Misplaced Pages

#698301

97-720: The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor racing event organised in the United Kingdom by Motorsport UK . First held by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) in 1926 , the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 and has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Championship every year since 1950 . In 1952 , following the transfer of the lease of the Silverstone Circuit to

194-643: A Delage 15 S 8 . The second Grand Prix of the RAC was also held at Brooklands, on 1 October 1927, and was again won by a Delage 15 S 8, this time driven by Robert Benoist . Several non-championship races known as the Donington Grand Prix were held at Donington Park in Leicestershire near Derby which attracted the best European teams in 1937 and 1938 , where the German Mercedes and Auto Unions dominated

291-497: A European Championship , consisting of the major Grand Prix in a number of countries (named Grandes Épreuves ) was instituted for drivers in 1931 , and was competed every year until the outbreak of World War II in 1939 with the exception of the 1933 and 1934 seasons. In 1946, following World War II, only four races of Grand Prix calibre were held. Rules for a Grand Prix World Championship had been laid out before World War II, but it took several years afterward until 1947 when

388-582: A Sunbeam Grand Prix car, which raised interest in the sport domestically and demonstrated to the AIACR that the advances made in the British motor industry merited the honour of hosting an international grand prix motor race. The first ever British Grand Prix (officially known as the Grand Prix of the Royal Automobile Club ) was held at Brooklands on 7 August 1926 and was won by Robert Sénéchal and Louis Wagner driving

485-438: A few countries setting up races of their own, but no formal championship tying them together. The rules varied from country to country and race to race, and typically centred on maximum (not minimum) weights in an effort to limit power by limiting engine size indirectly (10–15 L engines were quite common, usually with no more than four cylinders, and producing less than 50 hp). The cars all had mechanics on board as well as

582-492: A first corner accident and slam head-on into the barriers, breaking both his legs and ending his Formula One career. Nigel Mansell, whose car broke at the start of the first race, got into his teammate Piquet's spare car and won the race; although this was the last F1 race at Brands Hatch. A number of people had concerns about the speeds of the cars on the small track; particularly the European Grand Prix held at Brands Hatch

679-481: A great start from 4th and taking the lead by the first corner. He led until late in the race when his car was running out of fuel while Prost was pushing him hard; Senna eventually ran out of fuel and Prost went on to take victory. 1986 saw a huge crowd thanks to Mansell being a favourite to win; his newly found fame and place in a competitive team would help the British Grand Prix to see huge crowds for several years. This race saw 42-year-old Jacques Laffite get involved in

776-692: A new circuit configuration being used, using the brand new "Arena" layout. For 2011 a new pit complex was built between Club and Abbey Corners, to where the start/finish line was moved. Silverstone is still a very fast circuit- with average speeds up in the 233 km/h (145 mph) range for Formula 1 cars; one of the highest average speeds on the F1 calendar. In 2017, home hero Lewis Hamilton achieved his first – and as of 2023, only – grand slam at his home race at Silverstone. The 2019 race saw an intense battle against Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen , which would eventually see Leclerc's teammate Sebastian Vettel join

873-571: A private plane. Before a testing session, he once used a now-defunct airfield next to the Flugplatz section of the Nürburgring as a landing strip, and rolled his plane to the pits via the race track - in the opposite direction. His son Bernd Jr. was born in November 1937, only ten weeks before his death. Rosemeyer considered 13 to be his lucky number. He was married on 13 July 1936. 13 days later he won

970-517: A single circuit. Since 1950 , it has been customary that the winner of the race is awarded the official RAC British Grand Prix Trophy , a perpetual trophy awarded each year and then returned to the Royal Automobile Club, where it is permanently housed. From 1950 until 1972, the official trophy was the Mervyn O'Gorman Trophy, but this was replaced from 1973 by the present gold cup. Since 1952 ,

1067-603: A stoker which the judges deemed to be outside of their objectives. In 1900, James Gordon Bennett, Jr. , the owner of the New York Herald and the International Herald Tribune , established the Gordon Bennett Cup . He hoped the creation of an international event would drive automobile manufacturers to improve their cars. Each country was allowed to enter up to three cars, which had to be fully built in

SECTION 10

#1732837776699

1164-586: Is currently held at the Silverstone Circuit near the village of Silverstone in Northamptonshire in England. The 2019 event was the 70th time that the race had been run as a World Championship event since the inaugural season in 1950 , and the 53rd time that a World Championship round had been held at Silverstone. The British race is the oldest in the Formula One World Championship calendar as

