2006 BRITISH GRAND PRIX
SILVERSTONE - PREVIEW
The British Grand Prix, round eight of the 2006 FIA Formula
One World Championship, takes places this weekend at the historic
Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire, UK. As the first
of this season's two home races for the Honda Racing F1 Team,
the British Grand Prix is one of the highlights of the season,
with the team's Operations Centre based only eight miles away
in nearby Brackley.
Also a firm favourite with the team's race drivers, Jenson
Button and Rubens Barrichello, the Silverstone circuit is
one of the fastest tracks on the F1 calendar, and the grandstands
will be packed with the many British fans of the team and
Jenson. This weekend's race, coinciding with the start of
the World Cup in Germany and England's first match, will give
the patriotic crowds something extra to cheer about.
The Honda Racing F1 Team completed its preparations for the
British Grand Prix in Barcelona last week. An intensive three-day
test, finalising the car set-up and tyre choice for the Silverstone
race, was completed on Friday with the team now heading up
to Silverstone to prepare for the race weekend.
RUBENS BARRICHELLO
"Silverstone is just a fantastic circuit. It's a high-speed
track with some challenging corners, and although overtaking
can be a bit difficult around here, it's a track that I really
enjoy driving. I've spent a great deal of time both testing
and racing at Silverstone since I was young, so it holds some
special memories for me. Of course the most special of those
is my win from pole position back in 2003. We had a solid
test in Barcelona last week to prepare for Silverstone, looking
specifically at the car set-up and the tyres for this race,
so I'm feeling fairly comfortable going into the weekend."
JENSON BUTTON
"The British Grand Prix is my home race and it's a very
emotional weekend for me. I'm very patriotic and having the
support of all the British fans, to hear them chanting your
name, is such a fantastic feeling. Silverstone is a very special
circuit, it's incredibly fast with a long complex of high-speed
corners which quite literally takes your breath away. The
change of direction is so quick there that you really feel
the speed of the car. You need good aerodynamics at Silverstone
so this is where all the hard work in the wind tunnel before
the race pays off. We've also done a lot of track testing
at Barcelona, which is a high-speed circuit, to prepare for
this race. We're aiming to get both cars in the points this
weekend, it's going to be tough for us as we're just not on
front-running pace at the moment, but I'm sure we will get
the maximum possible out of the car."
GIL DE FERRAN
Sporting Director
"This is Jenson's home race as well as a home race for
the team, since our Brackley base is just a few minutes down
the road. Needless to say we all enjoy this Grand Prix and
a lot of our team members and their families will be in attendance.
For Jenson in particular this will be a highly charged weekend.
We come to Silverstone hoping to have a better race than in
Monaco. We have done a lot of set-up work in preparation for
this weekend bearing in mind the special high speed requirements
for this track. "
SHUHEI NAKAMOTO
Management Board Member - Honda Racing F1 Team, Engineering
Director - Honda Racing Development
"We have an upgrade on the engine for Silverstone which
will give the drivers some more torque and power as we continue
the battle to close the gap to the front runners."
Silverstone, Northamptonshire
Race Distance 60 laps
Circuit Length 3.194 miles (5.141 kms)
The historic Silverstone circuit, a former airfield, is one
of the few remaining venues where Formula One cars can really
be unleashed. As a result, it is still one of the highlights
of the calendar which was been well demonstrated by some great
races in recent years.
The circuit itself is a thrilling drive, although there is
some criticism over a lack of passing places. However, overtaking
moves are possible into Vale and Abbey, although cars tend
to lose downforce following each other closely through the
preceding fast corners. The entry to Becketts is the quickest
corner on the track, a 290kph bend, while the slowest section
is the 80kph Vale left-hander that leads directly into Club.
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