Silverstone, the place that hosted the very first Formula One Grand Prix of the new World Championship back in 1950! Usually, local drivers tend to do well, as 17 of the last 48 British Grand Prix were won by a British driver. The 2014 edition was won by Lewis Hamilton. Among the current F1 drivers, he is the one who won most at Silverstone, with Fernando Alonso.

While Monaco is a local race for many drivers, Silverstone is a local race for many teams. Seven of them are located within a 160-km radius. Only Ferrari (Maranello), Toro Rosso (Faenza) and Sauber (Hinwil) are not based in the region.


Silverstone circuit



Lap data

Lap length: 5.891 km
Race laps: 52
Race distance: 306.332 km
Pole position: Left-hand side of the track
Race lap record: 1’30.874 (Fernando Alonso, 2010)
Fastest lap: 1’29.607 (Lewis Hamilton, 2013, qualifying three)
Maximum speed: 329.5kph
DRS zone/s (race): Pit straight and Hangar straight
Distance from grid to turn one: 420 m


Car performance

Full throttle: 70%
Longest flat-out section: 1034 m
Downforce level: High
Fuel use per lap: 2.8kg
Time penalty per lap of fuel: 0.112 s


Championships standings

1 - Lewis Hamilton 169
2 - Nico Rosberg 159
3 - Sebastian Vettel 120
4 - Kimi Räikkönen 72
5 - Valtteri Bottas 67
6 - Felipe Massa 62
7 - Daniel Ricciardo 36
8 - Daniil Kvyat 19
9 - Nico Hülkenberg 18
10 - Romain Grosjean 17
11 - Felipe Nasr 16
12 - Sergio Perez 13
13 - Pastor Maldonado 12
14 - Max Verstappen 10
15 - Carlos Sainz Jr 9
16 - Marcus Ericsson 5
17 - Jenson Button 4
18 - Esteban Gutiérrez 0
19 - Fernando Alonso 0
20 - Roberto Merhi 0
21 - Will Stevens 0
22 - Kevin Magnussen 0


1 - Mercedes 328
2 - Ferrari 192
2 - Williams / Mercedes 129
4 - Red Bull / Renault 55
5 - Force India / Mercedes 31
6 - Lotus / Mercedes 29
7 - Sauber / Ferrari 21
8 - Toro Rosso / Renault 19
9 - McLaren / Honda 4
10 - Manor Marussia / Ferrari 0

I know #TeamLH will be there in full force, and I know Hammy will be wanting to win this one badly, but so will Rosberg. Could this race end up as this year's Belgium with two wrecked Mercs?

Rosbery led FP1 and 2. Good to see Raikkonen with a good performance in FP2. Red Bull looking ok in FP2 as well, and Ricciardo quoted saying that Britain will be a turning point.

Now if only Mclaren-Honda could get it together!! I've been a huge JB fan since he started off with Benetton, and except for 2009 when he won the championship and briefly after joining Mclaren, he's always had brutal cars.

Honda's a legend in the engine game, and Mclaren in the chassis game. It's embarassing that they're being absolutely outpaced by everyone except Manor. (Honda's "power unit" appears to be a dog this year, but based on where Mclaren were last year with the best engine their guys need to step it up)

I've never been a big Hamilton fan, but he definitely made the right move jumping off the sinking Mclaren ship when he did.

Anyways, fingers crossed JB can bring home something for the fans. He's an undoubtedly classier guy than Lewis.

Quoting GrahamHill (Thread starter): Silverstone is a local race for many teams.

Thank you for opening this thread.

I want to see Pastor ending the race in the points performing more of his epic overtakes.

My support will always go to non-conventional drivers.

           

McLaren have a major upgrade to the car for the next race in Austria, and another for the subsequent British Grand Prix. If they deliver what the team believe they will, the car could be as good as a Mercedes.
From a piece written a month ago. That certainly fell to earth quickly, with both Mclaren's out in Q1.

Quoting CPH-R (Reply 3): McLaren have a major upgrade to the car for the next race in Austria, and another for the subsequent British Grand Prix. If they deliver what the team believe they will, the car could be as good as a Mercedes. From a piece written a month ago. That certainly fell to earth quickly, with both Mclaren's out in Q1.

I'm beginning to wonder if we see Fernando jump ship. This project appears to be going nowhere fast, except the garage.

