Silverstone Archives

F1 – Highlights of the 2019 British Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton’s victory at Silverstone this year is his sixth British GP win, the most of any driver in the race.
Sebastian Vettel rammed into Max Verstappen’s car on lap 37 but the Ferrari driver acknowledged it was his fault and apologized to Verstappen at the end of the race. He was given a 10-second penalty which dropped his finishing position to 15th, and 2 penalty points on his racing licence.
Despite the dramatic incident, Vettel and Verstappen completed the race with the Red Bull driver collecting 10 points for his 5th placing.
Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen – both driving for the American Rich Energy Haas F1 Team – never had a chance to race this weekend as they collided in the first corner and had to retire as the damage was too severe.
The duel between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen received praise as the two drivers showed gentlemanly behavior even as they challenged each other.
Kimi Raikkonen’s 8th placing at the British GP brings him points for a third consecutive race but not without having to work hard. The car still lacks speed on the straights, he said.
Lewis Hamilton revealed that he ‘went easy’ on Valtteri Bottas because they are team mates, even though they compete hard against each other and Bottas certainly would like to win the championship. “When you’re racing with a team-mate it’s on a different level. If I were racing a Ferrari, you take more risks. Still respectful, but you can lean on them a bit more but as team-mates, we sit down at the beginning of the race, we talk about Turn One and how we’re going to respect each other,” Hamilton said at the post-race press conference.

Next round in Germany on July 28

F1 – 2019 British Grand Prix Preview

Race starts at 2:10 pm UK time/9:10 pm Malaysian time

Round 10 of the 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship sees teams and drivers travel to the English Midlands and Silverstone Circuit, home of the British Grand Prix. This year’s event marks the 70th F1 World Championship British Grand Prix. Silverstone has hosted the event the most times (53, including 2019) with Brands Hatch and Aintree being the other venues in earlier years. Silverstone and the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) have announces that the British Grand Prix will continue to be held at the venue until at least the end of 2024. The agreement between Formula 1, the BRDC and Silverstone Circuit was signed yesterday in London.

A true power circuit, more than 60% of a 5.891-km lap of Silverstone is taken at full throttle. A strong favourite with drivers and fans, its popularity, however, does not solely rest on the speeds reached. Instead, it’s the circuit sequences of fast and flowing corners that thrill both competitors and spectators alike.

The track is also famous for being demanding on tyres which, in the past, has led Pirelli to bring its hardest compounds to cope with wear rates. The tyre supplier has maintained that practice this year, choosing it C1 compound as the hard tyre, the C2 compound as its medium compound and the C3 compound as the soft option.

*The Silverstone circuit was the reference circuit for the layout of the Batu Tiga Circuit in Malaysia which was opened in 1968.*

Resurfaced track adds complications
Complicating matters for teams and drivers, however, is the fact that the entire track has been resurfaced for the second time in two years following issues during last year’s MotoGP event here. Understanding the new surface will be one of the major tasks of the weekend as teams build towards an ideal race set-up.

This is Lewis Hamilton’s home race and he once again goes into today’s race bidding to take the outright record for most British Grand Prix wins. The 34-year old Mercedes-AMG driver currently shares the record of five with Jim Clark and Alain Prost.

Where constructors are concerned, Ferrari has collected the most wins in the British GP. Including last year’s victory by Sebastian Vettel, they have 17 wins, three more than McLaren, with Williams in third place on 10. Alfa Romeo, having a presence in F1 again, won the inaugural championship event in 1950.

Championship positions before Round 10
Approaching the mid-point of the 2019 season, Hamilton has a 31-point lead in the Drivers’ standings over team-mate Valtteri Bottas. Victory at the last race in Austria moved Max Verstappen up to third place. The young Red Bull Racing star now has 126 points, three ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.

Although the 25 points won by Mercedes-AMG in Austria represented the team’s lowest single-race points haul of the season, they still hold a commanding lead in the Constructors’ Championship. The team starts the race today with 363 points in hand, 135 ahead of Ferrari. Meanwhile, victory for Red Bull Racing at their home race in Austria edged the team slightly closer to Ferrari and they now lie 59 points behind the Italian outfit. McLaren is in fourth place with a healthy 20-point gap to fifth-placed Renault.

