Grand Prix 2018 British Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

After trips to 4 continents & a sub continent Oceania, Middle East, Asia, Europe, North America in opening 8 races. whether its 4 in Europe & 1 in Asia or 3 in Europe & 2 in Asia depends where you classify Baku. We are home, & doesn't it feel nice, although everyone at the 11 teams will be delighted for the week off after the very draining im assuming 1st ever triple header & not only are we home but so are Formula 1 as everyone knows the 1st ever Formula 1 race took place in 1950 at this very circuit.

Definitely taking inspiration from cider_and_toast because i wouldnt dream of blatantly nicking ideas.;) LOL thought I might give a bit of history lesson as well. Silverstone does have 1 of the best circuits in the world but its layout was only stumbled upon by accident. because RAF Silverstone was opened in 1943 but in a classic world war 2 triangle layout which brought the perimiter roads. Also the 1st ever motorsport event to be held at the Silverstone airfield as it was then was a extremely low key event in 1947. & was organized by a guy called Maurice Geoghegan. he lived in nearby Silverstone village and was aware that the airfield was deserted had been for a while (of course world war had ended 2 years prior) so he & 11 other of his friends got to together & raced over the 2mile circuit, although his race was ended prematurely when a few sheep had wandered onto the airfield & Maurice hit 1 of the sheep, which killed the sheep & wrote the car off. in 1948 The Royal Automobile Club took a lease on the airfield, to set out a more formal racing circuit. they hired An ex-farmer,giving him just 2 months to turn the site from a wartime airfield & farm into a race track for the inaugural RAC International Grand Prix On the 2nd October 1948 an estimated 100,000 people flocked to see Luigi Villoresi beat a field of 22 in his Maserati. the 1st 2 races were organized & held on the World War 2 runways, with long straights separated by tight hairpin corners, the track only defined by Hay bales & ropes that also protected crops in the middle of the circuit. Then the royal automobile club decided to move racing to the perimeter track for 1950 & 1951 F1 races. 1950 1 of most known winners of an F1 grand prix. which even though it was widely known as the British GP Officially it was the 1950 Grand Prix d’Europe & it was significant occasion for another reason as King George VI & Queen Elizabeth (queen mum) were in attendance, which is still the only time a reigning monarch has attended a British motor race, then in 1951 BRDC took the lease from RAC who didnt want it & rest they say is history

The drivers are going to get a shock with this heatwave, because like Belgium all the drivers turn up here most years expecting cold & wet weather. but we have been experiencing temperatures in the high 20's for a few weeks & with the forecast it looks like it going to continue all next week as well. but im probally biased but this is 1 of highlights of the season up with Belgium & Monza. because such a great atmosphere with stands are packed from FP1 & full of fans with great British humour down the years. always some of the best celebrations because when Brit wins at Silverstone its on a par with a Ferrari win at Monza. But unfortunately this is the 50th & potentially penultimate British GP. very nearly the final in its traditional place in July, because Sean Bratches has all ready confirmed that it was the 1st choice for hosting the 1000th grand prix in April 2019. but then someone told him about Easter 2000 & he was put off for some reason haha but as i said this the penultimate British GP because of the Mexican standoff between Bernie's contract, Silverstone's owners & Liberty Media. after BRDC confirmed the rumours & triggered the break clause in their contract on day of the 2017 grand prix all because of unsustainable 5% fee escalator built into the deal by Bernie, after the Donington park fiasco. which means that what was a estimated cost of £12m - 2010, became £17m - 2017 17.9m - 2018 19m - 2019 ,& by 2026 if clause hadn't been invoked would've been in excess of 27m

thought i would give some historic Silverstone facts. that you may or may not know & I couldn't shoe horn in
  • sundays race will be 50th race on 14th different configuration
  • the priest that ran across the Silverstone track at Hangar Straight in 2003. ended up being jailed for 2 months
  • 1955 was the 1st time a british man won a the british gp
  • the startline has moved counties in 2011, as half the track is in Northamptonshire & half In Buckinghamshire
  • Silverstone Annually on Race day, annually becomes the busiest airport in Britain
Evolution_of_Silverstone_Grand_Prix_Circuit_1949_to_present.png
 
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HARD - MEDIUM - SOFT
is most conservative choice for Grand Prix in this season
HARD was choosen first time in this season
 
racecub Thanks for this and appreciate spending time helping.

I'll be travelling in from the North, so a lot of people say to take the back roads into Silverstone, would this be to avoid the M40/M1 & drive in from say the Daventry area through Maidford & Blakesley?

Thanks for the Facebook post confirming the football being on at a number of places, which is good to know. Just now need to see where is best to watch the qualifying from and then move over to the places where the football will be on, thanks.
 
Okay treated myself & 1 more off the bucket list, but I'm going to attend my first ever F1 GP this weekend.

Would love some advice on the do and don't! Travelling down early Saturday morning once the lad gets back from his prom. Hotel booked for Saturday night, etc, etc.

But the main dilemma is once the quali is over on Saturday will I be able to watch the football ⚽ at Silverstone?

Let me know?

Oh love the map if I could change Silverstone from the obomination that happened in 1990, it would be to revert the track back to mid 80's blast and keep the changes at Becketts. It would be an absolute race for drivers with
cojones.


Yes, as has been said they are showing the footie at Silverstone on big screens.

Enjoy the race and the weather, they're still saying 28-30C and lots of sunshine so don't forget yout sunscreen!
 