I know he keeps saying the company line about this being a project, but last year Mclaren had THE best powerplant and were only able to drum up one podium (due to Ricciardo DQ'ing)

Meanwhile Williams were able to score 9 podiums (IIRC) and finish 3rd in the championship after scoring 0 podiums the year before.

Mclaren has serious chassis issues, much worse than Redbull. Mclaren hasn't built a half decent chassis since the MP4-27.

It seems to me Mclaren is more focused on selling road cars and their brand image, (lets introduce a new livery mid season just because)

I just hope Mclaren doesn't forget what happened to Williams a few years ago...One of the most successful teams of all time with pay drivers, almost no sponsors, and no points...   

Final qualifying positions:


With that, Hamilton move ahead of Vettel to third place in the all-time list with 46 poles. Just Senna (65) and Schumacher (68) ahead of him.

Been a while since Maldonado has taken anyone out, hasnt it?  

Quoting gkirk (Reply 6): Been a while since Maldonado has taken anyone out, hasnt it?

http://hasmaldonadocrashedtoday.com/

112 days since he last crashed 

'Well done' McLaren; 3 seconds behind pole. What a travesty!

Williams with some solid pace. Lets see if Kimi and Seb can catch them, or is this the weekend RBR finally shows up?

I like how they're properly enforcing track limit rules.

If Renault buys Lotus and has sufficient funding that they don't need Maldonado, does that mean that Carmen Jorda might get a seat?

Alonso's car had one of Button's tires on during Quali.
http://twitter.com/JamesGallowayF1/status/617363201206956032

Quoting diverted (Reply 4): I'm beginning to wonder if we see Fernando jump ship. This project appears to be going nowhere fast, except the garage.

Supposedly he is signed for three years. From McLaren's pov, it might be worthwhile letting him go to save cash. Magnusson or Vandoorne would be cheaper. With a car as slow as McLaren's a good driver isn't going to make much of a difference in terms of points.

Quoting CPH-R (Reply 3): From a piece written a month ago. That certainly fell to earth quickly, with both Mclaren's out in Q1.

Look on the bright side; neither of the McLarens got any of those dreaded blue flags at Austria!

Quoting gkirk (Reply 6):

Its all a ruse. He's spent years building up a reputation so that the other drivers panic when he gets near him and then go spinning off.  http://youtu.be/9mWMd-Xlbjk?t=5m38s

Unless another driver smashes into his car, I predict Hamilton will win this one. His home race.

That's one easy prediction to make!

        


Domino effect crash...
Grosjean, Pastor, Jenson and Nasr are out of the race!

       

baby Verstappen is also out

[Edited 2015-07-05 05:18:26]

Lap 23 Ricciardo now out

Hammy
Massa
Bottas

1-2-3
at this time


        

Lap 33 Sainz out

  


Lap 52 final lap

Hamilton wins the 2015 F1 British Grand Prix !!!!

           

[Edited 2015-07-05 06:36:56]

Well that was rather a cracking race. Lot of People seems to think, had Bottas been allowed to pass Massa, he could have been in with a Chance for a win, Massa was clearly Holding him up!
But I wonder, looking at his pace later in the race! also lots of (as always in the past) way too many totally conservative calls by williams, they should at least have gotten oine car in earlier in the secon d lot of rain! No risk, no fun!
Just my 2 Cents.

Quoting cougar15 (Reply 13): Well that was rather a cracking race. Lot of People seems to think, had Bottas been allowed to pass Massa, he could have been in with a Chance for a win, Massa was clearly Holding him up! But I wonder, looking at his pace later in the race! also lots of (as always in the past) way too many totally conservative calls by williams, they should at least have gotten oine car in earlier in the secon d lot of rain! No risk, no fun! Just my 2 Cents.

Agreed. I understand they need to ensure good points finishes, but they have to be the most conservative team out there. If they want to get some wins they need to take some risks. To quote Senna

"By being a racing driver you are under risk all the time. By being a racing driver means you are racing with other people. And if you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver because we are competing, we are competing to win. And the main motivation to all of us is to compete for victory, it's not to come 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th. I race to win as long as I feel it's possible. Sometimes you get it wrong? Sure, it's impossible to get it right all the time. But I race designed to win, as long as I feel I'm doing it right."

Anyways, pretty exciting race. Sad to see JB get taken out again. Honda should just up the power and hope it'll last a full race distance, maybe at least the Mclaren's will be interesting to watch till they get crashed into.

Great race. Plenty happening all the way through and a sprinkle of rain to spice things up!

