F1-Geeks Armchair Team Principal - British Grand Prix

Silverstone.  In my F1 infancy I thought it was a cool track just because I heard it was a great track.  It then fell out of favor with me and I thought I was such an F1 rebel.  As of late it has started to win me back.

In 1950 the first ever F1 race was held here.  (Yes, I know some of you Internet people want to claim that technically it was held before that as Formula I or whatever.  If it wasn't a contest for a world championship, it wasn't F1.  So suck it.)

At 109 Miles long it is one of the highest speed circuits on the planet. More on that after the break.

Alonso took Valencia in a dramatic race.   Will the unpredictable clouds produce even greater drama?

Read on


Favorite Feature
This is a tie for me. Copse and the Maggotts/Becketts complex.
Copse, taken at over 170mph looks amazing even on television.  Drivers are pulling over 5Gs through it and it's entry is blind. This rivals Eau Rouge for gutsy flat-out-ness.

Then there's the incredible serpentine Maggotts/Becketts complex.  Five turns in a matter of seconds.  I can't imagine how technically precise you need to be to get that many apexes right in such rapid succession.  What I really love about it is how the cars look going through it.  On the rare stationary camera shot you get a crazy sense of how well these things stick to the ground.  Just incredible.

Favorite Comment
Sergio Perez calling Maldonado's racing stupid.   If he would have called him a socialist bastard it would have been epic.

Favorite Moment
Fernando Alonso dedicating his Pole Position to the recovering Marrusia driver  Maria de Villota
Runner up was seeing Jean Tott is still able to keep Michelle Yeoh hanging around.

Favorite Easter Egg

Over €1 Million raised for charity "Wings For Life" by RedBull by selling space on their cars for people to put their pictures on the cars.

Fun Fact
In 1999 4200 flights occurred at Silverstone and that still remains the world record for busiest one day airport.

Qualifying
Jenson's lap, spoiled by Timo Glock's spin, was still very dramatic and entertaining to watch.  Q3 was good and nets Alonso his 21st career pole. 

Fred's Take
Even with the rain delay this was a good qualifying day.

The start was practically beyond description.  Like a subtle and complicated plot, I'm going to need to watch it another three or four times to get a really good sense of it.  So much going on I could not keep track.  I thought things would settle down after the first lap.  Then the second lap was just as good.   Surely things would settle by the 5th lap.  6th?  10th? No.

Race control, infuriated at Maldonado's recidivistic crash with Sergio Perez, slammed their fist down on the console and accidentally turned off DRS.  At least that's what it seemed like.

Great racing throughout and while I didn't like Webber winning, I was OK with Alonso holding second.




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