British GP Thread - Contains practice/qualifying/race spoilers

[Fernando]

First topic message reminder :



The British Grand Prix at Silverstone is the ninth round of the 2012 Formula One World Championship. This race is steeped in F1 history, Silverstone having hosted the inaugural F1 World Championship round at the beginning of the 1950 season. The British Grand Prix is one of only two races ever-present on the F1 calendar. It has also been held at Aintree and Brands Hatch but Silverstone leads the way, staging the GP 45 times.

The circuit has undergone many minor revisions over the past two decades while leaving the circuit’s perimeter configuration intact. That changed in 2010 with the debut of the new ‘Arena’ layout, which introducing a new infield loop between the corners at Abbey and Brooklands. 2010’s race used the old pit and paddock complex, though for 2011 new facilities opened, moving the start-finish straight to the section of track between Club and Abbey corners.

The new layout makes the circuit longer and more technical but Silverstone retains its reputation as one of F1’s power circuits, with over 60 per cent of a lap completed at full throttle, and featuring some of the highest-speed corners in F1.

Fast changes of direction characterise the circuit. According to tyre supplier Pirelli, this is the track which places the greatest lateral load on their tyres. Copse corner is taken at speeds in excess of 290kph, generating lateral loads of 5g. The hard and soft compound tyres have been nominated for this round of the championship but a mixed forecast means intermediate or full wet tyres may also see use during the weekend.

Last year Fernando Alonso triumphed in wet-dry conditions. He comes to Britain leading this year’s championship, having taken his second victory of 2012 last time out in Valencia. That ended a record sequence of seven different drivers winning the first seven races of the season. The other major record the 2012 season might challenge is 1982’s total of 11 winning drivers.

Silverstone



Length of lap:
5.891km
Lap record
1:30.874 (Fernando Alonso
Ferrari, 2010)

Start line/finish line offset
0.105km
Total number of race laps
52
Total race distance
306.227km
Pitlane speed limits
60km/h during practice,

100km/h during qualifying and race


CHANGES TO THE CIRCUIT SINCE 2011


► Relatively little has changed since 2011. The pit entry has been straightened and the pit lane speed limit begins 50 metres earlier.

► The British Grand Prix has been on the calendar since the inaugural F1 World Championship in 1950. The only other race able to claim that is the Italian Grand Prix. Silverstone played host to that first ever F1 World Championship event, when it hosted the British Grand Prix on 13 May 1950. Nino Farina won the race driving for Alfa Romeo and went on to win the Championship with further victories in Switzerland and Italy.
► In the Formula One World Championship era, three venues have held the British Grand Prix. Aintree hosted the race in 1955, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1962; Brands Hatch in even years between 1964-1986 and Silverstone on the other 45 occasions.
► Jim Clark and Alain Prost are tied on five wins apiece as the most successful drivers in British Grand Prix history. While Prost won all of his races at Silverstone, Clark spread his across all three British Grand Prix venues.
► There have been 63 winning drivers in the 62 British Grands Prix. During the 1957 race at Aintree, Stirling Moss took the chequered flag driving the Vanwall in which Tony Brooks had started the race. Moss had pitted his ailing Vanwall from the lead and taken over team-mate Brooks’ drive, re-emerging in ninth place, Moss worked his way through the field and still managed to win by 26 seconds..
► The 1951 British Grand Prix at Silverstone was won by José Froilán González driving a Ferrari 375. It was Ferrari’s first Formula One World Championship victory. González’s car, now owned by Bernie Ecclestone, was driven around the Silverstone circuit by Fernando Alonso before the 2011 race – which Alonso subsequently won in a Ferrari 150° Italia.
► Fernando Alonso’s victory in 2011 made Ferrari the leading Constructor in British Grand Prix history with 15 victories, one ahead of McLaren.
► The new Silverstone layout, used in the last two years, was designed with the needs of MotoGP in mind. The infield section and Arena, where the new pit complex is located, bypasses the bridge, which was deemed too close to the track for bike racing. The new parts of the Arena Grand Prix Circuit use sections of track that are part of the shorter ‘National’ and ‘Southern’ layouts.
► The British Grand Prix has the highest number of home-grown winners of any race on the F1 calendar. The race has been won by a British driver 21 times. Alongside Clark’s five wins (1962-1965, 1967), Nigel Mansell has four (1986-7, 1991-2), while on two wins apiece come Stirling Moss (one shared with Tony Brooks) (1955, 1957) , Jackie Stewart (1969, 1971) and David Coulthard (1999, 2000). The other winners are Peter Collins (1958), James Hunt (1977), John Watson (1981), Damon Hill (1994), Johnny Herbert (1995) and Lewis Hamilton (2008).

Race Stewards
Biographies
PAUL GUTJAHR
PRESIDENT OF THE FIA HILL CLIMB COMMISSION, BOARD MEMBER AND PRESIDENT OF AUTO SPORT SUISSE SARL
Paul Gutjahr started racing in the late 1960s with Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Lotus and Porsche, then March in Formula 3. In the early ‘70s he became President of the Automobile Club Berne and organised numerous events. He acted as President of the organising committee of the Swiss GP at Dijon from 1980-82. From 1980-2005 he acted as President of the Commission Sportive Nationale de l’Automobile Club de Suisse and in 2005 he became President and board member of the Auto Sport Suisse motor sports club. Gutjahr is President of the Alliance of European Hill Climb Organisers and has been steward at various high-level international competitions. He was the Formula 3000 Sporting Commissioner and has been a Formula One steward since 1995.

