Silverstone Circuit
British Grand Prix
Is the British Grand Prix Good for Racing?
Yes, although Silverstone makes drivers work for it. The 2025 race had 58 overtakes, and the fast opening corners make it hard to follow closely, especially through Abbey. The real chances come where the speed drops, into Village at Turn 3 and Brooklands at Turn 6, and Kimi Antonelli’s pole lap on the right has just seven braking zones and 65% at full throttle.
2026 still produced wheel-to-wheel fights. Antonelli passed Lewis Hamilton at Copse on lap 11, and Hamilton and George Russell swapped places at Brooklands and Copse around lap 30 before Charles Leclerc won for Ferrari.
Silverstone Circuit
Strategy Factors
2026 British Grand Prix
What to Look Out for at the British Grand Prix
The 2027 race on July 2-4 is a Sprint weekend again, and pole is just 239m from the first braking point. Safety Cars are the bigger factor. Seven of the last nine British races had one, against a green-flag pit loss of about 20s.
That’s how 2026 ended. A lap 48 crash brought out the Safety Car and the race finished behind it, so Leclerc’s 0.427s margin says little about pace. Pole-sitter Antonelli was classified 16th after a wheel shield failure, and the weather adds another variable, since 2024 and 2025 both ran wet.
F1 preview with the 20s pit loss, Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car rates over nine races and the Pirelli assessment.
Race report covering the Copse and Brooklands battles, Verstappen's lap 48 crash at Stowe and the Safety Car finish.
Official Sprint result confirming Antonelli's win over 17 laps in 26:12.129.
2026 British Grand Prix Results and Pay
Select A Row To Explore Details
22 Drivers
| # | Details | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Charles Leclerc Ferrari | Ferrari | 4 | $34m | $46m | $70m | 25 | |
Charles Leclerc Salary
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| 2 |  George Russell Mercedes | Mercedes | 5 | $34m | $50m | $40m | 18 | |
George Russell Salary
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| 3 |  Lewis HamiltonFerrari | Ferrari | 7 | $60m | $70m | $580m | 15 | |
Lewis Hamilton Salary
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| 4 |  Lando Norris McLaren | McLaren | 6 | $30m | $69.5m | $80m | 12 | |
Lando Norris Salary
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| 5 |  Isack Hadjar Red Bull | Red Bull | 0 | $7.5m | $9.5m | $1m | 10 | |
Isack Hadjar Salary
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| 6 |  Liam Lawson Racing Bulls | Racing Bulls | 1 | $1m | $2m | $2m | 8 | |
Liam Lawson Salary
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| 7 |  Arvid LindbladRacing Bulls | Racing Bulls | 0 | $500k-1m | $1m-1.5m | $1m | 6 | |
Arvid Lindblad Salary
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| 8 |  Gabriel Bortoleto Audi | Audi | 0 | $2m | $3m | $3m | 4 | |
Gabriel Bortoleto Salary
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| 9 |  Franco Colapinto Alpine | Alpine | 0 | $500k-1m | $1.5m-2m | $5m | 2 | |
Franco Colapinto Salary
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| 10 |  Pierre GaslyAlpine | Alpine | 0 | $18.2m | $29.6m | $33m | 1 | |
Pierre Gasly Salary
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| 11 |  Oscar PiastriMcLaren | McLaren | 2 | $13m | $40.5m | $50m | 0 | |
Oscar Piastri Salary
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| 12 |  Oliver Bearman Haas | Haas | 0 | $1m | $1.5m | $1m | 0 | |
Oliver Bearman Salary
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| 13 |  Esteban OconHaas | Haas | 0 | $7m | $9m | $21m | 0 | |
Esteban Ocon Salary
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| 14 |  Sergio Pérez Cadillac | Cadillac | 0 | $10m | $11.5m | $50m | 0 | |
Sergio Pérez Salary
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| 15 |  Kimi AntonelliMercedes | Mercedes | 8 | $3.4m | $15.4m | $18m | 0 | |
Kimi Antonelli Salary
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| 16 |  Valtteri BottasCadillac | Cadillac | 0 | $5m | $7m | $40m | 0 | |
Valtteri Bottas Salary
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| 17 |  Carlos Sainz Williams | Williams | 0 | $13m | $16m | $50m | 0 | |
Carlos Sainz Salary
