2006 BRITISH GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
Formula One travels to Silverstone for round eight of the
FIA World Championship, the 2006 British Grand Prix. The race
is the home Grand Prix for McLaren and one of three home events
for Team McLaren Mercedes, with the Northamptonshire circuit
located just 90 minutes from the McLaren Technology Centre
in Woking, Surrey.
On 13th May 1950, Silverstone hosted the first out of the
757 World Championship races in Formula One history. At that
time, the track was 4.7kms long and the winner at the debut
race Giuseppe Farina clocked an average speed of 152.982 km/h
on his fastest lap. In 2005, Team McLaren Mercedes driver
Kimi Raikkonen posted the fastest lap of the race with an
average speed of 229.902 km/h. Silverstone has been the location
for 39 British Grands Prix. Over the years Aintree and Brands
Hatch have also held the event, on five and twelve occasions
respectively. Originally an airfield, Silverstone is located
deep in the Northamptonshire countryside, some 70 miles /
112kms north of London.
McLaren has won 13 out of the 40 British Grands Prix it has
entered to date. Team McLaren Mercedes has won four of the
last seven races including Juan Pablo's maiden win for the
team last year, David Coulthard’s victories in 1999
and 2000, which was a double victory ahead of Mika Hakkinen,
and Mika Hakkinen’s win in 2001.
KIMI RAIKKONEN
"The British Grand Prix is one I really want to win,
as with Monaco it is another of the legendary races on a great
track, and of course a home race for the team. Overtaking
is possible, so pole position is not so important as in Monaco.
I think there will be some different strategies come race
day. When we were testing here in late April, the lap times
were quicker than in 2005 because we are faster through the
corners this year, most of the time has been found in the
mid corner performance. This is partly because the smaller
V8 engines allow new aero opportunities and also improved
Michelin performance from last year. Where this had the most
effect was at Copse, which is even quicker now than before,
as it has always been one of the fastest we race through.
You have to be flat through the right hander, otherwise you
lose a lot of time, however because it is now quicker than
before you have to be very precise, it has made the corner
more of a challenge."
JUAN PABLO MONTOYA
"It was great to be back on the podium at Monaco and
everyone in the team has continued to push hard since to try
and find more performance in the car for the British Grand
Prix. Silverstone is a great track, with some really exciting
corners, I love to race at it and I hope we can repeat the
result from last year when I took my debut victory for the
team in front of our home crowd. It is such a contrast to
the streets of Monte Carlo, it is all about super fast corners
and pushing the limits of the car. The Maggots – Becketts
– Chapel sequence at the start of the lap is awesome,
you have to push really hard through here, so long as you
have the good balance you need, and are changing direction
so quickly, hooking up the apexes, it is great fun! In addition
to needing good balance, it is important to find a set-up
compromise between high speed stability for much of the track
and good grip to ensure we are also quick for the slower corners
at the end of the circuit. Silverstone tends to be quite hard
on the tyres, the left front sees the greatest wear because
of the fast right hand corners."
MARTIN WHITMARSH, CEO FORMULA ONE, TEAM McLAREN MERCEDES
"Whilst Silverstone is a completely different racing
environment to Monaco, placing different challenges on the
car and drivers, Team McLaren Mercedes is determined to keep
the momentum of our performance step at Monaco going into
our home Grand Prix. However, the test at Barcelona was a
key exercise in the build-up to the British Grand Prix, because
as with Silverstone, the Circuit de Catalunya is a demanding
track on the car as a whole and we are aware we still have
improvements to make to our competitiveness. At the test we
focused on front and rear suspension and aerodynamic developments,
alongside the Michelin selection process for the British Grand
Prix, we had a solid week and completed over 2,300km. Silverstone
demands peak performance from both the car and driver, and
with the quick sections such as Copse and the Maggott complex
aero efficiency is once again vital."
NORBERT HAUG, VICE PRESIDENT, MERCEDES-BENZ MOTORSPORT
"The Silverstone circuit has a unique layout and there
is nothing similar to it during the whole Formula One season.
It is absolutely correct that Silverstone is known as “Home
of British Motor Racing” as the circuit has a long tradition
and with its fast corners it still is a great challenge for
teams and drivers. With the new V8 engines some sectors will
be driven flat out whilst with the V10 engines drivers had
to lift or even brake. Nevertheless the speeds in some corners
are higher now which is due to the improved aerodynamics and
the new tyre generation. For the team Silverstone is a home
Grand Prix besides Nürburgring and Hockenheim and Juan
Pablo Montoya won there last year. With our tests in Barcelona
after the Monaco Grand Prix we hope to have made another step.”
USEFUL STATISTICS
British Grand Prix McLaren Team McLaren Mercedes Kimi Juan
Pablo
Circuit length 5.141 km Race starts 603 193 94 92
3.194 miles Race wins 148 44 9 7
Race distance 308.355 km Pole Positions 122 43 9 12
1191.604 miles Points 3091.5 1184 308 304
Laps 60 Podiums 388 135 32 29
Inaugural race 1950 Fastest Laps 128 58 17 12
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