1261-713: The Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus ( AIACR ). In 1922 the Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI) was empowered on behalf of AIACR to regulate Grand Prix racing and other forms of international racing. Since the inception of Grand Prix racing, competitions had been run in accordance with a strict formula based on engine size and vehicle weight. These regulations were virtually abandoned in 1928 with an era known as Formula Libre when race organisers decided to run their events with almost no limitations. From 1927 to 1934,

1358-524: The 1950 race at Silverstone was round one of the first championship season in 1950 . It and the Italian Grand Prix are the only two Formula One World Championship Grands Prix that have been staged during every season that the championship has been held. The British Grand Prix was a round of the World Manufacturers' Championship in both 1926 and 1927, but was never held during the existence of

1455-614: The Bois de Boulogne , to Rouen . Count Jules-Albert de Dion was first into Rouen after 6 hours 48 minutes at an average speed of 19 km/h (12 mph). He finished 3 minutes 30 seconds ahead of Albert Lemaître ( Peugeot ), followed by Auguste Doriot (Peugeot, 16 minutes 30 seconds back), René Panhard ( Panhard , 33 minutes 30 seconds back), and Émile Levassor (Panhard, 55 minutes 30 seconds back). The official winners were Peugeot and Panhard as cars were judged on their speed, handling and safety characteristics, and De Dion's steam car needed

1552-682: The British Racing Drivers' Club , the RAC delegated the organisation of races held at Silverstone to the BRDC, and those held at Aintree to the British Automobile Racing Club . This arrangement lasted until the RAC created the Motor Sports Association in the late 1970s and it reclaimed organising control of the event. The RAC MSA was renamed Motorsport UK in 2019 when it formally split from the RAC. The British Grand Prix

1649-694: The Brno Masaryk Circuit in Czechoslovakia . Whilst on the podium in 1935 at the Czechoslovakian Grand Prix he was introduced to the famous aviator Elly Beinhorn . Their celebrity relationship was too good an opportunity to miss for the Nazi Party . Rosemeyer and Beinhorn were exalted and instrumentalized by the Nazi Party to the ideal German celebrity couple of that time. Rosemeyer joined

1746-519: The Donington Grands Prix . The first winner of this trophy was F R "Bob" Gerard driving an ERA , who finished fifth overall. The first occasion on which the winners of the British Grand Prix also won the Fred G. Craner Memorial Trophy was at Aintree in 1957 , when the winners were Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks driving a Vanwall . From 1948 until at least 1953, the chief mechanic of the winning car

1843-616: The European Championship . It was designated the European Grand Prix five times between 1950 and 1977, when this title was an honorary designation given each year to one Grand Prix race in Europe. All British Grands Prix dating back to 1926 have been held in England, where the British motor racing industry is primarily located. The event is due to take place at Silverstone Circuit until at least 2034. The concrete Brooklands oval

1940-537: The European driving championship in 1936. Of the twelve Grands Prix contested in 1937 between Mercedes and Auto Union, Rosemeyer won four of Auto Union's five victories against Mercedes's formidable new W125. Rosemeyer's superlative performances that year cemented him alongside Rudolf Caracciola and Tazio Nuvolari as three of the greatest drivers of 1930s Grand Prix racing. His marriage to Beinhorn added even more celebrity hype. It also made it possible for him to learn to fly

2037-685: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway , first used in 1909 with the first Indianapolis 500-Mile Race in 1911; and the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza , in Italy , opened in 1922. In 1908, the United States of America became the first country outside France to host an automobile race using the name Grand Prix (or Grand Prize), run at Savannah. The first Grande Épreuve outside France was the 1921 Italian Grand Prix held at Montichiari . This

SECTION 20

#1732837776699

2134-588: The Vanderbilt Cup at Long Island , New York in 1904. Some anglophone sources wrongly list a race called the Pau Grand Prix in 1901. This may stem from a mistranslation of the contemporary French sources such as the magazine La France Auto of March 1901. The name of the 1901 event was the Circuit du Sud-Ouest and it was run in three classes around the streets of Pau. The Grand Prix du Palais d'Hiver

2231-714: The 1901 event as: "in the Circuit du Sud-Ouest , at the meeting in Pau" ( "dans le Circuit du Sud-Ouest, à l'occasion du meeting de Pau" ). The only race at the time to regularly carry the name Grand Prix was organised by the Automobile Club de France (ACF), of which the first took place in 1906. The circuit used, which was based in Le Mans , was roughly triangular in shape, each lap covering 105 kilometres (65 mi). Six laps were to run each day, and each lap took approximately an hour using

