Silverstone Circuit facts for kids
| "Home of British Motor Racing" | |
|---|---|
Silverstone Circuit - 2010 Onwards
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| Location | Silverstone, Northamptonshire, England |
| Time zone | GMT |
| Coordinates | 52°4′43″N 1°1′1″W / 52.07861°N 1.01694°W |
| Major events | FIA Formula One British Grand Prix FIM MotoGP British Grand Prix FIM Superbike World Championship FIA GT1 World Championship Le Mans Series |
| Arena Grand Prix Circuit | |
| Length | 5.901 km (3.667 mi) |
| Turns | 18 |
| Race lap record | 1:30.874 ( Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 2010, F1) |
| Bridge Grand Prix Circuit | |
| Length | 5.141 km (3.194 mi) |
| Turns | 17 |
| Race lap record | 1:18.739 ( Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 2004, F1) |
| International Circuit | |
| Length | 3.619 km (2.249 mi) |
| Turns | 10 |
| National Circuit | |
| Length | 2.638 km (1.639 mi) |
| Turns | 6 |
| Stowe Circuit | |
| Length | 1.281 km (0.796 mi) |
| Turns | 5 |
Silverstone Circuit is a famous motor racing track in England. It's located near the villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury in Northamptonshire. Part of the track also stretches into Buckinghamshire. The closest big towns are Northampton and Milton Keynes.
Silverstone is best known as the home of the British Grand Prix, a very important car race. It first hosted this race in 1948. Since 1987, the British Grand Prix has been held at Silverstone every year. The circuit also hosts the BRDC International Trophy, which is given to the winner of a race for older, classic F1 cars. This race happens at the yearly Silverstone Classic event.
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How the Circuit Developed
Silverstone Circuit was built on the site of RAF Silverstone, an old Royal Air Force base. This base was used for bombers during World War II and opened in 1943.
Early Races
The track was first used for racing in September 1947 by a group of friends. Maurice Geoghegan, who lived in Silverstone village, knew the airfield was empty. He and eleven other drivers set up their own race on a two-mile circuit. During this informal race, Geoghegan's car hit and killed a sheep, and his car was too damaged to fix. This event became known as the Mutton Grand Prix.
The next year, the Royal Automobile Club rented the airfield. They set up a more official racing circuit. The first two races were held on the runways, which had long straight sections and sharp turns. For 1948, they decided to use the perimeter track instead. This layout was used for the 1950 and 1951 British Grands Prix.
Track Changes for Safety
Over the years, several small changes were made to the track. A major redesign happened after the 1990 race.
After two drivers, Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger, sadly died at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, many Grand Prix circuits were changed. The goal was to make them slower and safer for drivers. For example, the entry from Hangar Straight into Stowe Corner was changed in 1995. This made it less dangerous and challenging. Also, the fast Abbey kink was turned into a chicane (a sharp turn) in just 19 days before the 1994 Grand Prix.
Managing Race Day Traffic
Silverstone has sometimes had problems with bad traffic delays on race days. The traffic improved when the A43 Silverstone bypass road was built.
In 2000, the race date was moved to April. Heavy rain turned the parking fields into muddy pits, causing big problems for spectators. On F1 race days, many spectators travel to the circuit by helicopter. The Silverstone Heliport becomes the busiest airport in the UK on these days.
Hosting Formula One Races
Silverstone is the current home of the British Grand Prix. It first hosted this race in 1948. The 1950 British Grand Prix at Silverstone was very special. It was the first race ever in the new Formula One World Championship.
From 1955 to 1986, the British Grand Prix rotated between Silverstone, Aintree, and Brands Hatch. But in 1987, the rotation stopped, and the race has stayed at Silverstone ever since.
In 2004, Silverstone was at risk of losing the Grand Prix. There was even a chance that the British Grand Prix wouldn't happen in 2005. However, in December, an agreement was reached. Silverstone would host the British Grand Prix until 2009. The plan was for Donington Park to become the new host starting in 2010.
But then, the people who leased Donington Park faced money problems. A new deal was made with Formula One. This resulted in a 17-year agreement for Silverstone to continue holding the British Grand Prix.
Other Competitions
Silverstone hosts many other exciting races besides Formula One.
