British Grand Prix: Presentation and Predictions from the editorial staff

Many topics need to be addressed for this tenth race weekend in 2021.

After the presentation of what the single-seaters will be like, which will debut the new technical regulations in 2022. We will have to get used to a new weekend format.

A first test for sprint races

From Friday, the session formats change and a qualifying session is introduced to determine the starting order for Saturday’s sprint race.

This same sprint race will serve as the basis for the start of the race on Sunday.

Find the complete operation of this new format in our dedicated article.

We are all looking forward to a lot of excitement from this new qualifying format. That’s the intended goal. However, we may still doubt whether the drivers will take all the risks on Saturday in this sprint race that only brings a few points to the top three, while a long challenge still awaits them on Sunday.

A track dedicated to speed.

The layout of the Silverstone circuit is drawn on a Royal Air Force airbase created in 1943 during World War II.

The original layout, very fast and in the shape of a star, combines many hairpin turns and straight line segments.

It is deeply redesigned three times. Since 1991, the famous Maggots-Becketts-Chapel sequence is tighter and faster. It is one of the favorite technical “monuments” for drivers, along with the Red Water at Spa, the Parabolica at Monza, and the 130R at Suzuka.

Since 2010, at Abbey turn, the layout turns back inside and joins Priory, which has also been modified for the occasion. The track thus gains a big braking zone and 750m to reach a distance of 5.9km.

Therefore, 52 laps of this circuit will have to be completed to cover the minimum regulatory distance of 305km per race.

Find out about the highlights of the British Grand Prix.

A showdown at the top that continues on Hamilton’s land.

Red Bull and Verstappen took the win twice on their home turf during the double Grand Prix held at the Red Bull Ring circuit.

The battle is set to resume in Lewis Hamilton’s backyard. The Englishman is at home for sure, but in more ways than one. Of the last seven editions, only 2018 has eluded him. And since his debut in F1 in 2007, he has won in his country seven times.

Without a doubt, the debate will be fierce, especially if the rain gets involved.

Unpredictable weather?

We are in England, and even though it is July, right in the summer, the weather can vary greatly. There have been regular showers during the race for this Grand Prix. The forecast for this weekend could hold some surprises for us, especially on Sunday.

The hardest range of tires

The track is abrasive and many of the corners are taken at high speed. Tire degradation is therefore more significant than on other circuits.

Pirelli has validated with the teams its new design of tires which are reinforced on the rear axle.

Thus the teams will have the choice between the compounds C1, C2, and C3 in this new range.

Welcome back to Silverstone! Here’s what you need to know as we sprint towards another #F1 race! https://t.co/SCoLOwj2Iz#Fit4F1 🇬🇧#BritishGP pic.twitter.com/SY6bNAJAaC

— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) July 12, 2021

It should be noted that teams will have to use only the soft tires for Friday’s qualifications. However, for the Sunday race, they will not be required to use the tires that were used to set the fastest lap in Q2.

We will come back to it in detail in this article.

Editorial Forecasts

At this point in the season, it’s Lewis Hamilton who is the challenger. It hadn’t happened to him for many races. He must bounce back. Since the hybrid era, victory has only eluded him once, in 2018 against Sebastian Vettel.

In the editorial office, we mainly think that English will once again be at the forefront and dominate the top of the ranking, whether it be in qualifying (sprint race) or in the race.

Max Verstappen will be able to limit the damage like Hamilton in the last races, by finishing second.

The battle is tighter for the last step of the podium.

Lando Norris gets good scores given his fabulous start to the season. But we also do not forget Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez, and Valtteri Bottas.