Aston Martin Valkyrie makes first public run at Silverstone

“Aston Martin Valkyrie continues to redefine what you and I recognise as a hypercar, possessing unrivalled levels of performance in a package that is technologically beyond anything else. “

Andy Palmer, Aston Martin Lagonda President & Group CEO

The Aston Martin Valkyrie has broken cover after making its dynamic public debut in front of an enthusiastic crowd ahead of the 2019 British Grand Prix. Piloted by Aston Martin High Performance Test Driver Chris Goodwin, the 740 Nm/1,160 bhp (at 10,500 rpm) machine, took to Silverstone’s world-famous Grand Prix circuit for its first public demonstration run. With the focus not on outright lap time, today’s showcase offered a glimpse of what is to come from this extraordinary hypercar.

Following months of digital modelling and simulation work alongside both Aston Martin and Red Bull Advanced Technologies’ engineers, today’s drive is one of the first times that Aston Martin Valkyrie has been driven in the physical world – a testimony to the technological capability of the team’s cutting-edge development techniques.

World’s most extreme road car and platform
The Valkyrie is described as ‘the world’s most extreme road car and platform for a future FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) challenger’. Aston Martin will enter at least two works Valkyrie racing cars in the 2020/21 FIA World Endurance Championship. In line with the WEC’s confirmed ‘hypercar’ regulations designed to allow race-prepared derivatives of the world’s fastest road cars to fight at the forefront of world sportscar racing, the Valkyrie will draw on all the radical pillars of the road car and its track-only AMR Pro variant.

The car will feature a race-prepared version of its bespoke high-revving normally-aspirated 6.5-litre V12 engine. Placed within a lightweight carbonfibre structure, and featuring F1-inspired aerodynamic technology, it forms a fully competitive platform capable of challenging for outright race wins. It was created as a result of a technical and strategic collaboration between Aston Martin, Red Bull Advanced Technologies and project partner AF Racing.

“I’ve driven this car around Silverstone for countless hours on the simulator at Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s HQ and in many other sportscars throughout my career, but to drive Aston Martin Valkyrie here today feels exceptionally special. Of course, we still have a lot of development work to go but we can now begin to really push the physical testing process and realise the capabilities of what we have developed over the past months. Putting that aside, today has brought a real smile to my face and I hope that the crowds watching from the stands enjoyed it as much as I did,” Chris Goodwin said on completing the lap.

The 150 road-going Valkyries are sold out, with first deliveries commencing in before the end of 2019.

Porsche cars sold at record pace at Silverstone

At the recent Silverstone Auctions that was organised in association with Porsche Club GB, over £2.5 million (RM 14 million) changed hands in about 3 hours during the sale of several Porsche cars. The bidders comprised of enthusiast from all over the world including Denmark, Poland and Indonesia.

It was a successful day because 64% of all cars at the auction were sold, some for significantly more than their estimate prices suggested. Bids were placed from the auction floor, online and by phone for the converted 1992 Porsche 911 (964) RS Touring.

The car, one of only 6 in the UK, sold for £219,375 (RM1,221,719), which is about £34,375 (RM 191,437) more than the original estimate. But the most expensive Porsche sold during that day was a 1998 Porsche 911 (993) Turbo S, which went for a whopping £253,125 (RM 1,409,675).

Other notable mentions include a 1962 Porsche 356B ‘Super 90’ Cabriolet that fetched £163,125 (RM 908,457), 1968 Porsche 911 SWB for £92,250 (RM 513,748) and a 1988 Porsche 911 Supersport (SSE) 3.2 Carrera Targa, which sold for £103,500 (RM 576,400).

“It was a remarkably successful auction, helped enormously by the quality of the cars on offer and the tremendous support of Porsche Club GB,” says Nick Whale, managing director of Silverstone Auctions. “I’m grateful to all our vendors and bidders, and very proud of my team for putting together such a fantastic catalog of stunning Porsches.”

