BRITISH GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
Formula One will showcase its talent at the home of British
motorsport this weekend as the teams make the journey to Silverstone
for the British Grand Prix on Sunday 6th July. The world renowned
former airfield is this year celebrating its 60th anniversary
having staged its first Grand Prix in 1948 prior to hosting
the very first Formula One World Championship event in 1950.
Silverstone also provides the venue for the majority of the
paddock’s home Grand Prix and is always one of the most
eagerly anticipated events on Britain’s annual sporting
calendar.
This year’s sell-out race marks the halfway point on
the Formula One calendar. With the 2008 season establishing
itself to be one of the most fiercely contested in recent
years, Silverstone’s truly testing track provides the
perfect battle ground for what will undoubtedly be a compelling
race for the teams and fans alike on Sunday. At a circuit
where it’s celebrated some significant milestones, including
its first Grand Prix victory in 1979, AT&T Williams will
be looking to improve upon its recent performances and return
to a more competitive form.
Nico Rosberg
Williams won their first Grand Prix at Silverstone back in
1979 so it’s always nice when this race comes around
and we can compete in front of our home crowd. We have a lot
of work to do though at the moment to improve our competitiveness.
To help with that, we had a three day test at Silverstone
last week. We covered a lot of ground with the FW30, and that
should help us out in the next few races. Silverstone is a
great track to race on so I’m looking forward to it,
and I think we’ll do a lot better than we did in France.
Kazuki Nakajima
I’m really excited about this race, not only because
it’s the team’s home Grand Prix, but also because
I count it as my second home race as I’ve lived in England
for quite a long time now. We spent last week testing at Silverstone
and managed to cover off a lot of preparation for the race,
which was important for us after Magny-Cours. For the first
time this year, I’ll hopefully bring some friends from
Oxford with me to this race, which will be a novelty! That,
and being able to drive home and not contend with an airport
for once, will make a nice change!
Sam Michael, Technical Director, Williams F1
From the high speed first sector through to the low speed
third sector, Silverstone has quite a varied track layout.
Such variation often demands compromise which presents the
drivers and engineers with a fairly significant challenge
when it comes to getting the optimum set-up direction and
therefore the quickest lap time at this track.
Aerodynamic efficiency and a solid mechanical balance are
key requirements for a competitive performance around Silverstone.
With overtaking extremely difficult around the lap due to
the speed the drivers carry into the corners, the emphasis
on a strong qualifying is perhaps somewhat exaggerated at
this race. A particularly hard track on tyres due to the heavy
loads accrued at high speeds, Bridgestone will bring the hard
and medium compound tyres to this race. The best strategy
tends to be either a one or two stop. Last week’s test
at Silverstone afforded all of the teams a final opportunity
to fine tune their set-ups for the race.
Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire
A 60 lap race, the British Grand Prix is a punishing 191 mile
endurance test. The blend of high and slow speed corners,
connected by three long straights, creates an uncompromisingly
fast circuit, one that inevitably rewards engine power but
one which also demands a delicately balanced set-up to cope
with the high speed directional changes. Aerodynamic efficiency
and harder compound tyres will therefore be crucial to sustain
pace and position through the faster corners, such as Copse,
but also through the slower corners, particularly into the
Complex at the end of the lap.
Not only are the drivers presented with one of the most technically
demanding circuits, they are also forced to contend with the
unpredictable weather conditions common to Silverstone’s
notorious micro-climate. Prevailing winds are often a concern
at the old airfield and can affect the car’s drivability,
so must be carefully considered in the set-up process. Silverstone
may only provide a few overtaking opportunities, principally
at Vale and Abbey, but the capacity crowd can still expect
some thrilling racing action on Sunday afternoon.
STATS & FACTS
KEY RACE DATA
RACE DISTANCE / LAPS - 5.141kms / 3.194 miles. 60 laps =
308.355kms / 191.604 miles
RACE START TIME - Local: 13.00
2007 FASTEST LAP - K Raikkonen, Ferrari: 1:20.638
2007 POLE SITTER - L Hamilton, McLaren Mercedes, 1:19.997
2007 RACE WINNER - K Raikkonen, Ferrari
PIT-STOP SCHEDULE
1 stop: Laps 32 - 35
2 stops: Laps 21 – 30, 40 - 45
3 stops: Laps 16 – 22, 32 – 37, 46 - 50
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