British Grand Prix

The **British Grand Prix** is a Grand Prix motor race organised in the United Kingdom by the Royal Automobile Club. First held in 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 and has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Championship every year since 1950.

## History

### Brooklands (1926–1927)

The concrete Brooklands oval was constructed in 1907 near Weybridge, Surrey, just outside the British capital of London. It was the first purpose-built motor racing venue and one of the first airfields in the United Kingdom. Grand Prix motor racing first arrived in Britain in 1926, following Henry Segrave's victories in the 1923 French Grand Prix and the San Sebastián Grand Prix the following year, both in a Sunbeam Grand Prix car, which sparked domestic interest in the sport and demonstrated to the AIACR that the advances made in the British motor industry were worthy of hosting an international grand prix motor race. The inaugural British Grand Prix (officially known as the Grand Prix of the Royal Automobile Club) was held at Brooklands on August 7, 1926, and was won by Robert Sénéchal and Louis Wagner in a Delage 15 S 8. The second RAC Grand Prix was held at Brooklands on October 1, 1927, and was won by a Delage 15 S 8, this time driven by Robert Benoist.

Several non-championship races known as the Donington Grand Prix were held at Donington Park in Leicestershire near Derby in 1937 and 1938, attracting the best European teams, with the German Mercedes and Auto Unions dominating the action. The German Bernd Rosemeyer and the Italian Tazio Nuvolari (both driving mid-engined Auto Union cars) won this race in 1937 and 1938, respectively, but because the races were organised by the Derby & District Motor Club rather than by (or on behalf of) the Royal Automobile Club, they are not usually given the "British Grand Prix" title.

### Silverstone (1948–1954)

Brooklands had been severely damaged by the outbreak of World War II, and the circuit was abandoned. Most new British circuits were built on disused Royal Air Force airfields, and Silverstone, located on the Northamptonshire/Buckinghamshire border in central England, equidistant from London and Birmingham (the latter being the capital of the UK production car industry), was one of them. It held its first race, the Royal Automobile Club International Grand Prix, on October 2, 1948, and Italian Luigi Villoresi won in a Maserati. In 1949, the circuit was heavily modified and made extremely fast; it remained in this configuration for decades.

The World Championship of Drivers was established in 1950, and the 1950 British Grand Prix was the first World Championship Formula One race, complete with new regulations and six additional races in Europe. Giuseppe "Nino" Farina, driving an Alfa Romeo, won this race. King George VI was among the participants in the race. The 1951 race was especially exciting because it was the first F1 race that was not won by an Alfa Romeo; the gas-guzzling Italian cars were defeated by another Italian car, the more fuel-efficient Ferrari of Argentine José Froilán González, in what was the famed Scuderia's first Formula One victory. For the 1952 event, the original pits between Abbey and Woodcote were abandoned and demolished. A new pit complex was built between Woodcote and Copse corners; Alberto Ascari dominated this and the following year's race, while González won again in 1954 in a Ferrari.

### Silverstone and Aintree (1955–1962)

In 1955, the Formula One circus began alternating between Silverstone and the Aintree circuit, which is located on the Grand National horse racing course near Liverpool. Mercedes drivers Juan Manuel Fangio and home favourite Stirling Moss came to Aintree expecting to win. They took the lead at the start, and the two drivers battled throughout. Moss passed Fangio on the 26th lap, and he kept the lead for a while; however, Fangio fought back and was about to pass Moss on the final corner on the last lap, and everyone was certain Fangio would beat Moss to the chequered flag. But he didn't, and Moss won his first Formula One race at home. Moss later asked Fangio, "Did you let me through?" The Argentine responded, "No. "You were better than me that day." Mercedes finished 1-2-3-4, with German Karl Kling and Italian Piero Taruffi coming in third and fourth place, respectively.

Even-numbered years took place at Silverstone, while odd-numbered years, including 1962, were held at Aintree. In 1956, Fangio won in a Ferrari, and Moss won again in 1957 in a Vanwall; he took over his ill teammate Tony Brooks' car and stormed through the field to victory. This was the first Grand Prix victory for a British-built car, and British teams would soon dominate Formula One. In 1958, Peter Collins won in a Ferrari, Bernie Ecclestone was entered in a Connaught, but his car was driven by Jack Fairman, and in 1959 and 1960, Australian Jack Brabham won in a mid-engine Cooper. The last race at Aintree occurred in 1962, when Briton Jim Clark won his first of five British Grands Prix; Aintree was decommissioned in 1964.