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| 18 |  Fernando Alonso Aston Martin | Aston Martin | 0 | $20m | $22.5m | $260m | 0 | |
Fernando Alonso Salary
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| 19 |  Lance StrollAston Martin | Aston Martin | 0 | $12m | $13.5m | $50m | 0 | |
Lance Stroll Salary
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| 20 |  Max VerstappenRed Bull | Red Bull | 3 | $70m | $90m | $200m | 0 | |
Max Verstappen Salary
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| 21 |  Alex AlbonWilliams | Williams | 0 | $12m | $15m | $15m | 0 | |
Alex Albon Salary
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| 22 |  Nico HülkenbergAudi | Audi | 0 | $7m | $9.9m | $10m | 0 | |
Nico Hülkenberg Salary
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Select A Row To Explore Details
11 Teams
| # | Details | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FerrariLeclerc, Hamilton | Leclerc, Hamilton | 11 | $7.1bn | $670m | $94m | 40 | |
Ferrari F1 Team Value
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| 2 | MercedesRussell, Antonelli | Russell, Antonelli | 13 | $6.4bn | $839m | $37.4m | 18 | |
Mercedes F1 Team Value
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| 3 | Racing BullsLawson, Lindblad | Lawson, Lindblad | 1 | $2.4bn | $318m | $1.5m-2m | 14 | |
Racing Bulls F1 Team Value
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| 4 | McLarenNorris, Piastri | Norris, Piastri | 8 | $5.2bn | $647m | $43m | 12 | |
McLaren F1 Team Value
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| 5 | Red BullHadjar, Verstappen | Hadjar, Verstappen | 3 | $4.9bn | $618m | $77.5m | 10 | |
Red Bull F1 Team Value
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| 6 | AudiBortoleto, Hülkenberg | Bortoleto, Hülkenberg | 0 | $2.6bn | $240m | $9m | 4 | |
Audi F1 Team Value
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| 7 | AlpineColapinto, Gasly | Colapinto, Gasly | 0 | $2.6bn | $316m | $18.7m-19.2m | 3 | |
Alpine F1 Team Value
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| 8 | HaasBearman, Ocon | Bearman, Ocon | 0 | $1.9bn | $150m | $8m | 0 | |
Haas F1 Team Value
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| 9 | CadillacPérez, Bottas | Pérez, Bottas | 0 | $1.6bn | Not Yet Filed | $15m | 0 | |
Cadillac F1 Team Value
| ||||||||
| 10 | WilliamsSainz, Albon | Sainz, Albon | 0 | $2.7bn | $323m | $25m | 0 | |
Williams F1 Team Value
| ||||||||
| 11 | Aston MartinAlonso, Stroll | Alonso, Stroll | 0 | $3.5bn | $353m | $32m | 0 | |
Aston Martin F1 Team Value
| ||||||||
British Grand Prix Tire Strategy
Silverstone got the hardest tires in Pirelli’s range, the C1, C2 and C3, and most drivers were expected to stop once. All 22 cars started on mediums, and the top 10 moved to hards between laps 19 and 28. Seven were still on one stop when the Safety Car came out.
That rewrote the ending. Nine of the top 10 pitted for softs under it, although the race never went green again. Russell was the outlier, with a short 11-lap hard stint and 18 laps on mediums, and he stayed out to finish second.
Compound and stint length for each top 10 finisher in the 2026 race, used for the strategy chart.
Silverstone Sector by Sector and Corner by Corner
Speeds, gears and braking points below come from Kimi Antonelli‘s 1:28.111 pole lap in 2026 qualifying. He spent 10 seconds of the lap on the brakes and reached 317 km/h on the old pit straight before Copse. The slowest point was 87 km/h at the Loop, just after Village.
FastF1 timing data for Kimi Antonelli's 1:28.111 pole lap, used for the speeds, gears, braking points and sector figures
Brooklands as Brembo's hardest braking point, with 4.2 g and 122 kg on the pedal in 2023
Jolyon Palmer's quotes on Abbey and Copse
Lewis Hamilton's fighter jet quote about driving at Silverstone
History of Silverstone
Silverstone went from RAF bomber station to Grand Prix venue within three years of the war ending, and it’s hosted the British Grand Prix every year since 1987.
Covers the RAF airfield, the 1948 and 1950 races, the rotation with Aintree and Brands Hatch and the Arena layout.
Layout history covering the Woodcote chicane, the 1991 redesign and the 2010 and 2011 changes.
How Much Does Silverstone Cost?