Just now need to see where is best to watch the qualifying from and then move over to the places

Becketts mate. Watching an F1 car through there in qualy is mighty impressive. Just frustrating it is a lengthy walk and it has the strangest ability to freeze your face and ears even in 30deg sun :dunno:
 
I have been to Silverstone several times but am unlikely to go again and certainly not this year.

It must have been 2006 when following qualy there was another race, I seem to remember it was sports cars. Just as the race started the TV screens changed over to bloody football, I was sitting at Farm so it was not one of the largest screens. Not only was it not possible to see the race but you got the overexcited commentators as well. I had gone to a motor racing circuit to watch motor racing, I wanted to do this without idiots jumping up and down and screaming in near hysterics. I left early.

I went back in 2010. Previously I had driven in and mostly parked in the field on the right in the free area so I did again. When I went back to the car after the race there was a parking fee notice on the windscreen, it appeared that it was now no longer free although I had seen nothing about this when booking. So I moved to car to near the gate and explored, discovering a notice at the entry gate. Bear in mind that on race day there are people waving you in to get the maximum of cars in with the minimum of time.


p1080027.jpg


I did some searching and found that many people had been caught out and had been very angry when this system had been brought in 2008. I resolved not to pay since it had not been made clear even at the entry. Shortly afterwards Mrs B received 2 letters from the parking people (I had been in her car) demanding an exorbitant amount of money and threats about what would happen if the charges were not paid; they just went in the bin and that was the end of the affair.

A couple of years later I enquired about tickets for the weekend but was told that as a single person I could not use the parking facilities.

Up yours, Silverstone, I would like to come but you make it too difficult.
 
I sat in the Becketts grandstand for the 2008 race that was supposedly a belter for Hammy's performance in the wet. Crap grandstand, flooded loos, warm expensive beer, tiny screen 200 yards away, tannoy didn't work, cars looked slow and I can get the the Circuit de Cat quicker than Silverstone. Never again.
 
I'm guessing there must be some sort of enforced car share policy. Four people in individual cars takes up more space than four people in one car. Each car space sold then guarantees more entrance tickets.
 
Becketts mate. Watching an F1 car through there in qualy is mighty impressive. Just frustrating it is a lengthy walk and it has the strangest ability to freeze your face and ears even in 30deg sun :dunno:
I'd agree with previous poster that Becketts is mega for quali.... but it's freezing and it's away from things. It'd be a trek to get to a screen god the football. I think I'm going to watch in my race day place at Village. It's a good viewing spot and only s couple of minutes to a big screen for football.
 
I have been to Silverstone several times but am unlikely to go again and certainly not this year.

It must have been 2006 when following qualy there was another race, I seem to remember it was sports cars. Just as the race started the TV screens changed over to bloody football, I was sitting at Farm so it was not one of the largest screens. Not only was it not possible to see the race but you got the overexcited commentators as well. I had gone to a motor racing circuit to watch motor racing, I wanted to do this without idiots jumping up and down and screaming in near hysterics. I left early.

I went back in 2010. Previously I had driven in and mostly parked in the field on the right in the free area so I did again. When I went back to the car after the race there was a parking fee notice on the windscreen, it appeared that it was now no longer free although I had seen nothing about this when booking. So I moved to car to near the gate and explored, discovering a notice at the entry gate. Bear in mind that on race day there are people waving you in to get the maximum of cars in with the minimum of time.


View attachment 11965

I did some searching and found that many people had been caught out and had been very angry when this system had been brought in 2008. I resolved not to pay since it had not been made clear even at the entry. Shortly afterwards Mrs B received 2 letters from the parking people (I had been in her car) demanding an exorbitant amount of money and threats about what would happen if the charges were not paid; they just went in the bin and that was the end of the affair.

A couple of years later I enquired about tickets for the weekend but was told that as a single person I could not use the parking facilities.

Up yours, Silverstone, I would like to come but you make it too difficult.
The parking system is to limit too many cars, so they want more people in cars. There is a way round it. You can park for the day in campsite I use. It's called Windmills. It's just behind Copse and as near as many of the official car parks. Also, you can escape out of the back gate and miss all the massive queues leaving the official car parks.

IM THERE NOw AND ITS AMAZING! Hot and wonderful!
 
racecub Thanks for this and appreciate spending time helping.

I'll be travelling in from the North, so a lot of people say to take the back roads into Silverstone, would this be to avoid the M40/M1 & drive in from say the Daventry area through Maidford & Blakesley?

Thanks for the Facebook post confirming the football being on at a number of places, which is good to know. Just now need to see where is best to watch the qualifying from and then move over to the places where the football will be on, thanks.
I come from the north, I do M1 to junction 15a , A43 to the roundabout with McDonalds , turn right there then next left through Silverstone village, that way I get to my campsite.. I've not used official Silverstone car parking did nearly 20 years. Lol.

I'd watch quali from Village then go to the main entertainment arena just behind. Don't be tempted to watch from the new pit straight it's dire. Dreary and you don't see much , the cars just go straight past, .... unless you're right at the far end and see them coming through club
 
these new hard tyres are still confusing me, when the 1st drivers came out, i thought why they sent him out on full wets, although i agree with lewis complaint over the radio the resurfacing is dreadful you can see lewis getting shaken to bits on board. how bad was surface that this is an improvement

wet.jpg
 
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....There is a way round it. You can park for the day in campsite I use. It's called Windmills. It's just behind Copse and as near as many of the official car parks. Also, you can escape out of the back gate and miss all the massive queues leaving the official car parks....

Thanks for that racecub. Due to circumstances I couldn't have gone this year anyway but I will look into it for the final F1 race in this country for...well, who knows, it took France long enough.
 
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