lap is 5.891 km long with 18 corners, and the race is 52 laps. Its hallmark is the fast sequences: Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel, taken with barely a lift, then the Hangar Straight and Stowe. The circuit is flat and exposed, and the wind here noticeably changes how the car behaves.

The layout was substantially reworked in 1991, and in 2010 the Arena section was added, with Abbey, Village and The Loop; since 2011 the race has started from a new straight by the Wing complex, while the old pits remain between Woodcote and Copse.

Many of the championship’s teams are based around the circuit; the Aston Martin factory stands just across the road.

Memorable races

On 14 July 1951 José Froilán González gave Ferrari their first win in the championship. On 12 July 1987 Nigel Mansell passed his team-mate Nelson Piquet at Stowe two laps from the end, and the fans poured onto the track. On 11 July 1999 Michael Schumacher broke his leg in a crash at the same corner.

On 2 August 2020 Lewis Hamilton won after completing the last lap on a punctured tyre; a week later the circuit hosted the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, won by Max Verstappen. On 17 July 2021 Silverstone held the first ever sprint, and the next day Hamilton and Verstappen collided at Copse. On 3 July 2022, after Zhou Guanyu’s car flipped over at the start, Carlos Sainz won the race — the first win of his career.

On 7 July 2024 Hamilton won for the first time since the end of 2021.