Formula 1 doesn’t miss a beat as the paddock stays put at Silverstone for the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix

Following the British Grand Prix, F1 extends its stay at Silverstone. This week commences Round Five of the 2020 Formula One World Championship commemorating the 70th Anniversary. The event has been named in celebration of the inaugural World Championship, the first event of which was the British Grand Prix on May 13th 1950.

The circuit is noted for its fast, flowing corners. But the intricacies of the lower-speed ‘Arena2 section between Abbey and the Wellington Straight are often where time is to be gained or lost. Silverstone is a difficult circuit on which to overtake and qualifying position is frequently paramount. Just last week, Lewis Hamilton managed to maintain his lead from pole position throughout the entire race to record a 7th British Grand Prix win.

British GP Highlights

Silverstone Circuit

Length of Lap: 5.891km

Lap Record: 1:27.097 (Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 2020)

Total number of race laps: 52

Total race distance: 306.198km

Pitlane speed limits: 80km/h

Circuit Notes

• A new 23m section of kerb with taper has been installed at the exit of T13 to help drivers adhere to track limits.
• A tyre barrier approximately 36m long has been installed at the rear of the Turn 11 run-off area.
• The apex kerb at Turn 14 has been extended approximately 30m back towards the exit of Turn 13.

 

70th Anniversary Schedule

Friday 7th August 2020

Free Practice 1: 12:00pm – 1:30pm CET (11:00am-12:30pm local)
Free Practice 2: 4:00pm – 5:30pm CET (3:00pm-4:30pm local)

Saturday 8th August 2020

Free Practice 3: 12:00pm – 1:00pm CET (11:00am-12:00pm local)
Qualifying: 3:00pm – 4:00pm CET (2:00pm-3:00pm local)

Sunday 9th August 2020

Race: 3:10pm CET (2:10pm local)

 

Weather Forecast

Hotter temperatures and softer tyres could give us a race similar to the closing stages of last weekend’s dramatic ending and the teams will be considering a two-stop race to be safe.

The C2, C3 and C4 compounds will be in use and are the same as those used in Hungary and both of the Austria races. What will be different though is the raising of tyre pressure limits on the advice of Pirelli itself.

Could the alteration provide a mix-up on strategy to bring Red Bull into the hunt, or is Mercedes on top of its car in the summer heat?

 

Formula 1 Standings

Driver Standings

After four rounds, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has a commanding lead of 30 points in the race for the Drivers’ Championship. His closest rival is team-mate Valtteri Bottas, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen a further six points back.

DRIVER STANDINGS – AFTER FOUR ROUNDS

Hamilton extends his lead at the top

Verstappen closes the gap to Bottas in P2#BritishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/BfKqFBaJdV

— Formula 1 (@F1) August 2, 2020

Constructor Standings

Mercedes have an equally daunting advantage in the Constructors’ table, enjoying a 68-point lead over Red Bull. Behind them, a far more closely-fought battle is being played out between McLaren, Ferrari, Racing Point and Renault. After a good showing last weekend, Renault may outscore their rivals and close the gap.

POS	TEAM	PTS
1	MERCEDES	146
2	RED BULL RACING HONDA	78
3	MCLAREN RENAULT	51
4	FERRARI	43
5	RENAULT	32
6	RACING POINT BWT MERCEDES	27
7	ALPHATAURI HONDA	13
8	ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI	2
9	HAAS FERRARI	1
10	WILLIAMS MERCEDES	0

Betting Tips

Mercedes’ dominance so far this season is likely to continue throughout the campaign. They have the fastest car considerably and drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas sit first and second respectively in the Drivers’ Standings, sharing the four-race wins so far this season between them.

It’s no surprise then to see the Mercedes duo as the favourites for Sunday’s race, with Hamilton leading the betting at 4/11 and Bottas following behind at 7/2.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen came close to an unlikely victory last week following the punctures to both Mercedes and has managed to put himself on the front row of the grid twice already this season. Whether he has the pace to outdo his rivals this weekend remains to be seen, but he is 8/1 to claim victory.

 

 

Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Date	Event	Location
1	03-05 July	Austrian GP	Red Bull Ring
2	10-12 July	Styrian GP	Red Bull Ring
3	17-19 July	Hungarian GP	Hungaroring
4	31-02 July-August	British GP	Silverstone
5	07-09 August	70th Anniversary GP	Silverstone
6	14-16 August	Spanish GP	Barcelona
7	28-30 August	Belgian GP	Spa
8	04-06 September	Italian GP	Monza
9	11-13 September	Tuscan GP	Mugello
10	25-27 September	Russian GP	Sochi Autodrom
11	09-11 October	German GP	Nurburgring
12	23-25 October	Portuguese GP	Algrave Autodromo

 

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