One-quarter of the Formula 1 grid can call this weekend’s race their home event.
But one of them – George Russell – heads to Silverstone facing questions over his future in Formula 1 amid intensifying speculation Max Verstappen will take his place at Mercedes next year.
Will he or Lando Norris claim their first home win? Or might Lewis Hamilton somehow snatch a tenth? Here are the talking points for the British Grand Prix weekend.
Verstappen to replace Russell?
The drama which unfolded at Red Bull last year, the loss of top team staff including Adrian Newey plus the impending departure of Honda has made Verstappen an obvious target for rival teams for months if not years.
But while Aston Martin was long thought the likeliest destination for the four-times world champion, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is also known to have been pursuing him. A new report today claims Verstappen has agreed to join Mercedes, and board approval is now all that’s required.
If that comes to pass, Russell will surely have to make way. He is out of contract at the end of this season and rookie team mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli has impressed so far this season – his first-lap error in Austria aside.
If Russell is going to be on the market for a drive elsewhere next year, a good performance at home is exactly what he needs. He started from pole position last year and was in the hunt for victory until he was sidelined with a water leak.
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Norris the home favourite
Russell is one of two British drivers to have won a race so far this year, both of which are yet to taste victory on home asphalt.
As was the case last year, Lando Norris arrives at his home race second in the championship and clearly Silverstone’s best chance of seeing a home winner. He finished on the podium in the last two British grands prix and arrives home fresh from victory at the last round in Austria.
The expectations Norris will deliver a home victory will therefore be sky-high. There’s even the outside chance he could take the lead of the championship off his team mate on Sunday, which would no doubt thrill most – if not, all – of the Silverstone crowd.
But those expectations inevitably bring with them the pressure to perform – and Norris has already made too many confidence-sapping errors this year. He fared much better in Austria, aside from one notable slip-up during the race with almost allowed Oscar Piastri to pass him. Was that win a sign McLaren have succeeded in their efforts to make him more comfortable in the car?
Norris has demonstrated many times this year he has the qualifying and race pace to win. Whether he can cut out the avoidable errors in the full glare of the expectant Silverstone audience is another matter. If he can, hero status awaits.
Hamilton targets tenth triumph
Lewis Hamilton knows well what it’s like to show up for the British Grand Prix as the pre-race favourite. But that is not the case as he heads to his 20th Silverstone grand prix.
Over his first 11 appearances for Ferrari, Hamilton is yet to stand on a grand prix podium. Taking his first at home would undoubtedly be extra special, and his performance in Austria will have raised hopes that he might: Hamilton came in fourth, his best finish in red so far.
The chances of a home win for Hamilton look considerably more remote, especially if Red Bull and Mercedes return to their usual levels of competitiveness. But following his against-the-run-of-play victory last year, if he does manage to win again he will claim an unprecedented 10th victory in the same grand prix.
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Bumper crop of home drivers
Britain is by far the most well-represented country in the world championship these days and that looks likely to continue. Red Bull junior driver Arvid Lindblad, currently sixth in the Formula 2 standings, will make his first appearance in a free practice session this weekend at Red Bull.
Two more drivers who will be on the grid can call this their home round, including Oliver Bearman, racing in F1 at Silverstone for the first time. He picked up three consecutive points finishes earlier in the year for Haas and has been knocking on the door lately, finishing 11th in the last two rounds.
London-born, Thai-licensed racer Alexander Albon also has his closest thing to a home race this weekend – though plans are afoot to add a round in Bangkok in the near future. He and his team have faced a trying time of late, however.
Can Williams stop the rot?
Four races ago, Williams would have been anticipating a triumphant homecoming. The team banished the memories of their painful end to last season with a string of solid points finishes.
Albon led the charge, scoring in all bar one of the first eight grands prix including a trio of fifth places. Team mate Carlos Sainz Jnr has steadily found his feet at his new team, but hasn’t had the rub of the green at times.
However Williams’s performance has slumped badly over the last four rounds. While there has undoubtedly been a measure of misfortune at work, Sainz has also expressed concern they may have taken a misstep with their set-up somewhere along the lines.
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Whatever the cause, the team’s grasp on fifth place in the constructors’ championship no longer looks as secure as it once did. Racing Bulls have closed to within 19 points, having out-scored Williams 26-4 over the last four rounds.
After the pain of their double retirement at the Red Bull Ring, Williams will be craving a return to their earlier form on home ground.
Alpine cooling on Colapinto?
Franco Colapinto is returning to the track where he had his first run in an official Formula 1 session 12 months ago. Since then he’s done a stint racing for Williams, returned to the sidelines and been called up by Alpine to replace Jack Doohan for what they originally described as a five-round trial run.
Alpine said they would evaluate Colapinto’s performance ahead of the British Grand Prix and decide after then how to proceed. The team confirmed his participation in this weekend’s race with no fanfare.
How solid is its commitment to Colapinto? He failed to join team mate Pierre Gasly in Q3 at the Red Bull Ring, prompting concerning noises from acting team principal Flavio Briatore.
Meanwhile Alpine is placing another of its reserve drivers, Paul Aron, with rivals Sauber in practice sessions at two of the next three rounds (Belgium, a sprint event, being unsuitable). There are also reports it is keen to hire Valtteri Bottas from Mercedes.
These look like signs an axe is about to be swung. Could Colapinto fall victim to the kind of hasty judgement on his abilities which cost Doohan his drive in the first place?
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Eyes on the skies
Mercedes, based a short distance up the road from Silverstone, will have welcomed the change in conditions there is recent days. Last weekend was sweltering – the kind of conditions the W16 hates – but this weekend’s early forecast looks friendlier to them.
Instead of 30C-plus temperatures and constant sunshine, Silverstone looks set for cloudy skies, and patches of drizzle more likely than outbreaks of sunshine. A repeat of last year’s changeable conditions – which caught out this year’s favourites McLaren – may be on the cards.
Are you going to the British Grand Prix?
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Who do you think will be the team to beat in the British Grand Prix? Have your say below.
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