The British Grand Prix is one of two races to feature in every Formula 1 season since 1950, so F1 Oversteer looks at what teams do well and who succeeds at Silverstone.
F1 selected Silverstone as the circuit to launch its world championship in 1950 as Grand Prix racing changed forevermore. The British GP and the Italian GP have since been the only two rounds to feature in each calendar so far. Silverstone has held the British GP all but 17 times.
Giuseppe Farina also saw Alfa Romeo start the F1 era as the first team to win the British GP. The Italian even led Luigi Fagioli and Britain’s Reg Parnell for an all-Alfa Romeo podium. But Ferrari then took four straight British GP wins with Jose Froilan Gonzalez and Alberto Ascari.
Alfa Romeo won the first F1 British GP with Giuseppe Farina in 1950
Aintree staged its first British GP in 1955 when Stirling Moss became the first home driver to win the race. The Merseyside track would stage four further editions, up to Jim Clark’s win in 1962. Silverstone then rotated hosting the British GP with Brands Hatch from 1964 to 1986.
Moss gifted Mercedes their first British GP win and the first by a non-Italian team at the first edition Aintree held. Clark also ensured a Briton topped the first podium at Brands Hatch for Lotus and another Brit, Nigel Mansell, made Williams the last team to win at the Kent track.
Ferrari are the most successful F1 team all-time at the British GP
Yet while many challengers have come since the first British GP in a Formula 1 championship in 1950, Ferrari remain clear of their rivals as the race’s most successful team. The Scuderia also enjoyed two particularly dominant spells on British soil during the 1950s and the 2000s.
Dominant spells for McLaren over the 1970s, 1980s and 2000s have also made the Woking squad the most successful British team at their home Grand Prix. But Silverstone has been a very strong site for Mercedes since the start of F1’s V6 turbo-hybrid power unit era in 2014.
Ferrari are the most successful F1 team at the British GP at Silverstone
While Aintree only staged the British GP five times and Brands Hatch held 12 editions, Lotus secured five of the team’s wins away from Silverstone. No team won a higher percent of the editions held away from Silverstone, where McLaren have won 85.7% of their wins to date.
Ferrari have also taken 83.3% of the team’s British GP wins at Silverstone. The Scuderia only triumphed at Aintree in 1961 with Wolfgang von Trips and at Brands Hatch in 1976 and 1978 with Niki Lauda and Carlos Reutemann. Renault’s two wins as a team ensued at Silverstone.
Ferrari are the most successful engine manufacturer at the F1 British GP
Given their successes as a Formula 1 team at the British Grand Prix, Ferrari have emerged as the most successful engine manufacturer, as well. The Scuderia have achieved all 18 of their wins on British soil to date with their own power units. But Mercedes have reeled Ferrari in.
F1’s turbo-hybrid era alongside the Silver Arrows’ long-term partnership with McLaren took Mercedes to the upper end of the standings for engine manufacturers at the British GP. The brand even moved level with Ford engines, which were built by Cosworth, at the 2021 race.
The post What F1 teams do well at British GP with Ferrari and McLaren successful at Silverstone appeared first on F1 Oversteer.
