★ British Grand Prix

01Pourquoi c'est important

This is the oldest continuously significant fixture in Formula 1 and the one with the deepest domestic audience; most of the grid designs and builds its cars within an hour of the gates. In our reading it is the calendar's best pure motor race for an ordinary spectator.

02La semaine environnante

The area fills from Wednesday, when the campsites open and the road network begins to strain; Towcester, Buckingham and Banbury run at capacity, with Oxford and Milton Keynes taking the overflow. Silverstone runs one of Europe's busiest temporary heliports for three days.

03Quand arriver

Thursday for campers, Friday morning for everyone else; leave Monday, because car park egress on Sunday evening is measured in hours.

04Où séjourner

There is no town at Silverstone, so it is camping on site or staying at distance: Towcester and Brackley are closest, Banbury and Milton Keynes have more rooms, Oxford is the pleasant option at an hour, and London is viable at ninety minutes.

05Accès et hospitalité

Silverstone publishes an unusually wide ladder: general admission, enclosures, grandstands, a raised stand and a circuit explorer product, plus named hospitality lounges and clubs, with Formula 1's Paddock Club at the round.

06Où se déroule l'activité sociale

Inside the circuit, the hospitality village behind the pits and the fan zones; outside it, the pubs of Towcester and Buckingham and the Cotswold hotels an hour west.

07Comment s'y rendre

08Informations pratiques

09Historique

Racing began here in 1948 on the wartime airfield, and the circuit held the first World Championship Grand Prix on 13 May 1950. The race rotated with Aintree and Brands Hatch before settling permanently in 1987. The circuit is owned by the British Racing Drivers' Club.

10Qui s'y trouve

A large and knowledgeable British crowd, much of it camping; the surrounding engineering industry; European visitors on a short trip; and sponsors in the hospitality village.