2328-480: The 1970 event at the expense of Brabham running out of fuel at the end of the race, and 1971 saw Stewart win again in a Tyrrell (Ken Tyrrell had started building his own cars). 1973, however, saw a huge first lap accident at Woodcote that took out 11 cars, including all three works Surtees cars. Amazingly, there were no deaths or any fires and the worst news was that Andrea de Adamich received career-ending ankle injuries. 1974 saw Austrian up-and-comer Niki Lauda dominate

2425-485: The 32 entries representing 12 different automobile manufacturers, at the 1906 event, the Hungarian -born Ferenc Szisz (1873–1944) won the 1,260 km (780 mi) race in a Renault . This race was regarded as the first Grande Épreuve , which meant "great trial" and the term was used from then on to denote up to the eight most important events of the year. Races in this period were heavily nationalistic affairs, with

2522-477: The Argentine replied "No. You were better than me that day." Mercedes romped to the finish 1–2–3–4, with German Karl Kling and Italian Piero Taruffi finishing 3rd and 4th. The even-numbered years were at Silverstone and the odd numbered and 1962 were at Aintree. 1956 saw Fangio win in a Ferrari, and 1957 returned to see Moss win again in a Vanwall; he took over his ill teammate Tony Brooks's car and stormed through

2619-542: The Auto Union cars and set his cars up for races to make them quicker and easier to drive. In only his second ever Grand Prix, at the daunting Nürburgring , Rosemeyer took the lead from the great Rudolf Caracciola and was almost in sight of the finish line when he missed a gear and was overtaken. However, in subsequent years he made up for this mistake by winning three consecutive races at the Nürburgring , one famously in thick fog. Later in 1935 he won his first Grand Prix at

2716-460: The Formula One championship in the current season. A green background indicates an event which was part of the pre- war World Manufacturers' Championship . A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship. Manufacturers in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season. A green background indicates an event which

2813-586: The German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring. His last Nürburgring victory came on 13 June 1937. His last race victory came at his 13th start of the 1937 season at Donington Park . Rosemeyer was killed during a land speed record attempt on a regular traffic route on the Autobahn between Frankfurt and Darmstadt on 28 January 1938. Competing for the record against Rudolf Caracciola , Rosemeyer went out later in

2910-453: The Grand Prix motor racing era included a few women who competed equally with the men: From 1925 onwards, the AIACR and later the FIA organised World and European Championships for Grand Prix manufacturers, drivers and constructors: Bernd Rosemeyer Bernd Rosemeyer (14 October 1909 – 28 January 1938) was a German racing driver and speed record holder. He is often considered one of

3007-494: The Hangar Straight during the race while cars were coming at him at over 260 km/h (160 mph). Marshals were able to get him off the track before he hurt himself or anyone else and he was later arrested; Brazilian Rubens Barrichello won the race for Ferrari. 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

British Grand Prix - Misplaced Pages Continue

3104-625: The SS in November 1933, though it is not known if he did it out of opportunism or ideological sympathies. Though he was not a member of the Nazi Party , he was made a member of the SS for propaganda purposes and held the rank of Hauptsturmführer . Several sensational Grand Prix motor racing victories in 1936 and 1937, in addition to the AAA -sanctioned Vanderbilt Cup in the U.S, made him popular not only in Germany. He won

3201-566: The Silverstone crowd broke ranks and ran onto the circuit after the race was over; this was to start a number of dramatic events surrounding Mansell for the next 5 years. 1988 saw Senna win a rain-soaked event, and Mansell finished 2nd after driving very hard and passing many cars to attempt to catch Senna; this was one of Mansell's two race finishes that season. 1989 saw Prost win in a McLaren after his teammate Senna went off at Becketts; Mansell finished 2nd again driving for Ferrari; and sometime after

3298-524: The Woodcote chicane was no longer used and a new left-right chicane was built on the Farm Straight just before Woodcote. Silverstone's layout, like Brands Hatch, had changed little since 1949. The circuit was still fast, and it saw Mansell charge after Piquet (who had decided to run the whole race on one set of tyres) and the British driver broke the lap record 11 times, caught and passed Piquet and took victory;

3395-399: The barriers in a major incident; this time with Zhou Guanyu 's Alfa Romeo down the start-finish straight following an incident involving Pierre Gasly and George Russell . The race also saw Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. win his first race in his Formula One career. On 11 July 2017, the BRDC, the owners of Silverstone, activated a break clause in their contract meaning unless a new contract

3492-416: The circuit was popular with drivers, and unlike the flat Northamptonshire circuit and Aintree, Brands Hatch had many cambered corners and varying elevation. Like the year before at Silverstone, Clark won the 1964 race and the next year's race. 1967 saw Clark take yet another dominant win, and 1968 saw a monumental battle between Swiss Jo Siffert in a Lotus and New Zealander Chris Amon in a Ferrari; Siffert won