Thought Williams made a bad strategy call not asking Massa to let Bottas through. By the time they decided they could race, it was too late. Yes, the rain meant even if they'd still been leading they wouldn't have won the race because the Williams is a bit of a pig in the wet, but that doesn't make it a correct decision.

I really thought Hamilton had thrown it away pitting on lap 43, but someone got it as right as they got it wrong in Monaco. Win number 38 for Hamilton, now just two behind Vettel and three behind Senna.

We have a long boring period coming up - just one race in Hungary between now and the Belgian GP on 23rd August. 

[Edited 2015-07-05 08:14:59]

It wasn't Pastor.

  

In the turn one melee Grosjean lost control and launched Pastor into the air putting both of them out the race.
Fernando Alonso did an incredible job to avoid them but by doing so harpooned his McLaren team mate Jenson Button.

          

Dammit Williams!!

What a race though, it seemed to go much quicker than normal.

Rosberg was much quicker than Hamilton before the switch to Inters. If the rain had held off for another lap, he would have been able to get well ahead.

Quoting cougar15 (Reply 13): Lot of People seems to think, had Bottas been allowed to pass Massa, he could have been in with a Chance for a win, Massa was clearly Holding him up!

Bottas had a speed advantage from DRS. Massa didn't.

Quoting cougar15 (Reply 13): But I wonder, looking at his pace later in the race! also lots of (as always in the past) way too many totally conservative calls by williams, they should at least have gotten oine car in earlier in the secon d lot of rain! No risk, no fun!

Yup. Massa should have been pitted a couple of laps earlier. But, as ever, hindsight is marvelous.

Given the timing of the rain, I don't think that Williams had any choice other than to double stack the cars in the pitlane when they were switching to Inters, which is a bit unfortunate. Sadly, Williams are never very good in the wet. They seem to lack downforce. Interestingly, in the wet, Bottas was losing a second per lap to Massa. Bottas was also wanting to pit for Inters at a time when they were clearly the slower tire.

Tire choices in wet weather is always a bit of a gamble. Hamilton and Vettel did very well from their timing. By contrast, Ericsson pitted for Inters a few laps too early, did a few laps on them which wore them through because it wasn't wet enough to cool them, then switched back to slicks two laps before it started raining properly so had to pit for a third time.

Quoting diverted (Reply 14): at least the Mclaren's will be interesting to watch till they get crashed into.

  

Quoting scbriml (Reply 15): We have a long boring period coming up - just one race in Hungary between now and the Belgian GP on 23rd August.

Given the big gap, FOM should give Honda and Renault a week of free testing inorder to improve reliability and maybe performance. Or we could just have an extra round at Spa.   

Quoting zkojq (Reply 17): Rosberg was much quicker than Hamilton before the switch to Inters. If the rain had held off for another lap, he would have been able to get well ahead.

That could be due to a lot of reasons, as that was the only time Rosberg was quicker than Hamilton.

Quoting zkojq (Reply 17): Given the big gap, FOM should give Honda and Renault a week of free testing inorder to improve reliability and maybe performance.

Hell no, the engine suppliers and their teams made their bed, now they have to lie in them.

There is no reason an engine manufacturer should get preferential treatment just because they got it wrong.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/mo...n-martin-boss-confirms-f1-interest

Quoting moo (Reply 18): That could be due to a lot of reasons

HAM being more conservative than ROS on a damp track. HAM's tires were older, but only by a lap. ROS overtook Bottas and Massa during that fast phase.

Quoting moo (Reply 18): There is no reason an engine manufacturer should get preferential treatment just because they got it wrong.

I get that from a performance perspective, but from a reliability perspective it is a big disappointment for the fans if the Renault and Honda powered cars keep retiring prematurely.

Quoting zkojq (Reply 19): HAM being more conservative than ROS on a damp track. HAM's tires were older, but only by a lap. ROS overtook Bottas and Massa during that fast phase.

Hamilton did have ten seconds in hand over Rosberg during the start of that phase, so his main goal is to not spin off and hurt the car - I would put money on the fact that if Rosberg had actually got near to attacking him, he would have responded.

Quoting zkojq (Reply 19): I get that from a performance perspective, but from a reliability perspective it is a big disappointment for the fans if the Renault and Honda powered cars keep retiring prematurely.

Manufacturers are already allowed to change parts for reliability or cost saving purposes, and they are allowed to test engines on dynamo's so Renault and Honda should be availing themselves of that at every single opportunity.

