British Grand Prix Group

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. The British and Italian Grands Prix are the oldest continuously staged Formula One world championship Grands Prix.

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.

Before it was heavily modified in 1991, Silverstone was one of the fastest tracks on the Formula 1 calendar. The drivers loved the challenge of the sweeping and extremely demanding Copse, Stowe and Club corners. 1982 World Champion Keke Rosberg held the all-time Formula 1 qualifying lap record for 16 years after posting fastest time for the 1985 British Grand prix with an average speed of 258.983 km/h(160.92mph).

In recent times Silverstone has produced some fine race wins by British drivers, such as John Watson (1981), Nigel Mansell (1987, 1991, 1992), Damon Hill (1994), David Coulthard (1999, 2000) and Lewis Hamilton (2008).

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, a deal was made for the Grand Prix to be held at Silverstone until 2009.

Despite the controversy and political bickering that has surrounded the future of the race in recent years, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone remains one of the world's premier motor racing events.

It was announced on 4 July 2008 that Donington Park has been awarded the contract to host the British Grand Prix for 10 years from 2010.

Venues
Venue (in chronological order) Years
Brooklands 1926, 1927
Silverstone 1948 to 1954
Aintree and Silverstone 1955 to 1960 (alternating yearly)
Aintree 1961, 1962
Silverstone and Brands Hatch 1963 to 1986 (alternating yearly)
Silverstone 1987 to 2009
Donington 2010 onwards

Multiple winning drivers
Wins Driver Years
5 Jim Clark 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967
Alain Prost 1983, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1993
4 Nigel Mansell 1986, 1987, 1991, 1992
3 Jack Brabham 1959, 1960, 1966
Niki Lauda 1976, 1982, 1984
Michael Schumacher 1998, 2002, 2004
2 Alberto Ascari 1952, 1953
José Froilán González 1951, 1954
Stirling Moss 1955, 1957
Jackie Stewart 1969, 1971
Emerson Fittipaldi 1972, 1975
Jacques Villeneuve 1996, 1997
David Coulthard 1999, 2000

List of races
Year Driver Constructor Location
2008 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes Silverstone
2007 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari Silverstone
2006 Fernando Alonso Renault Silverstone
2005 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes Silverstone
2004 Michael Schumacher Ferrari Silverstone
2003 Rubens Barrichello Ferrari Silverstone
2002 Michael Schumacher Ferrari Silverstone
2001 Mika Häkkinen McLaren-Mercedes Silverstone
2000 David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes Silverstone
1999 David Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes Silverstone
1998 Michael Schumacher Ferrari Silverstone
1997 Jacques Villeneuve Williams-Renault Silverstone
1996 Jacques Villeneuve Williams-Renault Silverstone
1995 Johnny Herbert Benetton-Renault Silverstone
1994 Damon Hill Williams-Renault Silverstone
1993 Alain Prost Williams-Renault Silverstone
1992 Nigel Mansell Williams-Renault Silverstone
1991 Nigel Mansell Williams-Renault Silverstone
1990 Alain Prost Ferrari Silverstone
1989 Alain Prost McLaren-Honda Silverstone
1988 Ayrton Senna McLaren-Honda Silverstone
1987 Nigel Mansell Williams-Honda Silverstone
1986 Nigel Mansell Williams-Honda Brands Hatch
1985 Alain Prost McLaren-TAG Silverstone
1984 Niki Lauda McLaren-TAG Brands Hatch
1983 Alain Prost Renault Silverstone
1982 Niki Lauda McLaren-Cosworth Brands Hatch
1981 John Watson McLaren-Cosworth Silverstone
1980 Alan Jones Williams-Cosworth Brands Hatch
1979 Clay Regazzoni Williams-Cosworth Silverstone
1978 Carlos Reutemann Ferrari Brands Hatch
1977 James Hunt McLaren-Cosworth Silverstone
1976 Niki Lauda Ferrari Brands Hatch
1975 Emerson Fittipaldi McLaren-Cosworth Silverstone
1974 Jody Scheckter Tyrrell-Cosworth Brands Hatch
1973 Peter Revson McLaren-Cosworth Silverstone
1972 Emerson Fittipaldi Lotus-Cosworth Brands Hatch
1971 Jackie Stewart Tyrrell-Cosworth Silverstone
1970 Jochen Rindt Lotus-Cosworth Brands Hatch
1969 Jackie Stewart Matra-Cosworth Silverstone
1968 Jo Siffert Lotus-Ford Brands Hatch
1967 Jim Clark Lotus-Cosworth Silverstone
1966 Jack Brabham Brabham Brands Hatch
1965 Jim Clark Lotus-Climax Silverstone
1964 Jim Clark Lotus-Climax Brands Hatch
1963 Jim Clark Lotus-Climax Silverstone
1962 Jim Clark Lotus-Climax Aintree
1961 Wolfgang von Trips Ferrari Aintree
1960 Jack Brabham Cooper-Climax Silverstone
1959 Jack Brabham Cooper-Climax Aintree
1958 Peter Collins Ferrari Silverstone
1957 Stirling Moss/ Tony Brooks Vanwall Aintree
1956 Juan-Manuel Fangio Lancia-Ferrari Silverstone
1955 Stirling Moss Mercedes-Benz Aintree
1954 José Froilán González Ferrari Silverstone
1953 Alberto Ascari Ferrari Silverstone
1952 Alberto Ascari Ferrari Silverstone
1951 José Froilán González Ferrari Silverstone
1950 Giuseppe Farina Alfa Romeo Silverstone
1949 Emmanuel de Graffenried Maserati Silverstone
1948 Luigi Villoresi Maserati Silverstone
1928 - 1947 Not held
1927 Robert Benoist Delage Brooklands
1926 Louis Wagner
Robert Sénéchal Delage Brooklands

Sponsors
RAC British Grand Prix 1950-1970
RAC Woolmark British Grand Prix 1971
John Player British Grand Prix 1972-1978
Marlboro British Grand Prix 1979-1985
Shell Oils British Grand Prix 1986-1988
Shell British Grand Prix 1989
Fosters British Grand Prix 1990-1993
Hitachi British Grand Prix 1994
RAC British Grand Prix 1997-1999
Fosters British Grand Prix 2000-2006
Santander British Grand Prix 2007- Present

External links
Silverstone.co.uk Silverstone Official Site