British Grand Prix: Preview

Silverstone is where the journey began for the Formula 1 World Championship, when the converted wartime airfield on the Northamptonshire/Buckinghamshire border hosted the inaugural event on May 13, 1950.

Formula 1’s British Grand Prix has been on the calendar every season and since 1987 it has been held at Silverstone. The majority of the layout remains traceable to the version initially utilized in 1950, though the circuit has evolved to keep pace with modern standards. 

Silverstone is renowned for its fast and flowing layout that provides a stiff test for teams and drivers. Phenomenally fast turns such as Abbey, Copse and the Maggotts/Becketts complex require inch-perfect driving while these high-energy corners also place an extreme stress on tires, particularly the front-left on a clockwise layout.

Silverstone has been the scene of countless iconic moments throughout Formula 1 history, with shock moments, surprise victors and scintillating side-by-side racing. The traditional British summer can also have an influence on proceedings and provide opportunities.  

Haas F1 Team drivers Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher have both racked up substantial experience at Silverstone. Magnussen has participated in seven Formula 1 events at Silverstone, recording a high of seventh in 2014, while Schumacher made his British Grand Prix debut in 2021 following previous visits in Formula 2 and Formula 3.

Guenther Steiner – Team Principal of Haas F1 Team

One positive from the Canadian Grand Prix weekend was that on Saturday during qualifying, the car exceeded expectations with Mick and Kevin clearly having confidence in the VF-22 to equal the teams’ best-ever qualifying result. What did you make of the performance?

“Saturday was a fantastic day for the whole team as everything was executed well – it’s never perfection until you’re P1 and P2 – but for where we are, to have the best qualifying result after quite a few difficult weekends, is very good. It was executed by the whole team – drivers, engineers, mechanics – fantastically. It was a very good day.”

 

Does the team understand why the VF-22 performs so well in wet conditions – as we’ve seen a couple of times this season already, notably at Imola and Montreal?

“I would say the car in general is pretty good. Where we struggle most is on high-speed circuits, low-downforce and when it rains, even on a high-speed circuit, it’s not as important as when it’s dry. I think we just executed it well. The car goes pretty well, and we’ve got two good drivers, so I don’t think we have any big secret about the car going quick in the wet.”

We head to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix next, a fan-favorite on the calendar. It marks the home event for many team members and will be the first time the Haas ‘Family Day’ has been held since 2019, where drivers can spend time with the team and their families away from track. How important is it to you to host such events given the hectic non-stop nature of the Formula 1 calendar and the demands placed on team personnel?

“It’s very good that once again we can do our family event. We haven’t had anything since COVID hit in 2020. We were planning our Christmas event but last year we had to cancel it at very short notice because there was a surge in cases in December 2021, so I’m very happy that we can finally have the families around with the team just to enjoy a good time. It is very important because a lot of the team is travelling a lot and it’s good that the whole company can show their family what they’re doing and why they’re working so hard and why they’re not always at home like a lot of parents who come home after an 8-5 day. I really look forward to seeing all the family members as there is a record attendance planned.”

 

We’re set for four races in July ahead of the mandatory FIA summer-break in August.  Is it beneficial to have that intensity of racing to keep both the drivers and the team focused ahead of the break?

“It’s not about keeping the focus but because we have 22 events, we need to get them in at some stage and I think having them bunched up before the break is better than after the break. It will be pretty intense but hopefully we’ll get some good results so hopefully the intensity won’t be as bad as when you have not-so-good results. I’m sure the team will be tired after the four but then we have a few weeks to recharge our batteries.”