Yahoo Finance 2015 Formula One British Grand Prix Preview
The 2015 Formula One World Championship continues this weekend with round nine, the British Grand Prix, which once again takes place at the Silverstone Circuit in England. A number of today’s F1 teams are also based in England, so the British Grand Prix is the home event for many participants.
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Silverstone held the very first F1 race back in 1950, and though in later years hosting duties were shared with Aintree and Brands Hatch, today Silverstone remains the British Grand Prix’s official. The layout of the track has seen constant revision since the inaugural race, with the most significant change coming in 2010 when the old perimeter layout was altered to create a new infield section.
The 3.66-mile track consists of sweeping, high-speed corners and fast straights, making it one of the quickest laps on the calendar and a favorite for drivers. In dry conditions, pole position is taken at an average speed of about 150 mph, and the power units are made to work hard because there are long periods of full throttle.
And because of all the high-speed corners, not to mention a very grippy surface, the tires also get a major workout. Pirelli’s nominated the medium and hard tires, the two hardest compounds this season. Of course, weather is always an issue but right now we’re expecting warm and only partly cloudy conditions throughout the weekend.
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A number of teams are running aerodynamic mods this weekend, including the leader Mercedes AMG. According to team boss Toto Wolff, the high demands on power and aero at Silverstone should suit the team’s cars well.
Last year’s winner was Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton. Going into this year’s race, the Briton leads the 2015 Drivers’ Championship with 169 points, though his teammate Nico Rosberg is only 10 points behind. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel is third with 120 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes has 328 points to Ferrari’s 192 and Williams’ 129.
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