### Silverstone and Brands Hatch (1963–1986)

The first Formula One race took place in 1964 at the southern English circuit known as Brands Hatch, which is located in ancient woodlands in Kent, just outside London. The track was built in the early 1950s and expanded in 1960 to accommodate the new Grand Prix course. Silverstone hosted the British Grand Prix in odd years and Brands Hatch in even years. Like Silverstone, the circuit was popular with drivers, but unlike the flat Northamptonshire circuit and Aintree, Brands Hatch had many cambered corners and varying elevation. Clark won the 1964 race at Silverstone and the following year's race, just as he had the previous year. Clark won another dominant race in 1967, and in 1968, there was a titanic battle between Swiss Jo Siffert in a Lotus and New Zealander Chris Amon in a Ferrari; Siffert won the race, his first of two victories in F1 on the circuit where he would die three years later in a non-championship event.

Another long-running battle between home favourite Jackie Stewart and Austrian Jochen Rindt occurred in 1969; despite the fact that Rindt had a loose rear wing and had to come into the pits to have it repaired, Stewart won the race in a Ford Cosworth-powered Matra for Ken Tyrrell. Rindt won the 1970 race after Brabham ran out of fuel near the end, and Stewart won again in a Tyrrell in 1971 (Ken Tyrrell had begun building his own cars). In 1973, however, a massive first lap accident at Woodcote wrecked 11 cars, including all three works Surtees. Amazingly, there were no deaths or fires, and the worst news was that Andrea de Adamich suffered career-ending ankle injuries. In 1974, Austrian up-and-comer Niki Lauda dominated the race in his Ferrari; however, a rear-tire puncture slowed his car, and rivals Jody Scheckter and Emerson Fittipaldi passed Lauda to finish first and second.

In 1975, a chicane was added to Woodcote to slow cars going through the very high-speed corner; this was another race of variables as a rainstorm hit the track and a number of drivers, including Scheckter and Briton James Hunt hydroplaned off the track at the same corner, and Fittipaldi won the race after it was called short. Brands Hatch also changed in 1976, with the fearsome Paddock Hill bend being tamed, the South Bank corner becoming a left-hand apex rather than a long hairpin, and Bottom Straight being moved further south to allow for the expansion of the pits and paddock area. This race proved to be very controversial, as home favourite Hunt won but was later disqualified due to a protest from Ferrari and other teams about Hunt failing to complete the first lap of the race, and second-placed Lauda took the victory. In 1977, Hunt won without controversy, and when F1 returned to Silverstone two years later, Australian Alan Jones lapped the circuit more than 6 seconds faster in his ground-effect Williams. His teammate Clay Regazzoni won the race, Williams' first Formula One victory. Jones won in 1980 after the Ligiers of Jacques Laffite and Didier Pironi retired; in 1981, French rising star Alain Prost thoroughly dominated the first part of the race in his Renault; and there was an accident involving Canadian Gilles Villeneuve at the Woodcote Chicane, which held up Briton John Watson; but Watson passed several cars and won the race, the first for a car with an all-carbon fibre chassis. Polesitter Keke Rosberg had to start from the back due to problems with his Williams, and he launched a charge that brought him far up the field; however, he retired, and there was another spectacular performance from Briton Derek Warwick in his underfunded Toleman; he managed to pass Pironi for second, but he also retired with a broken driveshaft; Austrian Lauda won.

Prost won his first of five British Grands Prix in 1983, and Briton Nigel Mansell drove brilliantly in his first outing in a turbocharged Lotus, starting 16th and finishing fourth. Lauda won again at Brands Hatch in 1984, when FISA president Jean-Marie Balestre announced that the Tyrrell team would be excluded from that year's championship due to fuel irregularities, and the restarted race following a massive accident at Bottom Bend sparked further controversy. Prost and Lauda had passed Brazilian Nelson Piquet on the final lap of the first race, but Piquet started ahead of the two McLaren drivers; regulations required that the grid positions be determined two laps before the restart was called; and an enraged Prost made disparaging remarks about his countryman Balestre.

