So, for round 5 of the championship F1's global travelling circus rolls into...wait, what? Ah yes, we're back at Silverstone, the airfield circuit generously hosting the second race of a double-header to help the sport's owners deliver a full 2020 championship (and fulfil their broadcast obligations) in spite of the challenges of Covid-19.
Disdaining more obvious geographical or historical alternatives, such as English Grand Prix, Northamptonshire-Buckinghamshire Border Grand Prix, Towcester Grand Prix, Mutton Grand Prix, Stirling Moss Trophy or Daily Express International Trophy, this race has been designated the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix to celebrate 70 years of Formula One in this, the 71st season. The location is apt, since the first Formula One World Championship race was held at the same venue back in 1950 - albeit not in the same month. Things were very different back then: the reigning monarch was in attendance (Silverstone making its usual impression on posh visitors, neither the King nor Princess Elizabeth returned in subsequent years); Alfa Romeo dominated the event; Ferrari decided not to show up at all; and there were around 200,000 more spectators than will be present this Sunday.
The pre-race buildup will surely be focused on Pirelli, who are investigating after three drivers suffered tyre failures in the latter stages of the British GP. All three were attempting ambitious stint durations, and it's worth noting that the planned allocation for this weekend was for all three tyre compounds to be a step softer: so this week's "Hard" will be the same as last week's "Medium". On the face of it, this makes a one-stop race out of the question, and creates the possibility of some strategic variety.
Mercedes will be looking to make it five wins out of five of course, and it looks as though they will only be beaten this year if they beat themselves, as was nearly the case last time out. Perhaps Max Verstappen can put enough pressure on them to force some kind of mistake? In the midfield, Racing Point will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing home race, and Nico Hulkenberg will hopefully get to properly test his supersub credentials this time. Is he a Mika Salo or a Paul di Resta? Home hero Lando Norris was in the thick of a turgid midfield non-battle, but finished close enough to eventual podium finisher Charles Leclerc to think a place on the rostrum could be his this weekend. Meanwhile Ferrari's other driver is in dire need of a strong race and will be looking, at a minimum, to get ahead of Italy's other team. Romain Grosjean will hopefully have a good night's sleep and get out of bed on the right side on Sunday morning.
Hopefully this race will be a cracker. But if the event fails to fully hold our attention, it is traditional at a 70th anniversary race - I have decided - to look back on the history of the sport and our engagement with it - the drivers and teams we've supported, the races that have thrilled us, drama that left us breathless and, perhaps, those moments when we've had to look away.
It is in that spirit that I humbly present Galahad's 14 milestones of F1's first 70 years:
1955 Le Mans disaster causes 4 races to be cancelled; Mercedes to withdraw
1958 Moss takes the first rear-engined win for Cooper in Argentina
1967 The Ford Cosworth DFV debuts at Zandvoort
1968 Full commercial sponsorship is legalised
1968 Ferrari and Brabham debut aerodynamic wings at Spa
1970 Chapman's Lotus 72 sets the template for modern F1 design
1977 Renault's RS01, the first F1 turbo, debuts at Silverstone
1981 The first Concorde Agreement establishes the commercial framework of F1
1984 Senna nearly wins the wet Monaco GP in the uncompetitive Toleman
1993 Max Mosley bans artificial driver aids
1994 Senna and Ratzenberger die in separate accidents at Imola
1996 Schumacher, Brawn and Byrne join Ferrari from Benetton
2007 McLaren implode at the Hungarian Grand Prix
2014 Radical turbo V6 hybrid engine regulations are introduced
Finally some historical precedents that may be of interest to the superstitious:
Disdaining more obvious geographical or historical alternatives, such as English Grand Prix, Northamptonshire-Buckinghamshire Border Grand Prix, Towcester Grand Prix, Mutton Grand Prix, Stirling Moss Trophy or Daily Express International Trophy, this race has been designated the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix to celebrate 70 years of Formula One in this, the 71st season. The location is apt, since the first Formula One World Championship race was held at the same venue back in 1950 - albeit not in the same month. Things were very different back then: the reigning monarch was in attendance (Silverstone making its usual impression on posh visitors, neither the King nor Princess Elizabeth returned in subsequent years); Alfa Romeo dominated the event; Ferrari decided not to show up at all; and there were around 200,000 more spectators than will be present this Sunday.
The pre-race buildup will surely be focused on Pirelli, who are investigating after three drivers suffered tyre failures in the latter stages of the British GP. All three were attempting ambitious stint durations, and it's worth noting that the planned allocation for this weekend was for all three tyre compounds to be a step softer: so this week's "Hard" will be the same as last week's "Medium". On the face of it, this makes a one-stop race out of the question, and creates the possibility of some strategic variety.
Mercedes will be looking to make it five wins out of five of course, and it looks as though they will only be beaten this year if they beat themselves, as was nearly the case last time out. Perhaps Max Verstappen can put enough pressure on them to force some kind of mistake? In the midfield, Racing Point will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing home race, and Nico Hulkenberg will hopefully get to properly test his supersub credentials this time. Is he a Mika Salo or a Paul di Resta? Home hero Lando Norris was in the thick of a turgid midfield non-battle, but finished close enough to eventual podium finisher Charles Leclerc to think a place on the rostrum could be his this weekend. Meanwhile Ferrari's other driver is in dire need of a strong race and will be looking, at a minimum, to get ahead of Italy's other team. Romain Grosjean will hopefully have a good night's sleep and get out of bed on the right side on Sunday morning.
Hopefully this race will be a cracker. But if the event fails to fully hold our attention, it is traditional at a 70th anniversary race - I have decided - to look back on the history of the sport and our engagement with it - the drivers and teams we've supported, the races that have thrilled us, drama that left us breathless and, perhaps, those moments when we've had to look away.
It is in that spirit that I humbly present Galahad's 14 milestones of F1's first 70 years:
1955 Le Mans disaster causes 4 races to be cancelled; Mercedes to withdraw
1958 Moss takes the first rear-engined win for Cooper in Argentina
1967 The Ford Cosworth DFV debuts at Zandvoort
1968 Full commercial sponsorship is legalised
1968 Ferrari and Brabham debut aerodynamic wings at Spa
1970 Chapman's Lotus 72 sets the template for modern F1 design
1977 Renault's RS01, the first F1 turbo, debuts at Silverstone
1981 The first Concorde Agreement establishes the commercial framework of F1
1984 Senna nearly wins the wet Monaco GP in the uncompetitive Toleman
1993 Max Mosley bans artificial driver aids
1994 Senna and Ratzenberger die in separate accidents at Imola
1996 Schumacher, Brawn and Byrne join Ferrari from Benetton
2007 McLaren implode at the Hungarian Grand Prix
2014 Radical turbo V6 hybrid engine regulations are introduced
Finally some historical precedents that may be of interest to the superstitious:
- The 70th anniversary Le Mans 24 Hours was won by an Australian at the wheel of a French car
- The 70th anniversary Monaco Grand Prix was won by a German at the wheel of a Ferrari...
