Just over 100 km from London is Silverstone, home to one of the oldest and most iconic circuits in Grand Prix history. Since 1950, it has been the venue for the first race of the world’s premier motor racing class – the first Formula 1 World Championship.
On May 13th of that year, Giuseppe Farina at the wheel of his Alfa Romeo 158 won the first F1 Grand Prix at Silverstone, in front of thousands of spectators including His Royal Highness King George VI – who presented the first prize to Farina, – Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret and guests Lord and Lady Mountbatten.
On the track were Thailand’s Prince Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandh, better known as Prince Bira, who raced a Maserati 4CLT/48, Swiss Baron Emmanuel ‘Toulo’ of Graffenried in the same car and Belgian Johnny Claes, a well-known jazz musician, who took part in the event in a Talbot-Lago T26C.
Currently, the circuit is the 3rd fastest due to its layout and cornering characteristics, which allow drivers to reach average speeds of 229 km/h (155 mph). This has been demonstrated by Britain’s Lewis Hamilton, who achieved the record for the fastest lap on this circuit at just 1 minute 24 seconds in 2020 and has won 8 races so far.
Ferrari is the team with the most victories at Silverstone, with a total of 18, followed closely by the British McLaren with 14 triumphs.
The pole position for the 73rd race was taken by Max Verstappen at the wheel of Red Bull in a time of 1:25:16.938. The 2nd and 3rd places were intense and contested, but Lando Norris at the helm of McLaren heroically avoided the overtaking of his compatriot Lewis Hamilton in Mercedes and left him in 3rd place on the podium.
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Aston Martin turns 110 and celebrates at home with a commemorative lap
This distinguished brand of luxury and high-performance sports cars was created in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford.
To celebrate 11 decades of history, a total of 110 cars of the British brand paraded through the Silverstone Circuit before the race. The caravan included cars from all eras, setting a new record for the number of Aston Martin on track at the same time, and the crowd was treated to models ranging from the oldest surviving ‘A3’ to the latest production model, ‘DB12,’ the world’s first Super Tourer.
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“In a season where Aston Martin has risen to become a new force in Formula One, there is no place or time more fitting for our celebrations to take centre stage than here at our home race at Silverstone where we’ll receive huge support this weekend,” said Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman of Aston Martin.
The event attracted both Aston Martin fans and owners who travelled from around the world to take part in the commemorative lap, set off from the new AMR Technology Campus and allowed visitors the opportunity to explore a unique collection of the iconic British brand.
The Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One™ Team at Silverstone will drive new race-road collaboration technologies in the future with the creation of a wind tunnel and a state-of-the-art simulation facility, scheduled for completion by the end of 2024, which has the potential to be used by Aston Martin Lagonda in developing its high-performance products.
Without a doubt, the best way to celebrate is to have a place on the podium, until today, the Asturian Fernando Alonso has achieved six podiums in nine races and is currently in 3rd place in the overall drivers’ standings.
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