British Grand Prix
| British Grand Prix | |
|---|---|
 Silverstone Circuit
| |
| |
| Laps | 60 |
| Circuit length | 5.143 km (3.19 miles) |
| Race length | 308.36 km (191.60 miles) |
| Most wins by single driver | {{{Most_wins_driver}}} |
| Most wins by single constructor | {{{Most_wins_constructor}}} |
| Last race (2005): | |
| Winner | Juan Pablo Montoya |
| Winning constructor | McLaren-Mercedes |
| Winning time | 1:24'29.588 |
| Pole time | 1'19.905 |
| Pole driver | Fernando Alonso |
| Pole constructor | Renault |
| Fastest lap | 1'20.502 |
| Fastest lap driver | Kimi Räikkönen |
| Fastest lap constructor | McLaren-Mercedes |
The British Grand Prix is a race in the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. It is currently held at the Silverstone Circuit near the village of Silverstone in Northamptonshire.
Grand Prix motor racing was first established in Britain by Henry Segrave at the Brooklands course in 1926 after his winning of the French Grand Prix in 1923 and the following year at the Spanish Grand Prix which raised interest in the sport. The first ever British Grand Prix was won by the French team of Louis Wagner and Robert Sénéchal driving a Delage 155B.
Silverstone has hosted the race regularly since the start of the F1 championship in 1950 (in which it was the first race of the first ever official World Championship) and every year since 1987; it alternated with Brands Hatch between 1964 and 1986, and with Aintree (better known as a horse-racing course) between 1955 and 1962.
During the 2003 British Grand Prix, Neil Horan, an Irish ex-priest, ran onto the track at the Hangar Straight, waving religious banners. He was immediately tackled by race officials and removed from the premises.
A dispute between Silverstone's owners, the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC), and the Formula One authorities in 2003 over the funding of necessary improvements to the track's facilities led to doubts over the future of the race.
In October 2004 the British Grand Prix was left off the preliminary race schedule for 2005 because the BRDC refused to pay the race fee demanded by Bernie Ecclestone. However, after months of negotiation between the BRDC, Ecclestone and the Formula One constructors, an deal was made for the Grand Prix to be held at Silverstone until 2009.
The 2005 Grand Prix was an important race for all the drivers, especially Fernando Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen and Michael Schumacher. McLaren were tipped to be runaway winners but Renault emerged as major challengers during the race.
London has been mooted as a possible venue for a Grand Prix after a parade of Formula One cars was held on Regent Street in London in July 2004. This parade, which was widely considered to be successful with about 500,000 spectators turning up, has led to speculation that a street circuit in London could replace or alternate with Silverstone as the venue of the British Grand Prix. Another possibility is that a separate London Grand Prix could be held whilst keeping the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. London Mayor Ken Livingstone said he supports the idea of a race around the streets of London, saying it would be highly beneficial to the city. However, opinion is split in the Formula One community about whether any of these options would be practical or desirable.
Winners of the British Grands Prix
A green background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.
| Races in the Formula One championship: | |
|---|---|
| 2007 championship Grand Prix events: | |
|
Australian |
Malaysian |
Bahrain |
Spanish |
Monaco |
Canadian |
U.S. |
French |
British | |
| Past championship Grand Prix events: | |
|
Argentine |
Austrian |
Dutch |
Indy 500 |
Las Vegas |
Luxembourg |
Mexican |
Morocco | |
| Confirmed future Grand Prix events: | |