Quoting zkojq (Reply 17): If the rain had held off for another lap, he would have been able to get well ahead.

But Rosberg was unable to pass either Williams in the dry. I don't think it would have been as easy for him to pass Hamilton as you think.

Quoting zkojq (Reply 19): ROS overtook Bottas and Massa during that fast phase.

The Williams is a bit of a dog in damp/wet conditions. In the dry neither Mercedes driver looked like they could overtake the Williams - even after Rosberg was told to "Give it everything!"

Congratulations to Hamilton, he managed to recover after a horrible start. He made his ow luck today.

Quoting scbriml (Reply 21): But Rosberg was unable to pass either Williams in the dry. I don't think it would have been as easy for him to pass Hamilton as you think.

Hamilton was very fortunate that the rain came at the right time. If it had held off for another lap, Rosberg would have been 5-10 seconds faster than Hamilton on intermidiates in the dry or he would have been +2 seconds faster a lap being 1,5 seconds behind with Hamiltion on very used slicks.


/Lars

Quoting larshjort (Reply 22): Hamilton was very fortunate that the rain came at the right time.

Something prompted the switch to inters and it was raining hard by the time he left the pit lane, so it would seem to have been the best-timed decision in the history of tyre decisions.

Quoting larshjort (Reply 22): If it had held off for another lap

But it didn't. Rosberg could have pitted immediately behind Hamilton but his decision was to stay out. One he would have been regretting by the time he reached the Hangar Straight.

Quoting scbriml (Reply 15): Thought Williams made a bad strategy call not asking Massa to let Bottas through. By the time they decided they could race, it was too late.

Agreed. It was very disappointing to hear the 'do not race' order over the radio. It was clear as day that Bottas was quicker, and would've pulled away from Massa had he been allowed to pass. Massa wasn't pulling away from the Mercedes, and by holding up Bottas, he was pushing Bottas back into the Mercs.

But the rain made that debate academic.

Quoting zkojq (Reply 17): Bottas had a speed advantage from DRS. Massa didn't.

It wasn't just that. Bottas was visually quicker through the corners. I'm not the only one who's convinced that Bottas would've pulled away. Had the race stayed dry, and Massa let Bottas through, I'm convinced that Bottas would've won the race.

As a Williams fan, I was bitterly disappointed with the result. From leading the race 1-2 to finishing 4-5 is not good enough. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride ...

Nice race overall. I really thought Williams could do something (at least a podium), but then a poor strategy + the rain decided otherwise.

Quoting diverted (Reply 14): To quote Senna

The problem with Senna's quote is that it was said at a time when race engineers had a very limited role. Nowadays they are taking too much space and races are managed by them, not drivers. The gap Senna is talking about, current drivers have to ask permission to go for it, which is annoying for them, but also for the fans.

Quoting diverted (Reply 14): Sad to see JB get taken out again

Seeing JB out in the first lap was really hearbreaking. I feel for the McLaren boys. What a horrible season they're having. At least this weekend Alonso scored his first point.

Quoting scbriml (Reply 15): I really thought Hamilton had thrown it away pitting on lap 43

I watched the race on a Spanish TV and they were saying "It's Monaco again! It's Monaco again!", but fortunately for Hamilton, it wasn't  

Biggest F1 2015 Crashes, Fails & Glitches!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75u4TM0ZIU0

        

[Edited 2015-07-11 09:55:04]

Not going to start a new thread, but RIP Jules

Quoting diverted (Reply 27): Not going to start a new thread, but RIP Jules

Well said......I concur!


No Tax On Rotax

Rest in peace, Jules Bianchi  

I'm truly saddened at his loss, he was one of the up and coming stars in F1 whose life (never mind career) was tragically cut short as a result of a tragic accident.

My condolences go out to his loved ones.

Very sad news about Jules  

That's a real shame about Jules. Really sad especially for his family who have had nine months of hell. RIP brother.     

His final laps at Monaco last year:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzRZkXsNKlg

[Edited 2015-07-18 01:45:32]

Just got the news about his death. I am really saddened, may he ever rest in peace  

I had such a bad night sleep. i woke up really early to these sad news looking at the French Riviera news site looking for updates on the Saudi Royal Family house private beach uproar. This is how I learned of Jules departure from this world at a wee hour in the morning.

