Red Bull are looking to equal the longest winning streak for a single team in Formula 1 history – but three British drivers will be hoping to put a stop to the streak on home ground. Here’s what to watch out for and who to back at the 2023 British Grand Prix!
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For motorsport fans, the British Grand Prix is the highlight of the British sporting summer. Over 160,000 fans are expected on race day at Silverstone for Sunday’s 2023 British Grand Prix. The home of British motorsport, Silverstone hosted the first Formula 1 race back in 1950 and now, almost 1,100 races later, the circuit is well-established as a driver and fan favourite.
Of course, as always, the British weather will threaten to play a part in the Grand Prix weekend. Early forecasts suggest rain could be on the way during qualifying on Saturday. Whatever the weather, Sunday afternoon’s race will surely be another action-packed affair.
Hamilton on home soil
Not since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has Lewis Hamilton picked up a victory. He may have come close to returning to the top step – with eight runner-up finishes in the interim period – but the longest wait for a win in the 7-time World Champion’s career continues.
Hamilton is no stranger to success at Silverstone, having won here no fewer than eight times in the past. The stories of his wins have been varied. Whether it’s pulling out a massive 70 second win margin in the wet in 2008, winning from 6th on the grid in 2014 and winning on three wheels in 2020, Hamilton has been able to handle all weather and all situations at the Northamptonshire track.
One more win for the Mercedes driver at Silverstone would see him become the first driver to record nine wins at a single venue. With more upgrades on the way for Mercedes this weekend, could everything come together at Silverstone to present Hamilton with a shot at victory? He and his fans will be hoping so.
How will the other Brits fare?
It won’t just be Lewis Hamilton that the British crowd will be cheering for this weekend. Mercedes team-mate George Russell will be loo king to make up for last year, when he was involved in the huge first lap collision which saw Zhou Guanyu’s Alfa Romeo barrel roll at Turn 1.
Russell has not enjoyed the strongest run of form recently, missing out on Q3 on two of the last three race weekends – though he was able to convert 12th on the grid to a podium finish at the Spanish Grand Prix. Having never previously scored at Silverstone, Russell will desperately want some home points – if not a home podium – on the board this weekend.
Meanwhile, Lando Norris enjoyed a superb performance in the Austrian Grand Prix, coming home fourth in what has been a season of struggles so far for McLaren. With a newly upgraded MCL60, Norris was able to stick with the frontrunners at the Red Bull Ring to finish ahead of both Mercedes. He finished behind Carlos Sainz on the road but a post race penalty for the Ferrari driver promoted him to fourth in the final order.
Norris has scored points on all of his last four home race appearances, with top five results in both 2020 and 2021. Could we see all three Brits in the points at the British Grand Prix?
Will Williams have reason to celebrate as they near 800th race milestone?
Meanwhile, London-born Thai-British driver Alex Albon will also have the support of the home crowd on a weekend where Williams will celebrate their 800th Grand Prix. Albon has impressed in recent races, finishing seventh in Canada and qualifying in the top ten at each of the last two Grand Prix weekends.
Like Russell, Albon’s British Grand Prix ended on the first lap last year – but he finished in the top eight on his two prior appearances at Silverstone. A points finish for Williams at home would be a fitting way for them to celebrate their latest milestone.
Red Bull hoping to equal consecutive win record
While the Brits will be vying for their own successes, it’s highly likely to be Red Bull out at the front once more this weekend. Having won the first nine races of the year – and every race since last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Red Bull are one victory away from equalling McLaren’s 35 year old record as the team to have won the most consecutive Grands Prix.
It has been a truly astonishing start to the year for the Milton Keynes based team, who now sit almost 200 points ahead of anyone else in the team standings. Could Silverstone end their winning run? Well, Red Bull have not won the British Grand Prix since 2012, when Mark Webber took his final career victory with the team. Max Verstappen did win at Silverstone in 2020, however, in the one-off 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.
Since that win, Verstappen has not had much luck on British soil. His 2021 race ended on the first lap in a collision with title rival Lewis Hamilton, while last year he could finish only seventh after sustaining performance loss due to a piece of debris lodged in his car.
Poor recent showing at Silverstone aside, it’s difficult to look past Red Bull and Max Verstappen for victory this weekend.
Ferrari are Silverstone’s most recent winners
As I mentioned last week, by race day at the 2023 British Grand Prix it will be almost a full year – 364 days to be exact – since Ferrari’s last win in Formula 1. Charles Leclerc secured the team’s latest win at the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix but it was team-mate Carlos Sa inz who shone at Silverstone last year and secured his first career victory.
Ferrari always seem to do relatively well at Silverstone, even in their less competitive years. Charles Leclerc secured podium finishes for the off-form Scuderia in 2020 and 2021, while Fernando Alonso secured the team’s only win of the 2011 season at Silverstone.
Leclerc secured Ferrari’s best result of 2023 to date last time out at the Austrian Grand Prix, finishing as runner-up to Max Verstappen. Sainz, meanwhile, is awaiting his first podium finish since last year’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, 11 races ago. If any problems arise for Red Bull, don’t be surprised to see Ferrari pick up the spoils on Sunday.