3589-486: The circuit, where Stowe was more or less restored to its 1991 design, and the 1999 event saw double world champion Michael Schumacher crash heavily at Stowe; he broke his leg, missed many races and this put him out of championship contention. There were attempts to bring the British GP back to Brands Hatch for 2002, but this never materialised. The 2003 event was disrupted by a defrocked priest, Cornelius Horan , who ran onto

3686-546: The country that they represented and entered by that country's automotive governing body. International racing colours were established in this event. The 1903 event occurred in the aftermath of the fatalities at the Paris-Madrid road race, so the race, at Athy in Ireland, though on public roads, was run over a closed circuit: the first ever closed-circuit motor race. In the United States , William Kissam Vanderbilt II launched

3783-432: The day in his Auto Union streamliner, setting a new class record of 432 km/h (268 mph). In an effort to raise the record still higher, despite a report that wind was picking up, Rosemeyer took the streamliner again. After two preliminary runs he was on his third and final attempt at 11:47, when the car suddenly went out of control. Whether caught by a gust of wind or by an unforeseen aerodynamic effect, it skidded to

3880-557: The driver, and no one was allowed to work on the cars during the race except for these two. A key factor to Renault winning this first Grand Prix was held to be the detachable wheel rims (developed by Michelin), which allowed tire changes to occur without having to lever the tire and tube off and back on the rim. Given the state of the roads, such repairs were frequent. Early Grand Prix cars could be technically innovative, with marques such as Peugeot using technology that would later become more widespread. A further historic confusion arose in

3977-518: The early 1920s when the Automobile Club de France attempted to pull off a retrospective political trick by numbering and renaming the major races held in France before the 1906 French Grand Prix as being Grands Prix de l'Automobile Club de France , despite their running pre-dating the formation of the Club. Hence, the 1895 Paris–Bordeaux–Paris Trail was renamed I Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France ; and

British Grand Prix - Misplaced Pages Continue

4074-510: The early 1920s), with 8 to 16 cylinder supercharged engines producing upwards of 600 hp (450 kW) on alcohol fuels. As early as October 1923, the idea of an automobile championship was discussed at the annual autumn conference of the AIACR (Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus) in Paris. However, discussion centered on the increased interest in racing by manufacturers and holding

4171-403: The event, it was decided that Silverstone, the fastest circuit on the Formula One calendar, was to be heavily modified, and the project would be completed for 1991. The 1990 Grand Prix was the last motor race on the high-speed circuit; and Mansell drove hard and led a lot of the race; but gearbox problems eventually forced him to retire, where he threw his gloves into the crowd and announced that he

4268-404: The extent of the aid into their hands was exaggerated in the media; government subsidies amounted to perhaps 10% or less of the costs of running the two racing teams.) The two German marques utterly dominated the period from 1935 to 1939, winning all but three of the official Championship Grands Prix races run in those years. The cars by this time were single-seaters (the riding mechanic vanished in

4365-468: The field to take victory. This was the first Grand Prix victory for a British-built car- Formula One would soon be mostly made up of British teams. 1958 was when Peter Collins won in a Ferrari and Bernie Ecclestone was entered in a Connaught but his car was driven by Jack Fairman , and 1959 and 1960 saw Australian Jack Brabham win in a mid-engined Cooper. The last race at Aintree was in 1962 when Briton Jim Clark won his first of 5 British Grands Prix; Aintree

4462-587: The first European Grand Prix at Monza in 1923. The first World Championship took place in 1925 , but it was for manufacturers only, consisting of four races of at least 800 km (497 mi) in length. The races that formed the first Constructors' Championship were the Indianapolis 500 , the European Grand Prix , and the French and Italian Grands Prix. This world championship was officially cancelled in 1930 , but in 1928 –1930 no titles were awarded. Subsequently,

4559-404: The first for a car with an all-carbon fibre chassis. 1982 saw polesitter Keke Rosberg having to start from the back due to problems with his Williams and he began a charge that brought him far up the field; but he retired, and there was another spectacular showing from Briton Derek Warwick in his underfunded Toleman; he managed to pass Pironi for 2nd, but he also retired with a broken driveshaft;

4656-571: The former Auto Union " Silver Arrows " Grand Prix racers, namely their 16-cylinder car driven by Rosemeyer, after which the car is named. There is also a bronze memorial situated next to the entrance to the Donington Park Museum in Leicestershire . Bernd Rosemeyer is buried in the Waldfriedhof Dahlem on Hüttenweg in Berlin . In his birthplace of Lingen (Ems), Bahnhofstraße, where

