The Silverstone circuit is one of the 24 tracks of the championship of Formula 1 Located in Northamptonshire, north of London, England. Theater of the first Grand Prix in the history of F1 (13 May 1950), Silverstone is one of the longest and most fast circuits of the whole calendar with his 5,891 meters in length and one Average speed speed around the 250 km/h. The race on Sunday 6 July 2025 at the start at 16.00 will be divided into 52 rpm with the pilots who will have to travel in total 306,198 km. The route presents one of the most fascinating and techniques of the World Cup, the sequence Maggotts – Becketts – Chapelwhere the single -seater face changes of direction at very high speed with lateral loads that can exceed 5 g. It is a “engine” track, in which the braking system is not very prompt, only for 14 ″ In a lap, and almost the whole route is fulfilled with the foot on the accelerator; The 4 -time champion of the World Cup Max Verstappenin 2020, recorded the Record lap in the race with a time of 1’27 “097.
The technical characteristics of the Silverstone circuit: length, curves and sectors
The English circuit is long 5,891 meters and presents 18 curves (10 on the right and 8 on the left) which make it one of the longer and faster circuits of the whole Formula 1 calendar that develops in 52 rpm total. Yes because just think that on this track the pilots travel an entire lap with about the 70-80% of the open gas time (Full Throttle). The route is divided into the three sectors used for timing during the races:
- Red – Sector 1: starts from the finish line and includes the first curves, including the sequence of Abbey (1) e Farm (2), up to the curve Arena (4).
- Blue – Sector 2: It is the central sector, which includes the long straight of Wellington Straight and the sequence of Maggots (10), Becketts (11) and Chapel (13).
- Yellow – Sector 3: it is the final sector, characterized by the straight Hangar Straightthe curve Stowe (15) and the slowest area of Vale (16) and Club (18), which reports on the starting straight.
This is one of those slopes that is called “engine” as it is the power unit – the hybrid propulsion system of the single -seater – the most solicited element, on the contrary braking system It is not very prompt. It is one of the fastest layouts also because on average a pilot during the lap never goes under the 250 km/h.
The brakes here do not struggle for overheating, but for the opposite risk: remain too cold. It happens above all in the long section that goes from Curve 6 – Brooklands up to Curva 14 – Chapelwhere the pilots rarely touch the brake pedal. And if the carbon discs do not exceed the 350 ° Center a state called vitrification (Glazing), which compromises the adherence between disk and tablet and reduces braking capacity. In a complete lap, the pilots operate the brakes 8 timesfor a total of about 14 seconds of useor only the 15% of the total time on the lap.
Despite this, there are still 3 points of the route where The braking is decisive and particularly demanding. The hardest ever is precisely to Curve 6: there the single -seater pass From over 300 to just over 140 km/h in just 2.5 ″, with a load on the pedal that can exceed 120 kg and a deceleration that pushes the pilots beyond the 4 g suffering a force equal to four times the normal force of gravity. Other braking to keep an eye on are that of Curve 3 – Villagewhere you go down from about 285 At 117 km/hand that of Curva 16 – Valewho closes the tour with another important braking: from 284 to 105 km/hin a very small space. In these points, especially if it should rain (hypothesis to never be excluded on the English weather), the pilots will have to manage both the force and the modulation of the pedal to the millimeter, to avoid the locking front tires, that moment when the wheels stop turning and slip on the asphalt, losing grip.
From a technical point of view, the circuit is formed by very fast traits like the famous curve sequence Maggotts – Becketts – Chapel (from curve 10 to 14) where the single -seater face changes of direction at very high speed with lateral loads that can exceed 5 gto which more guided sections alternate where it counts so much to have mechanical traction To have a better exit in slow or medium-sized curves.
Silverstone is a circuit from medium aerodynamic loadvery stress as regards the tires especially for left front tires. Iconic, as regards stress on these tires, the victory in 2020 of Lewis Hamilton When he reached the finish line on three wheels. Also the change It is not very prompt in the English circuit with the pilots who carry out on average 40 Changes of travel during the Giro, without ever going down below the 4th march.
There are two areas DRS – Drag Reduction System in which the pilots who are less than a second from the car that precedes them can operate therear mobile wingthe first between curve 2 And 3while the second between the 10 and the 11.
The technical evolution of the circuit from the first GP of history
The Silverstone circuittoday one of the temples of Formula 1, was born … almost by chance. We are in 1943, in full Second World War: in the rural England of Northamptonshire, the British army builds a base of the Royal Air Forcewith three landing slopes arranged in a triangle to train the Wellington bombers. After the war, those slopes become unused, but it is precisely there that, in 1947a group of fans decides to run the first “clandestine” race: the Mutton Grand Prixso called because one of the competitors (legend has it) accidentally overwhelmed one sheep during the trial lap (mutton It means Montone in English).
The May 13, 1950Silverstone hosts the First Grand Prix in the history of the Formula 1 World Championshipwith the future queen Elisabetta and Margaret Thatcher on the stands. In the following years, the circuit began its evolution. From the 1952management passes to British Racing Drivers’ Club (Brdc), which begins to invest in safety and structures. Curves are born to become legendary: Copse (9), Stowe (15), Abbey (1), Becketts (13). The names of the curves are not random: Maggotts recalls a nearby moor, Chapel And Becketts of the religious ruins in the surroundings, while Hangar Straight It owes the name to the air hangars that once used the track.
In the 70s and 80s, Silverstone became Synonym for pure speed. In the absence of slow curves, the F1 bolts medium records such as Keke Rosberg who in 1985 established a ride from 160 miles per hour (almost 257 km/h) medium in qualifying. It is the moment when everyone understands that the circuit must change for security issues And the first chicanes, new traits and the sequence of “s” are introduced.
After the tragic weekend of Imola in 1994 In which Ayrton Senna lost her life, Silverstone also reviews many of her curves: Copse, Club, Stowe they are modified to increase safety, and the circuit introduces new variants such as Vale And Priory. In 2010, to comply with the requests of Bernie Ecclestone and guarantee the future of Formula 1 on British soil, it is born The Wingthe current pit building in the shape of a wing, and a new section called is introduced Arena which still changes the layout of the track, making it more technical and varied.
Silverstone in figures: the victories, the poles and records that define the history of the circuit
In Silverstone the history of Formula 1 is also told through numbers. Here are the most important data to know:
- Pilots with multiple victories: Lewis Hamilton with 9 successes, followed by legends such as Alain Prost (5), James Clark, Nigel Mansell and Michael Schumacher (3).
- More winning stables: Ferrari, who has conquered the Great Britain GP 15 times, in front of McLaren (12), Mercedes (9) and Williams (8).
- Pole position: still Lewis Hamilton with 7 departures at the pole, behind him at 3 we find James Clark, Nigel Manell, Damon Hill and Fernando Alonso.
- Pilots with multiple podiums conquered: Lewis Hamilton (15), Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen (7), Alain Prost, Rubens Barrichello and Fernando Alonso (6).
- Pilots with multiple laps in the race: Fernando Alonso (1120), Rubens Barrichello (1049), Kimi Raikkonen (1036), Lewis Hamilton (1009).
- Record lap in the race: 1’27 “097, signed by Max Verstappen in 2020
- Record round in qualifying: 1’24 ″ 303 signed by Lewis Hamilton in 2020
