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Formula 1 British GP: Another Chapter in Verstappen vs Norris?

Formula 1 returns to the track where it all began in 1950. Read DRC’s preview for the 2024 Formula 1 British GP.

As the Verstappen-Norris rivalry reaches its boiling point, the British GP will be crucial to see how the two drivers react to the Austria incident on and off the track going forward. Mercedes and McLaren will hope to continue their upward streak while Ferrari will try to return to being competitive.

Read the Austrian GP Review here.

Know The Circuit

The British GP has been on the F1 calendar ever since the inception of the championship in 1950. From 1950 to 1986, the venue rotated between Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Aintree. In 1987, the event permanently settled at the Silverstone Track. The site of this circuit was used as an airfield by the RAF between 1943 and 1946.

Layout of the Silverstone track
Credits: formula1.com

Silverstone is one of the most famous circuits on the F1 calendar. In recent years, it has produced some memorable racing moments like Hamilton winning the race on only three wheels in 2020, the Hamilton – Verstappen crash at the Copse corner in 2021, the horrific crash of Zhou Ghuanyu and Sainz’s first F1 victory in 2022.

This track has two DRS zones, but unlike most tracks on the F1 calendar, the pit straight is not one of them. The second sector consists of some famous high-speed corners like Copse, Maggots and Becketts, and Chapel. Watching the drivers swiftly making their way through this section is a treat for the eyes. The old pit straight or the Hanger Straight is the second DRS zone of the circuit and ends in the Stowe corner which gave us the three-car battle between Hamilton, Leclerc, and Perez in 2022. The 2024 British GP will be 52 laps around this 5.891 km track.

Will Redbull Domination Return?

In the last few races, Redbull hasn’t been performing at the same level as that at the start of the season. McLaren has started catching up in the Constructors’ Championship. In the last 5 races, McLaren has scored 131 points while Redbull has scored only 107 points. The two factors responsible for this are the progress that McLaren is making and Checo’s consistently poor performances for Redbull. This weekend, it would be interesting to see if Redbull can outscore Mclaren and extend their lead in the Constructors’ Championship which is now down to 87 points.

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Mercedes and McLaren Improving

Leading to their home race, both, Mercedes and McLaren have shown significant progress in their pace. McLaren has consistently been on the podium for the last seven races and now poses a considerable threat to Red Bull in the Constructors Championship. The Woking outfit has brought arguably the fastest car to the track in the last couple of races.

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Meanwhile, Mercedes have also been making their way up the field. They are now closer to the sharp end of the field as compared to the start of the season. They are showcasing their progress by achieving pole positions, podiums, and, now, even a win in Austria. Promising performances from these teams only mean an exciting Championship battle, come the end of the season.

Farrari Woes

As Mercedes and McLaren continue to show improvements, Ferrari seems to have dropped away since their outstanding performances in Monaco and Australia. They are having trouble regarding the on-track pace as well as the strategy department. If they do not get their act together, their Championship hopes may not last for long.

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Benchmark for Backmarkers

Haas and RB have pretty much been setting the benchmark for the rest of the teams with Haas scoring double points in the Austrian GP and Ricciardo scoring for RB. Even Alpine has been scoring points consistently in recent races. Williams has been on the back foot while Sauber remains the only team yet to score points.

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Actually, there is a marginal pace difference in these teams, but the midfield is so close, that everyone has to be on their A-game to take away some points from a weekend. This is what provides for exciting racing throughout the field. Let’s hope that this wheel-to-wheel action continues at Silverstone as well.

Schedule and Where To Watch

All sessions this weekend can be watched on F1TV as well as Fancode. The timings of the sessions are given below in IST.

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