Silverstone has no build cost on record, because it began as a wartime RAF airfield. The biggest upgrade was the Silverstone Wing pit and paddock building, which cost about £27m ($35.8m) in 2011. Hosting the British Grand Prix costs a reported £30m ($39.7m) a year under a deal that runs to 2034, and Silverstone's owner, the British Racing Drivers' Club, pays it without government money.
How Much Did Silverstone Cost to Build?
There's no figure, because Silverstone wasn't built from scratch. The RAC ran the first races on the former RAF base, and the British Racing Drivers' Club took over the lease in 1951 and has paid for the circuit's development ever since. Its biggest project is the Silverstone Wing, a 16,500 square meter pit, paddock and start-line building with 41 garages that opened in May 2011. Autosport put the cost at £27m ($35.8m) and Motor Sport Magazine at £28m ($37.1m). Tarmac resurfaced the whole track in 20 days for £5m ($6.6m) in 2019, and the £20m ($26.5m) Silverstone Experience heritage attraction opened that year with £9.1m ($12.1m) from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
How Much Is the British Grand Prix Hosting Fee?
Neither F1 nor Silverstone has disclosed it. The Press Association and AFP both reported in February 2024 that the new ten-year deal is worth about £300m ($397m), or £30m ($39.7m) a year, and it runs to 2034. The British Racing Drivers' Club pays as a private promoter with no government funding, and RaceFans reported in 2021 that the race made up about 60% of Silverstone's £60m ($79.5m) annual turnover. The original 2010-2026 contract started at £12m ($15.9m) in 2010 and was set to rise 5% a year to about £27m ($35.8m) by 2026, The Week reported in 2017. The club called that "potentially ruinous" and used a break clause in 2017 to leave it after 2019.
The ten-year deal to 2034, announced with no fee disclosed
The Press Association figure of about £300m over ten years, or £30m a year
AFP's report of a £30m a year deal
The former RAF base and the BRDC taking over the lease in 1951
The £27m cost of the Silverstone Wing and its 16,500 square meter building
The £28m Wing figure, its 41 garages and the BRDC paying for it
The £5m resurface by Tarmac in 20 days in 2019
The £20m Silverstone Experience and its £9.1m National Lottery Heritage Fund grant
The Grand Prix making up about 60% of a £60m turnover
The £12m fee in 2010 rising 5% a year, and the 2017 break clause
How Much Are British Grand Prix Tickets?
Three-day general admission for 2027 launched at £289 ($383) and rose to £329 ($436) within the first hour of general sale. The cheapest grandstand is Chapel at Turn 14 for £489 ($648), and Hamilton Straight A Prime tops the regular grandstands at £839 ($1,112). Hospitality starts at £2,109 ($2,795) for Racing Green. On 2027 prices that makes Silverstone the 18th cheapest of the 23 races in our ticket price table.
Silverstone and British Grand Prix Questions
Silverstone works the front-left tire hardest because fast right-handers such as Abbey, Copse, and Stowe load the left side of the car, and F1’s Pirelli notes put those loads above 5g. Maggotts and Becketts add quick direction changes on top, so the front-left is the tire that sets the limit over a long run.
Maggotts and Becketts at Silverstone are hard because the car flicks left and right several times at high speed and every corner depends on the last. A driver who’s slightly off line at Maggotts is compromised through Becketts and Chapel, and the loss carries down the Hangar Straight.
No, Silverstone’s first Grand Prix came on October 2, 1948, when Luigi Villoresi won on the former RAF airfield. The May 13, 1950 race is the famous one because it was the first round of the Formula One World Championship, won by Giuseppe Farina.
Yes, the 2027 British Grand Prix on July 2-4 is one of 10 Sprint weekends, so Silverstone hosts a Sprint as well as the 52-lap Grand Prix. It’s the second year running after 2026, when Kimi Antonelli won the 17-lap Sprint in 26:12.129.
Silverstone pays a reported £30m ($39.7m) a year to host the British Grand Prix, according to the Press Association and AFP, although neither F1 nor the circuit has confirmed it. The ten-year deal is worth about £300m ($397m) and runs until 2034, and the British Racing Drivers’ Club pays without government money.
Silverstone has no construction cost on record, because it was converted from the wartime RAF Silverstone airfield. The biggest investment since then is the Silverstone Wing pit and paddock building, which cost the British Racing Drivers’ Club about £27m ($35.8m) and opened in 2011.