Le pilote Jules Bianchi est décédé à Nice
Publié le samedi 18 juillet 2015 à 04h07

Sa famille a officialisé cette terrible nouvelle via un communiqué publié sur Facebook à 2h45 ce samedi.

-50%
http://www.nicematin.com/brignoles/l...chi-est-decede-a-nice.2290850.html

http://translate.google.com/translat...50.html&edit-text=&act=url

        

Décès de Jules Bianchi à Nice: le communiqué de la famille
Publié le samedi 18 juillet 2015 à 05h09

Voici le communiqué publié sur Facebook ce samedi à 2h45 par la famille du pilote de Formule 1 décédé, Jules Bianchi.

http://www.nicematin.com/societe/dec...munique-de-la-famille.2291097.html

Death of Jules Bianchi in Nice: the statement of the family

Here is the statement posted on Facebook on Saturday at 2:45 by the family of the deceased Formula 1 driver, Jules Bianchi .

"It is with great sadness that Jules Bianchi's parents, Philip and Christine, his brother Tom and his sister Melanie, wish to announce the death of Jules occurred last night at Nice University Hospital, France, where he had was admitted following his crash at the Suzuka circuit, during the Japanese Grand Prix on October 5, 2014. " "Jules fought to the end, as it has always done, but yesterday his battle ended," said the Bianchi family.

-50%

English:
http://translate.google.com/translat...97.html&edit-text=&act=url

        

I remember Jules from the GP2 series in 2011 and 2012 and then in F1 with the Marussia team. I have seen him in person in Monaco a number of times.

I have been following on Jules news updates since after he had the accident at Suzuka reading reports coming from Jules father, Philippe when he was in the hospital in Mie, his transfer to NIce Hopital Pasteur all via Nice Matin. They always kept up with regular news on the driver. The last few days, his father was telling how his life was hell with Jules in such condition in the hospital as he was fighting for his life, not knowing if he would live or die, explaining how difficult it was going through this, at times he thought he was going out of his mind.

I was in Nice multiple times. I tried to get news directly from Hopital Pasteur but there was no way of knowing what condition Jules was in.

        


Le destin s'acharne sur la famille Bianchi

Enfant du karting devenu étoile de la piste, Jules BIanchi est le digne héritier d'une fratrie de pilotes qui a marqué d'une empreinte indélébile et tragique l'histoire du sport automobile au tournant des années 1960.
Son oncle est mort aux 24h du Mans, son grand-père y a été blessé

-50%
http://www.nicematin.com/derniere-mi...ur-la-famille-bianchi.1931758.html

Fate hounds the Bianchi family
...
Children karting become star of the track, Jules Bianchi is the worthy heir of a family of drivers who scored an indelible and tragic history of motorsport at the turn of the 1960s.
His uncle died in the 24h of Le Mans, his grandfather was wounded there

English
http://translate.google.com/translat...58.html&edit-text=&act=url

        

Jules had everything in life one can imagine, the best life a young man could ever wish for. He had immense talent, a passion for racing and he lived his passion until the end. He came from a well-to-do family.

        

He is now travelling his way to Planet F1 where he will race with the greatest.
#ForzaJules forever

     

This is terrible news. My thoughts go to his family and friends. I had hopes we could wake up, but I guess it started to really look impossible after so many months in the coma. His father said earlier last week that his current condition was worse than if he had died.

I wasn't born to witness how tough it was to race in the 50s, 60s and 70s. I haven't witnessed the death of many drivers. I barely remember Elio de Angelis'. I, of course, perfectly remember both Ratzenberger and Senna. Then we were lucky not to see more after that. We actually thought that F1 had become a safe sport. Cars were built tougher, tracks were getting wider and safer. We got used to not see fatal accidents anymore. We got used to see drivers getting out of their totalled cars with their thumbs up to the crowd. We almost forgot that motorsport was still dangerous. That when there is a bad combination of circumstances, it can still take lives.

Jules was considered in France as being a potential successor to Alain Prost, someone who could give us a world title. Many times I have praised his skills on the F1 threads here over the last couple of years. I wanted him so bad to get a seat at Ferrari. He was really promising. Our most promising driver of all the latest ones we've had. Better than Pic, Grosjean or Vergne.

Unfortunately, we'll never know if he could have won a Grand Prix, let alone a world title. He will join the likes of Cevert or Bellof. Those drivers that everyone thought they had potential to become world champion, but gone too soon.

The FIA will retire the #17 in his honour.

Rest in peace, Jules.