Keke Rosberg set the all-time Formula One qualifying lap record for 17 years in 1985, posting the fastest qualifying time for the race at an average speed of 258.983 km/h (160.925 mph). Silverstone, which was already a fast circuit, was becoming even faster, with cars lapping it in the low one-minute range. The race was exciting, with Brazilian rising star Ayrton Senna starting from fourth place and taking the lead by the first corner. He led until late in the race, when his car ran out of fuel and Prost was pushing him hard; Senna eventually ran out of fuel, and Prost won. 1986 drew a large crowd because Mansell was a favourite to win; his newfound fame and position in a competitive team would help the British Grand Prix attract large crowds for several years. In this race, 42-year-old Jacques Laffite was involved in a first-corner accident and collided with the barriers, breaking both his legs and ending his Formula One career. Nigel Mansell, whose car broke down at the start of the first race, won the race in his teammate Piquet's spare car, despite the fact that it was the final F1 race at Brands Hatch. A number of people were concerned about the speeds of the cars on the small track, particularly the European Grand Prix held at Brands Hatch the previous year. The southern English circuit was becoming very fast--now with these 1,000 hp (750 kW)-plus, 1,180 lb (540 kg) cars, pole sitter Piquet's average qualifying speed was 226.085 km/h (140.483 mph), and his lap time was in the 1 minute 6-second range, compared to 1 minute 20 seconds in 1976. But Brands Hatch's demise was due to other factors: the international motorsports governing body at the time, Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA), had implemented a policy of long-term contracts for one circuit per Grand Prix. Brands Hatch was perceived as a poorer facility, and because the majority of the track was located in an old forest, it had very little run-off and room to expand, whereas Silverstone had acres. Silverstone and the BRDC signed a seven-year contract with Formula One and FISA in 1986, which was set to run from 1987 until 1993..

### Silverstone's Evolution (1987–present)

Silverstone was modified in 1987, with the removal of the Woodcote chicane and the construction of a new left-right chicane on the Farm Straight just before Woodcote. Silverstone's layout, like Brands Hatch's, had remained relatively unchanged since 1949.

This section is incomplete. If you'd like to help, please add the relevant information.

## Venues

 Aintree Racecourse
 Brands Hatch

Silverstone (1950–1951)Silverstone (1952–1954, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1973)Aintree Racecourse (1955, 1957, 1959, 1961–1962)Brands Hatch (1964, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974)Silverstone (1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985)Brands Hatch (1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986)Silverstone (1987–1988)Silverstone (1989)Silverstone (1990)Silverstone (1991–present)
## Winners

### Repeat winners (drivers)

*Drivers **in bold** are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season.*

### Repeat winners (constructors)

*Teams **in bold** are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season. A gold background represents an event that was part of the pre-war World Championship. A pink background represents an event that was not part of the Formula One World Championship.*

 5
  **Tyrrell** | 1971, 1974

### Repeat winners (engine manufacturers)

*Manufacturers **in bold** are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season. A gold background represents an event that was part of the pre-war World Championship. A pink background represents an event that was not part of the Formula One World Championship.*

 10
 4

### By year

*A gold background represents an event that was part of the pre-war World Championship. A pink background represents an event that was not part of the Formula One World Championship.*

## Notes

1. ↑ Official Programme, The Grand Prix of the R.A.C., Brooklands, 7 August 1926
2. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"The First British Grand Prix". *The Motor*. 10 August 1926.
3. ↑ Official Programme, Grand Prix of the R.A.C., Brooklands, 1 October 1927
4. ↑ Official Programme, The Fourth International Donington Grand Prix, Donington Park Road Circuit, Saturday 22 October 1938
5. ↑ Brands Hatch 1985 Keke Rosberg Interview + Qualy Lap. YouTube (1 July 2012).
6. ↑ The Brands Hatch & Paul Ricard FAQ – Atlas F1 Special Project. Atlasf1.autosport.com.
7. ↑ Built by Cosworth, funded by Ford Cosworth.
8. ↑ Built by Porsche, funded by TAG.