4753-502: The fray; Vettel locked up, causing him to collide with Verstappen and sending them into the gravel. In 2020, Hamilton brought the car home with a punctured tyre for a sixth British Grand Prix victory. The 2021 installment would see Hamilton collide with polesitter and championship leader Verstappen at Copse corner, sending the Red Bull driver into the wall at 290 km/h (180 mph). The following year would also see another car collide with

4850-459: The greatest racing drivers of his era. Rosemeyer's father owned an auto and motorcycle garage and repair shop Rosemeyer & Co sur Bahnhofstraße , where young Rosemeyer worked on motorcycles and cars. Having started by racing motorcycles, Rosemeyer became a member of the Auto Union racing team with hardly any experience in racing cars. This was later considered a benefit as he was not yet used to

4947-483: The handling of traditional layout race cars. The Ferdinand Porsche -designed mid-engined Silver Arrows of Auto Union were fast, but hard to drive, and only he, Tazio Nuvolari and to a lesser extent Hans Stuck truly mastered the 500 bhp (370 kW) machines. Rosemeyer was also a very skilled mechanic, so, like Hermann Lang of Mercedes, he was able to give good technical feedback to Dr. Porsche and development engineer Eberan von Eberhorst to further develop

SECTION 50

#1732837776699

5044-503: The history of the sport that the grid was determined by timed qualifying rather than the luck of a draw. All the competing vehicles were painted in the international auto racing colors : French cars continued to dominate (led by Bugatti , but also including Delage and Delahaye ) until the late 1920s, when the Italians ( Alfa Romeo and Maserati ) began to beat the French cars regularly. At

5141-471: The layby a footpath leads west into the forest, where the memorial is located at 49°58′25″N 8°36′11″E  /  49.97361°N 8.60306°E  / 49.97361; 8.60306 . Audi honoured the 100th anniversary of Rosemeyer's birth by placing a wreath at the memorial. Audi built a concept car , the Audi Rosemeyer , which combined elements of modern design with styling strongly resembling

5238-459: The lead at the start and the two drivers battled throughout, and Moss passed Fangio on the 26th lap, and he kept the lead for a while; but Fangio fought back and was about to pass Moss on the last corner on the last lap, and all were certain Fangio would pip Moss at the chequered flag. But he didn't, and Moss won his first Formula One race on home soil. Moss later asked Fangio "did you let me through?" and

5335-464: The left onto the median, then right and off the highway, where it went airborne and collided with a bridge embankment. Rosemeyer was thrown out of the car as it somersaulted through the air; he died at the roadside. The Rosemeyer memorial is south of Frankfurt at the Rosemeyer layby (German: "Bernd-Rosemeyer-Parkplatz") on the southbound side of A5 motorway at kilometer marker 508. At the south end of

5432-454: The number of races considered to have Grand Prix status exploded, jumping from five events in 1927, to nine events in 1929, to eighteen in 1934 (the peak year before World War II ). During this period a lot of changes of rules occurred. There was a mass start for the first time at the 1922 French Grand Prix in Strasbourg. The 1925 season was the first season during which no riding mechanic

5529-459: The official winner's trophy, in 1950 the RAC also awarded for the first time a further perpetual trophy, the Fred G. Craner Memorial Car Trophy, for the highest-placed British competitor driving a British car, which was awarded until at least 1972. Fred Craner had been secretary of the Derby & District Motor Club and instrumental in establishing Donington Park as a motor racing circuit and in organising

5626-560: The old AIACR reorganised itself as the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile or "FIA" for short, headquartered in Paris. It announced the new International Formula, also known as Formula 1 or Formula A, to be effective from 1947. At the end of the 1949 season the FIA announced that for 1950 they would be linking several national Formula One Grands Prix to create a World Championship for drivers, although due to economic difficulties

5723-676: The onset of World War II and the circuit was abandoned. Most new British circuits were being built on disused Royal Air Force airfields, and Silverstone, located on the Northamptonshire/Buckinghamshire border in central England equidistant between London and Birmingham (the latter being the capital of the UK production car industry)- was one of those circuits. It staged its first race, the Royal Automobile Club International Grand Prix on 2 October 1948, which

5820-446: The previous year. The southern English circuit was getting to be very fast- now with these 1,000 hp (750 kW)-plus, 1,180 lb (540 kg) cars, pole sitter Piquet's average qualifying speed was 226.085 km/h (140.483 mph) and his lap time was in the 1 minute 6-second range, compared to the 1 minute 20-second range in 1976. But Brands Hatch's demise was for other reasons: the international motorsports governing body at

