05/07/2023
NEWS STORY
Lance: "We're super lucky to have Silverstone as the team's home race; it's an incredible classic circuit that we all enjoy driving and racing at.
"It's also a real power track, with so much of the lap taken at full throttle. The Maggots, Becketts, Chapel sequence is one of the very best on the calendar and driving it in this year's car will be something special. The focus this weekend has to be on keeping the momentum going from Austria as we look to retake second in the Constructors' Championship; I know the team will keep pushing hard and the home crowd is always great motivation."
Fernando: "We are fresh from Austria where we scored some good points as a team in what was a challenging weekend that had mixed weather conditions and the Sprint format.
"Now our focus is on our home race at Silverstone. It's always great to race around this historic circuit. I've been in the new Technology Campus this week and every time I'm here it's very impressive and an exciting place to work. It's a real signal of intent for the team's future. I'm excited to see what we can do just across the road in front of the British fans this weekend."
Insight and Speed with Cognizant
• Race interruptions: The Safety Car has been deployed in all but one Grand Prix held at Silverstone during the hybrid era. In that period, there have also been three red flags. However, Virtual Safety Car deployments are rare; there has been just one deployment at Silverstone.
• Overtaking: The overtaking difficulty is close to average. There have been 25 passes per race over the last five races - ignoring starts and restarts - and most of the passing takes place in the DRS zones, while Turns Three, Seven and 16 also offer opportunities.
• Strategy: The hardest tyres in the Pirelli range have been allocated this weekend. Generally, tyre degradation is low - despite high loads on the tyres through the fast corners. This often means the race is a one-stop event with a focus on keeping track position.
Unlocking the Lap
A short run to begin the lap and then it's flat-out through the opening corner, Abbey, and the following Farm corner. Turn Three is a hard braking right-hander and Turn Four is a tight-left hander. Getting the exit right is crucial for a rapid run down the following straight. Brooklands is a medium-speed left-hander that leads directly into Luffield, where the car threatens to run wide on the exit. Again, it's important to get a good run to blaze down Woodcote.
After the straight comes Copse, Turn Nine, which is a high-speed right-hander. This leads to the famous and blisteringly fast Maggots, Becketts, Copse and Chapel sequence: left, right, left, and a tighter right-hand bend complete the sequence that leads onto Chapel corner and the following Hangar Straight.
Finally, drivers shift down a couple of gears through the Stowe right-hander, hurtle down towards the final chicane and avoid losing traction on the exit to retain some momentum through the final Club Corner and down the start-finish straight.