With the season nearing its halfway mark, F1 heads to Silverstone for the 2023 British Grand Prix.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen enters this round with a 81 point lead over teammate, Sergio Perez as he looks to cruise towards a third consecutive F1 title, whilst Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso looks to impress for the British constructor.
Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Lando Norris meanwhile are all looking to impress at their home race, which also doubles up as a home event for seven teams based in the UK – although Aston Martin, McLaren and Williams are registered as British entries.
Now, here is a full guide to everything that you need to know about 2023 British Grand Prix.
Track Guide
Circuit: Silverstone
Laps: 52
Race Distance: 306.291km
Tyre Compounds: C1, C2 and C3
Schedule
| Date | Session | Time (BST) |
| Friday 7 July | FP1 | 12:30pm |
| Friday 7 July | FP2 | 4:00pm |
| Saturday 8 July | FP3 | 12:00pm |
| Saturday 8 July | Qualifying | 3:00pm |
| Sunday 9 July | Race | 3:00pm |
Five Key Pointers
- High downforce set-ups will be important around Silverstone but a compromise will be needed in order to maximise straight-line speed on the various straights.
- Exit traction will be crucial out of several corners in order to defend on the various straights across the circuit.
- With Austria having been limited to one practice session due to the Sprint weekend format, several teams are set to debut various upgrades at Silverstone which could shake up the order.
- Silverstone has been one of Verstappen’s weak circuits with two podiums in eight races ran under ‘British Grand Prix’ name, posing a tough challenge for the Dutchman this weekend.
- Given the unpredictability of British weather amidst expected warm temperatures, teams will need to be aware of rain arriving at any time which could affect Qualifying and race strategies.
Last Time Out
Having claimed his maiden pole at Silverstone in Qualifying last season, Carlos Sainz lost the lead off the line to Verstappen but the race was quickly red flagged due to two midfield incidents at Turn 1.
The grid consequently was reset and Sainz led from pole until Lap 10 when Verstappen seized the lead, but the Dutchman suffered a puncture two laps later which dropped him down the order.
A late Safety Car period however enabled Sainz to gamble on a pit stop for soft tyres whilst Charles Leclerc stayed out, which ultimately saw Sainz fight his way past his teammate on the restart to take victory as Leclerc slipped to fourth behind Perez and Hamilton at the checkered flag.