5917-469: The proceedings. The German Bernd Rosemeyer and the Italian Tazio Nuvolari (both driving mid-engined Auto Union cars) won this race in 1937 and 1938, respectively, but as the races were organised by the Derby & District Motor Club rather than by (or on behalf of) the Royal Automobile Club, they are not usually accorded the "British Grand Prix" title. Brooklands had been severely damaged by

SECTION 60

#1732837776699

6014-432: The race but was later disqualified following a protest from Ferrari and other teams about Hunt not completing the first lap of the race; and the victory went to second-placed Lauda. 1977 saw Hunt take victory without any controversy and when F1 returned to Silverstone two years later, Australian Alan Jones lapped the circuit more than 6 seconds inside the lap record in his ground-effect Williams. His teammate Clay Regazzoni won

6111-411: The race in his Ferrari, however, a rear-tire puncture slowed his car and rivals Jody Scheckter and Emerson Fittipaldi passed Lauda to take 1st and 2nd. 1975 saw a chicane added to Woodcote to slow cars going through the very high-speed corner; and this was another race of variables as a rainstorm hit the track and a number of drivers including Scheckter and Briton James Hunt hydroplaned off the track at

6208-530: The race until his engine blew up, and Hill's French teammate Alain Prost took his 50th career Grand Prix win. After the tragedies of Imola in 1994, a chicane was installed at the flat-out Abbey corner 6 weeks before the event was due to take place and Stowe corner was slowed considerably. Hill won the event, something his double world champion father Graham never did. 1995 saw another British driver, Johnny Herbert, take victory in his Benetton. 1996 saw further changes to

6305-401: The race, Williams's first F1 victory. 1980 saw Jones win after the Ligiers of Jacques Laffite and Didier Pironi retired; and 1981 saw French rising star Alain Prost thoroughly dominate the first part race in his Renault; and there was an accident involving Canadian Gilles Villeneuve at the Woodcote Chicane which held up Briton John Watson ; but Watson passed several cars and won the race;

6402-443: The race, his first of two victories in F1 on the circuit where he would lose his life in a non-championship race three years later. 1969 saw another big battle between home favourite Jackie Stewart and Austrian Jochen Rindt , that went on for a while; although Rindt had a loose rear wing and had to come into the pits to get it repaired; Stewart took the chequered flag driving a Ford/Cosworth-powered Matra for Ken Tyrrell . Rindt won

6499-426: The relatively primitive cars of the day. The driving force behind the decision to race on a circuit – as opposed to racing on ordinary roads from town to town – was the Paris to Madrid road race of 1903. During this race a number of people, both drivers and pedestrians – including Marcel Renault – were killed and the race was stopped by the French authorities at Bordeaux. Further road based events were banned. From

6596-423: The restarted race after a huge accident at Bottom Bend caused more controversy; Prost and Lauda had passed Brazilian Nelson Piquet on the last lap of the first race, but Piquet started in front of the two McLaren drivers; regulations dictated that the positions were on the grid were to be determined two laps before the restart was called; and an irate Prost made scathing comments about his countryman Balestre. 1985

6693-401: The same corner; Fittipaldi won the race after it was called short. 1976 also saw changes to Brands Hatch including making the fearsome Paddock Hill bend a bit tamer, South Bank corner more of a left-hand apex rather than a long hairpin and moving Bottom Straight further south so that the pits and paddock area could be expanded. This race proved to be very controversial; as home favourite Hunt won

6790-400: The sport. On 4 July, it was announced that Donington Park had been awarded the contract to host the British Grand Prix for 10 years from 2010. However, Donington failed to secure the necessary funding to host the race, and its contract was terminated in November 2009. On 7 December 2009, Silverstone signed a 17-year contract to host the British Grand Prix from 2010 onwards. The 2010 race saw

6887-417: The ticket sales website. Silverstone was forced to suspend sales and apologise to fans. On 8 February 2024, Silverstone and Formula One extended its contract to host the British Grand Prix until 2034. At the 2024 British Grand Prix , Lewis Hamilton , on his final season driving for Mercedes, won the race for the ninth time. The 104th win of his career, it broke Michael Schumacher 's record for most wins at

6984-517: The time, Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA), had instituted a policy of long-term contracts for one circuit per Grand Prix. Brands Hatch was perceived as a poorer facility, and considering most of the track was located in a very old forest it did have very little run-off and room to expand, something Silverstone had in acres. Silverstone and the BRDC had signed a seven-year contract with Formula 1 and FISA at some point in 1986, to run from 1987 to 1993. 1987 saw Silverstone modified;

