this Dutch star Max Verstappen (Red Bull) will push to extend his lead as the reigning Formula 1 world champion. Silverstone in England, a historic track that hosted the first F1 race in 1950, will host this weekend’s British Grand Prix, the tenth round of the season.
Regardless of the outcome, Mad Max, at 24, will still head the field at this famous Northamptonshire circuit after clinching his sixth win of the year just two Sundays ago in Canada, a result that also featured the last aggressive move by Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) who finished second. Verstappen leads the world championship with 175 points, 46 points ahead of his Mexican teammate Sergio Perez, who had to retire in Montreal, and 49 points ahead of Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, who sits fourth in the standings.
The young Dutch driver, already a 26-time winner in his career, remains one of the sport’s most consistent performers at the British Grand Prix. Alongside Italy, Verstappen is one of the few drivers to have started every Formula 1 season in the 72-year history of the series. He won at Silverstone two years ago, a reminder that this event has endured through the calendar shifts caused by the pandemic and remains one of the sport’s most storied races.
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Ferrari began the season strong and has steadily pressed forward in the early races. Verstappen and Red Bull still lead the Constructors’ World Championship with 304 points, while Sainz’s team sits in fifth overall with 102 points. Mercedes trails by 116 points in the constructors’ standings as the season progresses.
After securing a historic milestone by winning eight consecutive Constructors’ titles, the German outfit faced a tougher campaign this year, with its drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell each aiming for better results in Canada and beyond. Hamilton remains a strong force in the title fight, sitting fourth in the drivers’ standings, 64 points behind Verstappen.
Silverstone’s reputation as a fast and technically demanding circuit endures. The track runs 5,891 meters long with 18 corners (nine per side), and it is famed for the high-speed sections and iconic corners such as Maggotts, Becketts, and Chapel. The surface is abrasive, so teams choose compounds carefully, typically using the range from hard to soft depending on conditions and strategy: C1, C2, and C3 tyres. Free practice begins this Friday, followed by a traditional Saturday schedule that sets the starting grid for the 52-lap race, covering about 306.2 kilometers, on Sunday.
In Canada, Sainz and his compatriot Fernando Alonso (Alpine) shared the spotlight as Verstappen’s title defense appeared to confront renewed challenges. The Madrid-born driver held second on the grid in wet conditions and was on course for his first win in years, but Verstappen proved relentless. Alonso, who once dominated the sport with Renault and later Ferrari, faced reliability issues in the race weekend and saw his bid for a higher finish hampered by a timely safety car and a five-second penalty that dropped him to ninth, leaving him tenth in the championship with 18 points.
Sainz celebrated his fifth podium of the season in Canada, matching his best Silverstone finish from the previous year and staying firmly in the hunt for the title, 24 points behind Leclerc. He climbed from a difficult position in Montreal to secure a valuable points haul, despite penalties tied to power unit component changes.
Alonso marked a notable return to form for a driver who has two of Spain’s 32 career Formula 1 wins at Silverstone. He secured victories at this circuit in 2006 with Renault and 2011 with Ferrari, and the Brit circuit remains a preferred venue for the Asturian talent. He spoke warmly of Silverstone, describing it as a circuit that brings back fond memories and noting the significance of winning there for a country strongly associated with the sport.
Mexico’s Sergio Perez, whose Montreal race retirement did not dampen a stellar season, travels to Silverstone eager to rebound and chase a podium. He believes a reset after a tough race is essential and aims to rekindle momentum at a track where past success has already marked his career, including multiple podiums and a few wins in other venues this season.
Yet Verstappen’s legacy at Silverstone is a reminder of why the British Grand Prix matters. The Dutch driver currently holds eight British Grand Prix wins, a record that underscores his success at this particular track and the intense rivalry that has defined recent seasons. The circuit remains a magnet for fans and teams alike, with a history of dramatic races and competitive battles that define Formula 1 in the modern era.
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