Silverstone: the defining moments from 50 British grand prixs

By Tom Clarkson

Motoring Issues

03 July 2014 11:00

1948 Silverstone’s transformation from a World War II bomber station into a race circuit began in August 1948, when the Royal Automobile Club took out a one-year lease on RAF Silverstone. Under the stewardship of local farmer James Wilson Brown, the RAC International Grand Prix was staged on 2 October, using similar regulations to those that shaped pre-war grand prix racing. The track layout comprised the airbase’s perimeter roads, with straw bales and ropes protecting the piggery and the crops in the middle of the circuit. More than 100,000 fans turned up to watch Luigi Villoresi beat compatriot Alberto Ascari and 21 others in what was the first post-war grand prix on British soil.

1950 The inaugural Formula One World Championship staged its opening race at Silverstone, on 13 May 1950. Using the circuit layout devised by the RAC a couple of years earlier, Nino Farina cleaned up in front of a vast crowd that included King George VI.

1951 The British Racing Drivers’ Club takes over the lease of Silverstone from the Air Ministry. Job number one was to build spectator banking to improve viewing.

1965 A British 1-2-3-4-5 put the crowd into a gentile patriotic fervour at the chequered flag. The British drivers – Jimmy Clark won from Graham Hill, John Surtees, Mike Spence and Jackie Stewart – were the only ones on the lead lap at the flag, and all but one of their cars was British-built. This was Clark’s fourth consecutive victory at Silverstone, but it was one of his most hard-fought. After racing to a 30s lead, a fuel pressure problem slowed his Lotus-Climax and he eventually beat Hill by just 3sec.

1969 A classic wheel-to-wheel battle between Jackie Stewart and Jochen Rindt. Nothing separated them until Rindt was forced to pit with mechanical problems and Stewart lapped the entire field en route to his fifth victory in six races.

1977 James Hunt stormed to his only victory at Silverstone from pole position, but the race was also significant for the debuts of Gilles Villeneuve in a third McLaren-Ford (at Hunt’s recommendation) and Renault’s turbocharged RS01.

1979 Just 18 months after founding Williams Grand Prix Engineering, Frank Williams took his first F1 win. Alan Jones was the faster of his two drivers, but engine problems led to his retirement and Clay Regazzoni picked up the pieces in the second FW07, winning by 24sec. 

1981 John Watson took his first win in five years – and the first for a carbonfibre monocoque in F1.

1985 The conditions were far from ideal. Very light drizzle swirled around in the breeze, but none of it interrupted the concentration of Keke Rosberg. With just minutes of the one-hour session remaining, the original Flying Finn stubbed out his cigarette at the back of the pit garage and climbed into his Williams-Honda FW10. The Japanese engineers wound up the boost on his Honda RA163-E turbo to the maximum, in which spec it produced 1300bhp. The mechanics attached a brand new set of Goodyear tyres and Keke trawled out of the pitlane. He wound up his pace as he approached the start of The Lap, and fireworks ensued. Sparks, jumps and deft touches of opposite-lock ended with him stopping the clock at 1min 5.591sec – an average speed of 160.9mph. It was F1’s first 160mph lap, and a record that would stand for 17 years.

1987 After pitting for fresh rubber, Nigel Mansell was 29sec behind his race-leading team-mate Nelson Piquet with 28 laps of the race remaining. Nigel broke the lap record 11 times in the closing laps and passed Piquet for the lead with two laps to go.

1999 This shunt caused Michael Schumacher’s only injury behind the wheel of an F1 car. He crashed at Stow on lap one of the 1999 British Grand Prix, breaking his leg in two places.

2003 Defrocked priest Neil Horan scared all and sundry when, on lap 11, he ran down the Hangar Straight waving religious banners alongside cars travelling at 175mph. He was eventually stopped by a track marshal and charged with aggravated trespass.

2008 Surely one of the best wins of Lewis Hamilton’s career. In appallingly wet conditions, he jumped from fourth on the grid to second away from the line and passed team-mate Heikki Kovalainen for the lead on lap five. The Englishman wasn’t seen again, coming home more than a minute ahead of second-placed Nick Heidfeld. ‘It all felt so easy out there,’ he said afterwards. It certainly looked it.

2010 No driver likes to play second fiddle to his team-mate, and certainly not a hard-nosed Aussie like Mark Webber. In a title-challenging car for the first time in his career, he arrived at Silverstone fired up and seeking the fifth victory of his career. A major kafuffle broke out in the Red Bull garage prior to qualifying when an updated front wing was taken from Mark’s car and placed on Sebastian Vettel’s, and the German duly took pole position. When Webber went on to win the race and beat Vettel by 36sec, he replied to team boss Christian Horner’s congratulatory radio message with aplomb. ‘Not bad for a number two driver, cheers,’ he said.

By Tom Clarkson