PAOLO LONGONI
MEMBER OF THE ITALIAN MOTOR SPORT COMMISSION (CSAI); THE AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF MILAN
Paolo Longoni is a steward with more than 20 years’ experience. Milanese Longoni began his stewards’ training at his home circuit – Monza – in 1990 and was immediately ‘bitten by the bug’ of motorsport. While his early stewarding experience was based largely at Monza, since 2006 Longoni has been a national steward, officiating at rounds of the Porsche Supercup, Ferrari Challenge Championship, FIA Historic Championship, ETCC, WTCC, Formula Two and Le Mans Series events.


NIGEL MANSELL OBE

1992 F1 CHAMPION, 1993 CART CHAMPION
Nigel Mansell is the FIA driver steward at the British GP. From 187 grand prix starts he took 32 pole positions, 31 victories and 28 other podium finishes. He raced for Team Lotus, Williams, Ferrari and McLaren, winning the FIA F1 World Champion in 1992 with Williams. The following season Mansell took a sabbatical from F1, racing in the CART championship. He become the first rookie to win that title and the only man to hold the F1 and CART titles simultaneously. He continues to compete occasionally, most recently in endurance racing. Mansell is a four-times winner of the British Grand Prix, with three of those victories at Silverstone.

Weather Forecast: http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2637827

Source: Fia/BBC

[Critical_mass]

I think thats pretty much spot on inregards to what youve said about Lewis' career. It would be suicide to go to a lesser team and there is currently no where else to go. He's stuck in a rut and wont have much choice but to stay with Mclaren.

[SteveG]

If Messi decided to leave Barcelona there would be a world wide scramble for his signature. In any other walk of life the best of the best can walk into any job and yet we all agree Lewis is a bit stuck. Only in the crazy world of F1.

(having said that I've a sneaky suspicion that Red Bull would snap him up 2moro despite all the guff from Horner).

[Fernando]

What i found rather interesting is that when they spoke to Vettel he said he had no choice in his teammate. Asked Alonso the same thing and he can choose his teammate might be the only thing keeping Felipe in a job

[Fernando]

Your theory has gone down hill steve inside 30 mins

Mark Webber has signed a new 1 year deal at RB

[Bull]

we need to replace Massa if he does not improve IMO

[Critical_mass]

Your theory has gone down hill steve inside 30 mins

Mark Webber has signed a new 1 year deal at RB

One year... thats a very short deal. They must have a replacement in mind.

[SteveG]

Your theory has gone down hill steve inside 30 mins

Mark Webber has signed a new 1 year deal at RB

It's probable that Lewis has commited to Mclaren but I still believe that RB would have snapped him up had a real opportunity arose - as would any top team who had at least one driver contract coming to an end. Still it'll be interesting to know the length/get out clauses of any new deal with Mclaren and 2014 could still be all to play for. The mouth drools at the thought of a Hami/Newey link up.

[Guest]

There's no point in McLaren & Lewis delaying the press release of him signing the contract extension. Hamilton contract is a done deal, only a fool would think otherwise now. There are no credible and financially attractive offers on the table for Lewis in F1. He's just got to stick with the team that gave him the opportunity within F1 and work hard to turn things around. It will be interesting to see how long his extension is and whether or not it takes him into his 30's, or as SteveG says, whether or not there are get-out clauses.

The F1 market is starting to move more quickly now and a clear picture is emerging. For Webber, I think his performances this year have certainly warranted a new deal. He's not getting any younger, so a one-year deal is appropriate and gives Red Bull another year to determine his successor. Anything can happen in F1 and many other options will become available from now till then. Even a returning Kubica would certainly be an outside choice. Perez must surely be at Ferrari now for 2013!

[liverbnz]

I thought Webber was giving serious thought to a Ferrari seat as his last hurrah in F1. Seems I was very wrong on that count as he was only deliberating whether or not he should retire or stay put.

[Guest]

Why would he leave the most successful team in F1 currently, it's a no-brainer. It will be a massive relief to have his future sorted to focus on the job at hand. By staying at Red Bull he gives himself the best opportunity in the most competitive car designed by Adrian Newey to capture that elusive world title. Further to this, he has the chance to silence his critics who doubted him and said he could never compete with the apparently 'unbeatable' Vettel.

I must admit it will be interesting to see what happens for the 2014 season when Webber's contract is up at Red Bull and the so-called Vettel pre-contract with Ferrari situation may unfold. Possibly, Hamilton with a 'get-out' clause negotiated into his McLaren contract could jump ship and join Red Bull...........

Interesting.

[liverbnz]

I just thought that Ferrari are the 'marque' team of F1 that 'everyone wants to drive for'. Last season Webber looked pretty down in the dumps about life at Red Bull and I assumed this was because he felt that he would have been World Champion in 2010 had he been given the proper backing of the team when he was leading the WDC following Monaco.

Instead they yanked their new front wing off Webber after Vettel damaged his during practice at Silverstone and then more or less blamed Webber for Vettel turning into him in Turkey. That would leave a pretty bad taste in anyones mouth. Regardless of being the best team, I don't think Webber felt he was being backed so his chances of becoming WDC were slimmer than a non-moaning Jenson Button at GP weekend.

But maybe something has changed now. Maybe the team will get behind Mark more as Vettel already has his 2 WCs and has plenty of time for some more.

[Guest]

Of course something has changed now, Vettel is no longer dominant and that's why Mark is now gaining confidence. Mark has showed astonishing determination, consistency and downright speed this season and the momentum is with him, which in F1 is vitally important, and the reason why Red Bull seem to be giving him more support this year and why he's just signed an extension.

While Red Bull get behind there two drivers and continue to bring effective updates to the car, McLaren are effectively throwing away the Championship, but hey, at least Sam Michael can cheer about the perfect pitstops at Silverstone.

[Belgarion of Riva]

I had always said that Webber was more than a match for Vettel and didn't buy into the hype.

Good on him. We'll see who the number 2 driver is now

[Fernando]

Spoiler:

[Critical_mass]

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