The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship stopped racing at Silverstone in 2007. But because many fans wanted it back, the series returned to Silverstone for the 2008 season.
Silverstone also hosts rounds of other championships, including:
- FIA GT
- British Superbikes
- British F3
- British GT
- Le Mans Series
It also hosts many club racing series. Silverstone is home to the UK's only 24-hour car race, the Britcar 24. This race started in 2005 and is becoming more and more popular.
In the past, Silverstone hosted special exhibition rounds of the D1 Grand Prix, a drifting competition, in 2005 and 2006. The course uses the Brooklands and Luffield corners to create an S-bend, which is perfect for drifting. This section is now used for a European Drift Championship round. The circuit also hosts the Formula Student Competition by the iMeche every year.
In 2010, Silverstone hosted its very first Superleague Formula event.
Redevelopment for Motorcycle Racing
Both the FIM (the world governing body for motorcycle racing) and Silverstone agreed that the circuit needed to be changed for motorcycle racing. Riders were worried about how close the bridge was at Bridge corner.
On January 22, 2010, it was confirmed that Silverstone would host the British round of the 2010 Superbike World Championship season. This race was moved to Silverstone because Donington Park was considered "un-raceable" for the event.
Current Circuit Layouts
Like most racing circuits around the world, Silverstone Circuit has several different layouts. These layouts offer different lengths and levels of difficulty.
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New Grand Prix Circuit: Length: 5.9 km. Also known as the 'Arena Layout'. This became the main circuit from 2010 onwards. It's used for the British Grand Prix and MotoGP.
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Bridge Grand Prix Circuit: Length: 5.14 km. Before 2010, this was simply known as the 'Grand Prix Circuit'. It was last changed in 2000 and was used for the British Grand Prix until 2009.
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National Circuit: Length: 2.63 km.
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Southern Circuit: Length: 3.17 km.
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Stowe Circuit: Length: 1.73 km.
Past Circuit Layouts
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The original 1948 circuit, which used the main and second runways.
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1949 to 1951 layout.
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1952 to 1973: This layout was used after the pit area was moved.
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1975 to 1986: This version included the Woodcote Chicane to slow cars down through Woodcote Corner.
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1987 to 1990: This layout had the Bridge Chicane to reduce speeds through Woodcote Corner.
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1991 to 1993: Almost every corner except Woodcote & Abbey was redesigned. This included the new Becketts, Vale, Priory, and Luffield corner complexes.
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1994 and 1995: The Abbey Chicane was added to this layout.
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1996: Minor adjustments were made to the Stowe and Club corners.
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1997 to 1999: Further changes were made to the Vale complex.
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2000 to 2009: The Luffield complex was changed to one corner.
Images for kids
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Satellite view of the circuit in 2018 (Planet Labs)
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Piers Courage on his way to 5th place in the 1969 British Grand Prix, driving Frank Williams Racing Cars's Brabham-Cosworth BT26A
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Niki Lauda driving the Ferrari 312T through Maggotts Copse during the 1975 John Player Grand Prix at Silverstone
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Jochen Mass (Martini Racing Porsche 935) during the 1976 Silverstone Six-Hours race
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John Watson's 1981 British Grand Prix race-winning McLaren, during the 2011 Silverstone Classic meeting
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Keke Rosberg driving the Williams FW10 at the 1985 German Grand Prix. Rosberg lapped Silverstone at over 160 mph (260 km/h) during qualifying for the 1985 British Grand Prix.
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Nigel Mansell gives Ayrton Senna a lift back to the pits on the side-pod of his Williams FW14
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Johnny Herbert winning the 1995 British Grand Prix, driving the Benetton-Renault B195
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Kimi Räikkönen driving his Ferrari to victory in the 2007 British Grand Prix
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Allan McNish driving the Audi R10 during the 2008 Le Mans Series race
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Fernando Alonso's Ferrari F150 Italia in the pit lane, during the Formula One 2011 British Grand Prix
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Cal Crutchlow on his way to a double win in the 2010 World Superbike event
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Toyota TS030 Hybrid on its way to third place in the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship race
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Formation lap around Brooklands corner at the 2010 Superleague Formula round
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The various layouts of Silverstone from 1949 to the present.
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See also
In Spanish: Circuito de Silverstone para niños
