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For over seventy years, Silverstone has been synonymous with the thrills and excitement of motorsports.

So as we get ready for this year’s British Grand Prix, let’s remember six significant stories from the circuit’s history. Prepare for shocks, calamity, daring and rivalry, but above all… speed!

1950: A right royal race

Plans for motor racing on the British mainland developed quickly after the Second World War. Spread across the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, the Royal Air Force bomber station RAF Silverstone seemed ideal for establishing a circuit. Hurriedly arranged, those first races at Silverstone were more homespun than what was to come, with straw bales demarcating the track and a rope separating spectators from the event. But it was enough to help cruise motor racing back onto the sporting calendar.

Just a few years later, the 1950 Grand Prix saw Silverstone move up a gear, to become a home for international racing. The World Championship of Drivers was established and 1950’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone was to be its first race. To crowds of 150,000, including King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the race was won by Italy’s Giuseppe Farina, making him officially Formula One’s first World Champion.

1973: The shocking crash

The Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1973 is remembered for the scariest of reasons, with nine cars involved in a mass collision at the first lap. After driver Jody Scheckter lost control of his vehicle, car after car struck one another at high speed. Incredibly, there were no serious injuries, although driver Andrea de Adamich suffered a broken ankle that ended his career. But the pile-up was like nothing seen in Formula 1, and changes were made to slow cars at that corner of the circuit.

1979: A nail-biting finish

Silverstone is also well known for motorcycle racing, including its first Grand Prix held on the British mainland, in 1977. Perhaps the most exciting MotoGP was the 500cc race in 1979. Across the 28 laps, two riders dominated - America’s Kenny Roberts and Britain’s Barry Sheene. Midpoint into the race, both had broken away from the rest of the field, fighting for first at 130 miles per hour. Roberts would overtake Sheene, then Sheene overtake Roberts, each pushing the other on in a sensational spectacle. In the end, Roberts won - by just three-hundredths of a second! It was as close a finale as racing gets.

1991: Mansell Mania and a lift home for Senna

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Nigel Mansell was the star of British Formula One. His 31 Grand Prix wins, three on the Silverstone circuit, inspired ‘Mansell mania’, as record crowds turned out to support him. But it was also Mansell’s rivalry with Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna that caused much comment - was there genuine animosity between the two? Or just a strong racing rivalry? The answer, it seemed, came at Silverstone in 1991. Senna’s car broke down on the circuit and Mansell finished first. To the delight of the crowds, Mansell picked up his stranded rival, offering a lift back on his side-pod during the victory lap back to the pits.

1998: Who won?!

The British Grand Prix at Silverstone is remembered for a very confusing finish, with nobody sure who had won. After an earlier incident, Germany’s Michael Schumacher was required to serve a stop go penalty, where a driver must stop in their pit-box for 10 seconds. Not serving the penalty until the end of the race meant Schumacher crossing the finish line and winning from the pit lane. In the confusion, the chequered flag - which should be waved at the winning car - was instead waved at Finland’s Mika Häkkinen! Commentators and crowd looked on in bewilderment - who had they just watched win? - before Schumacher’s triumph was finally declared.

Today: The modern marvel that is Lewis Hamilton

History is being made in the present by Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1’s most successful driver. He holds the joint record with Michael Schumacher for World Drivers' Championship titles (with seven each) and has broken the record for most wins. In 2020, Silverstone owners the British Racing Drivers' Club named the track's pit straight after Hamilton, the first time any part of the track has been named after an individual. It’s a fitting place to mark Hamilton’s achievements, as the podium overlooking the Hamilton Straight is where Lewis has celebrated almost all of his Silverstone wins, with fans traditionally invading the circuit to cheer him on after the race.

This article was published in June 2022