The 2023 F1 Season heads to an old favourite and sort-of the home of F1 racing given so many team are based there or nearby. Talking of near-misses here is our 2023 British F1 Grand Prix Preview.
The Gurgler’s 2023 British F1 Grand Prix Preview brings some thoughts on the race itself, a few bold predictions here and there, a few barely interesting stats.
Essentially a quick summary of what a casual F1 fan needs in the shortest possible time.
If you squint at the above track map enough, it actually looks like one of the bulls from the Red Bull logo.
Back to the circuit now in terms of racing and it is a good example of modernising without completely trashing it. The best corners are kept like the weaving Maggots, Becketts, Chapel and down the Hangar straight through Stowe corner.
The old first corner Copse is still a huge corner, and place of the huge accident for Max Verstappen v Lewis Hamilton in their season of hate in 2021.
The new parts are quite good too, with a fast section just after the start and a tight corner set first for first corner over-ambition.
The only downside is Club corner, that needs to be sped up, and there’s not much overtaking into it anyway.
But what a track.
2023 Austrian F1 Grand Prix Preview – Race Rating
The Gurgler does like to use some obscure drivers in our Race previews and report, so who better to use than Teo Fabi to determine a race rating system.
So before each race we give a rating out of ten for four key category that are loosely based on each letter of Teo Fabi’s surname. Don’t know who Teo Fabi is, you should.
FAST? 10/10 – Approaching 250km/h average speed for a lap, that’s plenty fast, and so many great, fast corners.
ACTION? 8/10 – It is a track of action mostly. The big clash between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Last year’s edition where Alfa Romeo driver Guanyu Zhou ended up over the fence, and Ferrari’s strategy managed to throw up a new race winner. And thee’s loads of great races from history, a lot of them involving Nigel Mansell.
BIG HISTORY? – 10/10 It does pre-date the F1 World Championship…..The British Grand Prix has been a constant on the F1 calendar since the Championship started in 1950. The Silverstone track itself has been exclusive for the British Grand Prix since 1987, and has had a few makeovers in those years. Had a big history of being very good for British drivers
INCLEMENT WEATHER? – 9/10 It is England, so surely some chance of rain. And, according to The Weather Channel, there’s plenty of chances for that to happen. 78% chance for rain on Saturday with Thunderstorms, and 47% chance of rain on Sunday. Outstanding.
RACE RATING 93% – A classic track, a classic race, potential wet qualifying, plenty happening.
Want to know if your favourite driver for this weekend is a master of the track or the track is a master of them? Here then are some barely interesting facts and stats.
There’s almost too many stats and facts to bring you this week. Most stats go back to 2000. The long term historic facts are for Silverstone only.
- British drivers have won 24/56 of races at Silverstone.
- Drivers who have won the World Championship, or go on to win the World Championship have won 42/56 of races at Silverstone.
- Pole position has won the British GP at Silverstone 21 times in 56 races from 1950.
- In the 23 races since 2000 just eight pole sitters have gone on to win the race.
- Since 2000, the lowest grid slot a car has come from to win is sixth – Lewis Hamilton in 2014.
- Lewis Hamilton has secured nine straight podiums at the British GP. Seven are wins.
- It’s a race Max Verstappen has’t yet won a million of. Or won a race.
DRIVER GRID POSITION vs RACE RESULT FROM 2003 – CURRENT DRIVERS
TEAM GRID POSITION vs RACE RESULT FROM 2003
HISTORIC DRIVER RESULTS
99 = a DNF. Gird position 20 is overstated as that was also used for cars starting in pitlane.
RACE RESULTS FROM GRID POSITION
DNFs
- Lewis Hamilton to qualify on the front row of the grid, with Pole Position taken by Max Verstappen in the last 15 seconds of qualifying.
- Sergio Perez will choke in qualifying again.
- Nyck de Vries will be replaced by Daniel Ricciardo for the next race.
- Drivers stay away from George Russell at the first corner on the first lap.
- An intra team crash at the slow corner complex on the first lap.
- Logan Sargeant to spin off at Copse during the race.
- Nigel Mansell to be interviewed on grid walk.
- Lando Norris to start from fourth and finish fourth.
ALL RACE RESULTS – BRITISH GRAND PRIX