7081-600: The time, the Germans engineered unique race vehicles as seen in the photo here with the Benz aerodynamic "teardrop" body introduced at the 1923 European Grand Prix at Monza by Karl Benz . In the 1930s, however, nationalism entered a new phase when the Nazis encouraged Mercedes and Auto Union to further the glory of the Reich . (The government did provide some money to the two manufacturers, but

7178-616: 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, a deal was made for the Grand Prix to be held at Silverstone until 2009. 2008 saw Briton Lewis Hamilton win in pouring rain for McLaren; Hamilton and Jenson Button's presence and success in Formula One helped to see huge crowds at Silverstone not seen since Nigel Mansell's time in

7275-525: The true first Grand Prix in 1906 race was renamed the IX Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France (9th). The ACF used this numbering in 1933, although some members of the Club dismissed it, "concerned the name of the Club was lent to the fiction simply out of a childish desire to establish their Grand Prix as the oldest race in the world". For the most part, races were run over a lengthy circuit of closed public roads, not purpose-built private tracks. This

7372-430: The two official trophies that have ever been awarded. Before the institution of a winner's trophy, the only award for being placed in the British Grand Prix was the prize money on offer. For the first two British Grands Prix held at Brooklands, the prize money was £1,000 to the winner, £300 to the second-placed finisher and £200 for finishing third. For the first post-Second World War British Grand Prix in 1948, prize money

7469-480: The victory went to Austrian Lauda. 1983 saw Prost win his first of five British Grands Prix and a spectacular performance from Briton Nigel Mansell in his first outing in a turbocharged Lotus, he started 16th and finished 4th. Lauda won again at Brands Hatch in 1984, during which FISA president Jean-Marie Balestre announced that the Tyrrell team was to be excluded from that year's championship for fuel irregularities, and

7566-493: The winner of the British Grand Prix has generally also been awarded a trophy by the principal sponsor of the race (for 1952, the Daily Express ), which is won outright each year and replaced by a new trophy for the following year's event. In some years, it is the sponsor's trophy, rather than the official RAC trophy, which is handed to the winner on the podium, which is why post-race photographs since 1950 have shown many more than

7663-594: The years 1952 and 1953 were actually competed in Formula Two cars. A points system was established and a total of seven races were granted championship status including the Indianapolis 500. The first World Championship race was held on 13 May 1950 at Silverstone in the United Kingdom . The Italians once again did well in these early World Championship races, both manufacturers and drivers. The first World Champion

7760-534: Was Giuseppe Farina , driving an Alfa Romeo. Ferrari appeared at the second World Championship race, in Monaco, and has the distinction of being the only manufacturer to compete in every season of the World Championship, still competing in 2024 . Italics denote that the race was also known as the European Grand Prix . For wartime events, see Grands Prix during World War II . See also: Notable drivers of

7857-444: Was among the attendees of the race. The 1951 race was particularly exciting, as it was the first F1 race not won by an Alfa Romeo; the gas-guzzling Italian cars were beaten by another Italian car- the more fuel-efficient Ferrari of Argentine José Froilán González in what was the famed Scuderia's first ever Formula One victory. For the 1952 event, the original pits between Abbey and Woodcote were abandoned and demolished. A new pit complex

7954-486: Was awarded a prize. From 1948 the prize was the RAC Plaque, but by 1952 this had become a cash prize of £25. For the first British Grand Prix in 1926, Sir Arthur Stanley , president of the RAC from 1905 to 1936 presented a cup for the fastest lap of the race, which was won outright by Henry Segrave . Drivers in bold are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season. Teams in bold are competing in

8051-523: Was built in 1907 near Weybridge in Surrey, located just outside the British capital of London. It was the first purpose-built motor racing venue, as well as one of the first airfields in the United Kingdom. Grand Prix motor racing first came to Britain in 1926, following the successes of Henry Segrave in winning the 1923 French Grand Prix and the San Sebastián Grand Prix the following year, both in

8148-540: Was constructed between Woodcote and Copse corners; Alberto Ascari dominated this and the next year's race; González won again in 1954 in a Ferrari. In 1955, the Formula One circus began to alternate between Silverstone and the Aintree circuit , located on the Grand National horse racing course near Liverpool. Mercedes drivers Juan Manuel Fangio and home favourite Stirling Moss arrived at Aintree expecting to win. They took

8245-460: Was decommissioned in 1964. 1964 saw the first Formula One race at the southern English circuit known as Brands Hatch , located in ancient woodlands in Kent, just outside London . The track was built in the early 1950s and had been extended in 1960 to include the new Grand Prix course. Silverstone hosted the British Grand Prix in odd-numbered years and Brands Hatch in even-numbered years. Like Silverstone,

