Silverstone hosted the first ever Formula 1 World Championship race in 1950 and here we are, 72 years later, still coming to the former airfield to watch the best racing drivers in the world.
Nino Farina took victory back in 1950 but no one has won the British Grand Prix on more occasions than Lewis Hamilton, who has topped the podium eight times.
Mercedes are hopeful of a strong weekend but championship leaders Red Bull and Max Verstappen are the favourites, even if Ferrari are likely to pose a sterner challenge and a more “traditional” circuit.
Red Bull have dominated the recent races, winning six in a row, while Ferrari have floundered with reliability issues and Mercedes literally bounced around in Monaco and Baku.
Silverstone offers areas for each of the three top teams to be strong, with reasonable straights, as well as a mixture of slow, medium and high-speed corners.
As we have seen on a number of occasions, managing the Pirelli tyres is crucial to reaching the chequered flag first in Northamptonshire, although Hamilton cross the finish line with only three inflated tyres in 2020.
Pole Winner – Charles Leclerc
Ferrari have had stellar qualifying pace all season, taking six of the nine pole positions this season. I feel the circuit will play well to the Ferrari’s characteristics, especially over one lap, where Leclerc has been phenomenal in 2022.
Leclerc needs to hit back and stop the roll Verstappen has been on and pole position would be the perfect start.
Race Winner – Max Verstappen
I’m tipping Verstappen to get the job done again on Sunday.
The Red Bull RB18 has had a better race balance all year, compared to qualifying, and constantly beaten or at least matched the Ferrari.
Ferrari’s design has lacked enough punch on the straights to keep the Red Bull behind or catch when behind, meaning the Milton Keynes team hold the trump card at almost every circuit.
When Ferrari have been in the lead recently, they have found a way to throw away victory, with Leclerc retiring from first position in both Spain and Azerbaijan, while the Italian’s strategy opened the door for Red Bull in Monaco.
Silverstone punishes the tyres, with the long and fast corners, such as Maggotts and Becketts, another area Red Bull have an advantage.
Back in Miami, Ferrari locked out the front row, but Leclerc chewed up his tyres and fell behind Verstappen inside 10 laps. There was a similar story in the Sprint Race in Imola, where Leclerc led for a while before Verstappen reclaimed first position.
Ferrari did make a breakthrough in Spain but failed to finish, which handed Red Bull a wave of momentum they are still riding.
Race Podium
1st – Max Verstappen
2nd – Charles Leclerc
3rd – Lewis Hamilton
Bold Predictions
1. Mercedes to WIN the British Grand Prix!
2. Double points for McLaren
3. Sebastian Vettel Q3 and points