The British Grand Prix returns this weekend and will see F1 and F1 Academy drivers speed their way around the infamous Silverstone track.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of what will hopefully be a weekend full of exciting racing.
After the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend, Kimi Antonelli still leads the drivers’ championship with 171 points.
Mercedes teammate George Russell is close behind in second and seven-time world championship winner Lewis Hamilton is third in the standings.
Maia Rowe-Sampson is one half of the motorsports content creator duo @maniaonboard where they share F1 opinions and behind-the-scenes interviews with their 50,000 followers on Instagram alone.
When asked what to expect at the British Grand Prix this year, she said: “This weekend will be unpredictable. Drivers are unsure how it will go, as the new regulations are likely to change the racing at Silverstone.
“I’m hoping for a Lewis Hamilton win, as it’s so special when he wins in Silverstone. This will really shake up the standings.”
Lewis Hamilton won his first race for Ferrari in Barcelona three weeks ago making him the 41st winner in the team’s history.
He last won at Silverstone in 2024 when he still drove for Mercedes – it was a record-breaking ninth win for a single circuit.
2026 also marks F1 Academy’s debut at the British Grand Prix where we’ll finally see an all-female driver lineup on the iconic Silverstone track.
This will be their third round of a six-race season, having already raced in Shanghai for the opener and then Montreal.
Currently, British driver Alisha Palmowski is first in the standings ahead of Emma Felbermayr and Megan Bruce.
Rowe-Sampson said: “I’m very excited to see F1 Academy at Silverstone. There is so much support for the series in the UK, and the track is so technically challenging.
“F1 Academy produces genuinely good racing, and I know they’ll have plenty of support.”
Silverstone is an iconic and beloved grand prix that has been around since the inaugural F1 season back in 1950.
Located in Northamptonshire, the track is known for being one of the fastest on the calendar.
But four-time world champion Max Verstappen said that with the new regulations, “it felt like a different track” on the simulator.
Rowe-Sampson added: “It looks like it’s going to be hot – so the racing will be different to last year, where it was super rainy. This is very unusual for Silverstone, so we should see a unique weekend.”
This weekend is also a sprint weekend so there will be opportunities for drivers to gain valuable points on Saturday and Sunday.
F1 Academy’s feature race will be at 10am on Sunday and F1’s Grand Prix will take place at 3pm on the same day.
Featured image credit: Imogen Mingos
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