9 Things You Didn't Know About The British Grand Prix

The next round of the 2014 Formula 1 season takes place at Silverstone circuit in Britain. Here are 10 things you might not know about the British Grand Prix:

1. The start of it all

The Silverstone track hosted the first ever Formula 1 race back in 1950, kicking off the sport’s inaugural season. It was dominated by Alfa Romeo, which locked out the podium with Giuseppe Farina winning from Luigi Fagioli and Reg Parnell.

Since 1950 the British Grand Prix at Silverstone has been won 16 times by a driver from Britain. They are: Peter Collins (1958), Jim Clark (1963, 1965, 1967), Jackie Stewart (1969, 1971), James Hunt (1977), John Watson (1981), Nigel Mansell (1987, 1991, 1992), Damon Hill (1994), Johnny Herbert (1995), David Coulthard (1999, 2000) and Lewis Hamilton (2008).

3. Recent changes

The 2010 British Grand Prix was the first to use the new ‘Arena’ loop, which bypasses the old Abbey corner and instead heads right. Following a high-speed left-hander, a slow right-left complex, a flat-out left-hander and the Wellington Straight, the circuit then re-joins the old layout at Brooklands.

The 2011 race was the first to use the new Silverstone Wing, a state-of-the-art pit complex that moved the start line from before Copse all the way to the new Abbey. It provides 41 garages, race control, a podium and media centre as well as hospitality and VIP spectator areas.

4. Track stats

The circuit is now 3.660 miles long – 750 metres more than the old layout, which was also four seconds faster – and features 18 corners. The current lap record is Mark Webber’s 1m33.401 from 2011.

5. On the border

The track is on the border of Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire. It was previously classed as being in the former county, but the new pit straight has meant that it is now classified as being in the latter.

6. Clark and Prost top wins list

Jim Clark and Alain Prost are the most successful drivers at the British Grand Prix. Both have won the event five times, with Nigel Mansell taking victory on home turf four times. From the current grid, Fernando Alonso has finished first at Silverstone twice, while Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg have all won the event once.

7. Ferrari out front

Ferrari has won the British Grand Prix 15 times – more than any constructor in F1 history. Alonso was their most recent victor in 2011. McLaren is next up on 14 triumphs, following by Williams with 10, and Lotus with 8.

One incident that stands out in the history of the race is 2003’s track invasion, after a man dressed as an Irish priest stormed the circuit with banners featuring religious messages. He was tackled by a brave marshal, with the safety car being deployed, and was later sent to jail for two months.

9. A popular race

The British Grand Prix is one of the most well attended on the calendar, with 120,000 people flocking to Silverstone last year for the race – the third highest figure of all time at the track. The total attendance figure was 294,000 last year. The fans are some of the most enthusiastic on the calendar and will be hoping for a good result for home heroes Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Max Chilton.