8342-405: Was going to retire, a decision that he would later take back; and he effectively dominated the next two events, driving for Williams. The circuit was now more technical, 15 percent slower and every corner on the circuit except Copse was different. It also included an infield section right before the pits. After 1992, Mansell had retired from F1, and 1993 saw new Williams driver Damon Hill lead much of

8439-501: Was not part of the Formula One World Championship. Grand Prix motor racing Grand Prix motor racing eventually evolved into formula racing , with Formula One considered its direct descendant. Each event of the Formula One World Championships is still called a Grand Prix ; Formula One is also referred to as "Grand Prix racing". Some IndyCar championship races are also called "Grands Prix". Motor racing

8536-399: Was offered to the entrants of the top ten finishers, ranging from £500 to the winner to £20 for tenth place, and the amounts awarded changed little over the next few years, although by 1958 the winner's prize had increased to £750. A cash prize was also awarded for the fastest lap of the race from 1948, when the prize amounted to £25. By 1953, this prize was no longer offered. In addition to

8633-508: Was part of the pre- war World Manufacturers' Championship . A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship. * Built by Cosworth , funded by Ford ** Between 1999 and 2005 built by Ilmor , funded by Mercedes *** Built by Porsche A green background indicates an event which was part of the AIACR World Manufacturers' Championship. A pink background indicates an event which

8730-441: Was quickly followed by Belgium and Spain (in 1924), and later spread to other countries including Britain (1926). Strictly speaking, this still was not a formal championship, but a loose collection of races run to various rules. (A "formula" of rules had appeared just before World War I , finally based on engine size as well as weight, but it was not universally adopted.) In 1904, many national motor clubs banded together to form

8827-511: Was required in a car, as this rule was repealed in Europe after the death of Tom Barrett during the 1924 Grand Prix season . At the Solituderennen in 1926 a well thought-out system, with flags and boards, giving drivers tactical information, was used for the first time by Alfred Neubauer , the racing manager of the Mercedes-Benz team. The 1933 Monaco Grand Prix was the first time in

8924-668: Was signed, 2019 would be the final year the British Grand Prix took place at Silverstone. However, in July 2019 a few days before the 2019 edition it was confirmed that Silverstone was contracted to host the British Grand Prix until at least 2024. In September 2022, Silverstone was criticised during the initial sale of tickets for the 2023 British Grand Prix . The track instituted a 'dynamic pricing' model of prices refreshing every 90 seconds based on demand, and then encouraged fans to access its online ticketing system immediately after sales began. The rush of fans led to surges in pricing and crashes to

9021-537: Was started in France , as a direct result of the enthusiasm with which the French public embraced the motor car. Manufacturers were enthusiastic due to the possibility of using motor racing as a shop window for their cars. The first motoring contest took place on July 22, 1894, and was organised by a Paris newspaper, Le Petit Journal . The Paris–Rouen rally was 126 km (78 mi), from Porte Maillot in Paris , through

9118-458: Was the name of the prizes awarded for the lesser classes ('Light cars' and 'Voiturettes'). The Grand Prix de Pau was the name of the prize awarded for the 'Heavy' (fastest) class. Thus Maurice Farman was awarded the Grand Prix de Pau for his overall victory in the Circuit du Sud-Ouest driving a Panhard 24 hp . In L'Histoire de l'Automobile/Paris 1907 Pierre Souvestre described

9215-429: Was to see Keke Rosberg set the all-time Formula 1 qualifying lap record for 17 years after posting a fastest qualifying time for the race with an average speed of 258.983 km/h (160.925 mph). Silverstone, which was already a very fast circuit, was becoming faster and faster and the cars were lapping the circuit in the low 1-minute range. The race was an exciting one with Brazilian rising star Ayrton Senna making

9312-589: Was true of the Le Mans circuit of the 1906 Grand Prix , as well as the Targa Florio (run on 93 miles (150 km) of Sicilian roads), the 75 miles (121 km) German Kaiserpreis circuit in the Taunus mountains, and the French circuit at Dieppe (a mere 48 miles (77 km)), used for the 1907 Grand Prix . The exceptions were the steeply banked egg-shaped near oval of Brooklands in England , completed in 1907;

9409-447: Was won by Italian Luigi Villoresi in a Maserati. In 1949, the circuit was heavily modified and made very fast; and it remained in this configuration for decades. In 1950, the World Championship of Drivers was introduced, and the 1950 British Grand Prix was the first World Championship Formula One race ever held, with new regulations and 6 other races in Europe. This race was won by Alfa Romeo driver Giuseppe "Nino" Farina. King George VI

#698301