BRITISH GP FACTS AND STATS

* The British Grand Prix was the first world championship race back on the 13th May 1950. It was won by Giuseppe Farina in an Alfa Romeo 158 at Silverstone.

* The British GP has been staged at three different venues: Silverstone, Aintree and Brands Hatch.

* Although Silverstone has been the most regular venue since 1950, Aintree hosted five races between 1955-1962 before a 24-year period saw the race alternate between Silverstone and Brands Hatch. The 2007 race will be Silverstone's 21st consecutive British GP.


* Silverstone has also undergone improvement works in recent years, including a new road infrastructure. The government's development plan to link the M1 with the M40 was completed in June 2002 and incorporated a new four-lane entrance road into the venue. The circuit has also improved its facilities for both spectators and VIPs since the turn of the century.

* Britain is one of only two countries to have held a GP in every year of the world championship's 57-year history, the other being Italy.

* Silverstone served as an RAF bomber base in the Second World War.

* When Silverstone first hosted a grand prix in 1948, the circuit was laid out in the shape of an X and was marked out by oil drums.

* Ferrari took its first grand prix win in the 1951 race when Froilan Gonzalez, ‘the Pampas Bull’, defeated the hitherto unbeaten Alfa Romeos.

* Williams also won its first grand prix at Silverstone when Swiss ace Clay Regazzoni triumphed in the 1979 event in Patrick Head’s FW07.

* The legendary Gilles Villeneuve made his Formula 1 debut for McLaren in the 1977 British Grand Prix, spinning eight times in practice but displaying dazzling speed en route to a seventh-place finish.

* Keke Rosberg's 1985 pole time of 1m05.591s, an average speed of 160.92mph, was the fastest lap in F1 history. The record stood for 17 years until Juan Pablo Montoya went fractionally faster in qualifying for the 2002 Italian Grand Prix.

* Jacques Laffite became the first driver to equal Graham Hill's long-standing record of 176 grand prix starts at the 1986 British GP at Brands Hatch. Unfortunately, he broke both legs in a first-lap crash at Paddock Hill Bend and never raced in F1 again.

* British drivers have won 21 of the 56 British Grands Prix, including six of the last 16. Nigel Mansell set that particular ball rolling with victories in 1991 and 1992. Damon Hill triumphed in 1994 and Johnny Herbert emulated him a year later. David Coulthard won in 1999 and 2000.

* But if none of Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, David Coulthard or Anthony Davidson win this year's race, it will be seven years since a British driver stood on the top step at his home GP – which would set a new record for consecutive years without a British winner.

* The British GP has a history of crowd disturbances. Fans rioted in 1976 when it seemed James Hunt would not be allowed to take the restart, leading the stewards to relent. And Mansell's 1992 win precipitated a huge track invasion.

* Alain Prost and Jim Clark hold the joint record for British Grand Prix victories with five apiece.

* Alain Prost, not Nigel Mansell, was the most successful driver at the British GP during the '80s. Prost won in '83, '85 and '89, whereas Red FIve only finished first twice - in '86 and '87.

* Clark also holds the record for most poles, with five to Stirling Moss' four. Amazingly, from 14 starts and despite a record 66 poles, the most successful ever F1 driver, Michael Schumacher, has only been on pole for the British GP once, back in 2001.

* Three teams – McLaren, Ferrari and Williams – have won 29 of the last 32 British GPs. Only Benetton in 1995 and Renault in 1983 and 2006 have broken the trio's vice-like grip on proceedings. McLaren and Ferrari have four victories apiece in the last nine years.

* An estimated 350 million fans from 130 countries will watch the British Grand Prix on television.

* Montoya won in 2005, his first for McLaren, ahead of Fernando Alonso and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.


* F1 drivers will lose an average of 4kg in weight during the British GP - if you combine the average weight loss by all the drivers during this year's British GP it would equal the combined weight of Kate Moss and David Beckham.

* Fernando Alonso won last year's race from Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen.

* Schumacher still holds the lap record with a 2004 time of 1m18.793s set in his Ferrari.


* If Lewis Hamilton wins this year's race he will be the first British driver to do so in his debut year. The last rookie to win the British Grand Prix was Jacques Villeneuve in 1996.

 

Thanks Carol you seem to be a hero on this site and I always read your well balanced posts you seem to be well informed..

My predictions My mind says Hamilton My heart says Massa He has the better chance in the hunt for the title

Thanks again Steve

 

I cant get the time off we have had so much rain in england. If it keeps up i think it will be a boat race another sport you like i think !!

 

Oh i never miss it on TV I watched it in Malta last weekend had to take control of the remote tho two many biking fans but won out in the end. You sound like you have a great life carol and still find time for a chat on here nice one ...