Apart from this, many more Porsche cars were sold during the day and if you would like to know morea bout them, CLICK HERE.

We covered the history behind several of the priciest Porsche cars that were sold at auction and a few others that weren’t that special. The Silverstone Auctions is an annual event held in the UK that brings together avid enthusiasts and collectors to bid on some of the most expensive and coveted cars ever made.

Finest Porsche cars head to Silverstone Auctions

Silverstone Auctions is collaborating with the world’s biggest car club, Porsche Club GB, for an event that will see 59 of the finest Porsche vehicles roll onto the auction floor, which is sure to garner quite a bit of attention.

These vehicles range from an entry-level 2003 Porsche 911 (996) Carrera 2 Tiptronic, right up to a prestine 1998 Porsche 911 (993) Turbo S. That said, out of the 59 cars, 3 of them a little more special then the rest and should fetch a significant amount of money over the reserve price.

First off is the Turbo S, which is 1 of 26 built in right-hand drive, and is considered one of the most desirable and powerful version of the 993 generation. estimated at £245,000 – £285,000, (RM1,372,478 to RM1,596,556) it features one of the last of the air-cooled generation engines, the car boasts 450bhp , Ocean blue body colour with a grey leather and carbon-fibre clad interior.

The second car, is a 1985 Porsche 911 (930) Turbo SE that is owned by Glenn Tipton, lead guitarist of the legendary rock band, Judas Priest. He has owned the car since new and happens to be very fond of it. In fact, this was the very car that was the inspiration for the platinum-selling album ‘Turbo’, and the hit single ‘Turbo Lover’, both penned by Tipton.

Despite his fondness for it, Tipton has decided to sell his prized possession and probably move on to something else. The car has an estimated value of between £180,000 – £220,000 (RM1,008,351 to RM1,232,430) and should fetch a similar figure at auction.

Lastly, one of the rarest cars at Silverstone, is a 1992 Porsche 911 (964) RS Touring. It is one of six UK-supplied cars that are in right-hand drive and has a black body colour as well as a black interior. It is an extremely desirable vehicle that has been featured in several specialist magazines and road tests, estimated value is between £185,000 – £210,000 (RM1,036,361 to RM1,176,410).

Silverstone Auctions will take place on the 21st of October and will see 59 Porsche cars roll on and off the auction floor with substantial money changing hands as they are are sold to their new owners.

Sir Patrick Stewart to race at Silverstone Classic

Sir Patrick Stewart, a legendary hollywood actor, will be taking part in the upcoming Silverstone Classic. The 76-year old who has starred as Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films has just passed his official ARDS racing drivers’ test.

This means that he is now eligible to compete in a special Celebrity Challenge Trophy Race at Silverstone in July of this year. Drivers will be piloting competition-prepared Austin A30 and A35 sedans harking back to the late 1950s. The race will be split into two parts, the owners of the Austins will qualify on Friday and race on Sunday. The celebrities on the other hand, will go wheel-to-wheel in their classic rides on Saturday.

The reason why these classic cars were adopted for this racing series a few years ago by the Historic Racing Drivers Club (HRDC) as a cost-effective route to historic racing. More than 50 cars have been built so far, which should make for an exciting race come July.

Speaking of passing his driver test, Sir Patrick Stewart, said, “It was a lot of fun. For someone who has followed motor racing since being a teenager, to drive around Silverstone and negotiate such legendary corners as Becketts and Stowe is just such a thrill.”

Other celebrities who will be taking part in the Silverstone race include Olympic gold medalists Mark Hunter MBE, Jason Kenny CBE, Greg Searle MBE, Jonny Searle MBE and Amy Williams MBE, bike racing world champions Wayne Gardner and Freddie Spencer, former England test cricket captain Mike Gatting OBE, Dragon’s Den TV star Theo Paphitis, former Top Gear presenter Tiff Needell, Wheeler Dealer’s Ant Anstead and adventurer Charley Boorman.

Silverstone in July will be amazing for those living in the UK, and hopefully, for Sir Patrick Stewart as well. Stay tuned and we will let you know more as soon as we find out.