WHERE TO WATCH
This year’s race takes place on July 12-14 and Silverstone has changed beyond measure since it hosted its first event more than 70 years ago. In 1948, the Royal Automobile Club International GP took place on what was effectively a figure-of-eight layout, with cars thundering towards each other from opposite ends of the same runway, drivers protected from 300mph closing speeds by a few oil drums and the odd straw bale. That was a bit of a stretch even by the primitive safety standards of the day and the track soon evolved to adopt a clockwise route around the converted airfield’s perimeter.
By reputation, the original, sweeping Woodcote Corner was one of the sport’s finest, but that would be lost to grand prix racing following the pile-up in 1973 – and the layout has altered since.