F1: British Grand Prix Predictions and How To Watch

F1 makes its way back to Silverstone this weekend for the British Grand Prix. Can the race live up to the exciting action we saw last year?

There’s no break for F1 this week as the sport turns around quickly for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Last weekend was another Max Verstappen masterclass. He took home the maximum points haul of 34, winning the Sprint Race and Austrian Grand Prix, and taking the fastest lap during Sunday’s race.

It wasn’t straightforward, however, as he had to battle with his teammate Sergio Perez on Saturday at the start of the Sprint. Then on Sunday, he found himself having to pass the Ferraris on track to regain his lead. It marked the first time since Miami that Verstappen hadn’t led a lap of a race. It sounds quite ridiculous, but it’s baby steps toward parity.

Perez again put himself behind with a poor qualifying result of P15 but made up for it by snagging the final podium position on Sunday.

The talk of the weekend though was track limits. 18 of the 20 drivers received at least one warning for track limit violations during the Grand Prix, while over half the grid received time penalties, mostly for the same reason. The top 10 was even shaken up post-race as penalties were doled out once all potential violations were reviewed.

Esteban Ocon notably received 30 seconds of penalties after the race, taking him from a points finish to a P14 result. We know that drivers like to test the limits, but we haven’t seen violations to that extent before.

Let’s hope things will be calmer on the track limits front this weekend and we can focus more on the racing itself. Last year we were treated to an amazing finish with several overtakes and close racing throughout the field, so this year’s race has a lot to live up to when it comes to keeping things exciting.

What a MOVE this was by @Charles_Leclerc into Copse 🤯

We loved this mega battle between Charles and Lewis from 2022! #BritishGP #F1 @ScuderiaFerrari pic.twitter.com/KXIYsR4SJA

— Formula 1 (@F1) July 6, 2023

The Circuit

Silverstone Circuit is a 5.89 km (3.65 miles) circuit located in England. The circuit first appeared on the F1 calendar in the sport’s first year in 1950 and will host its 58th F1 Grand Prix this weekend, third most among all tracks.

Lewis Hamilton leads all drivers with eight wins at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Fernando Alonso is the only other driver on the grid to win the British Grand Prix. Max Verstappen won at Silverstone in 2020, but the race was named the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, amidst schedule changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Carlos Sainz is the defending winner at Silverstone, as last year he claimed his first F1 win and pole position at the British Grand Prix.

A Lap of Silverstone

As another older track, many of the corners at Silverstone come with names attached to them, which we’ll use here to help you learn them ahead of the weekend.

The lap begins on the Hamilton Straight, recently named after none other than Lewis Hamilton. The drivers have two flat-out corners to begin the lap of Turns 1 and 2 (Abbey and Farm) before the slow section of Turns 3 (Village) through 5 (The Loop). This right-left combination ends with a small kink that takes the drivers onto the Wellington Straight where the first DRS zone is located.

Next up is Brooklands and Luffield, a sharp left that turns into a long right-hander onto the old pit straight where the start/finish line used to be at the track. The next handful of corners are some of the fastest and most challenging on the F1 calendar.

First is Copse Corner, a flat-out right-hander where drivers carry immense speed. You may remember this as the place Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen collided in 2021. Then it’s into Maggotts and Becketts, a rapid left-right-left-right combination that requires immense precision from the drivers.

The final part of the lap begins down the Hangar Straight where the second DRS zone sits. A fast right-hander named Stowe follows before the Vale chicane slows the drivers down one more time and takes them to the end of the lap.

Silverstone provides entertainment on Saturdays and Sundays, with a mix of qualifying right on the edge and plenty of overtaking opportunities during races. Things are set for another classic British Grand Prix this weekend.

Points Standings

Though things at the top are becoming more separated, there are still tight battles throughout the order as we head into the weekend.

Driver Standings

1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing – 229 points
2. Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing – 148 points
3. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin – 131 points
4. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes – 106 points
5. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari – 82 points
6. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari – 72 points
7. George Russell, Mercedes – 72 points
8. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin – 44 points
9. Esteban Ocon, Alpine – 31 points
10. Lando Norris, McLaren – 24 points

Constructor Standings

1. Red Bull Racing – 377 points
2. Mercedes – 178 points
3. Aston Martin – 175 points
4. Ferrari – 154 points
5. Alpine – 47 points
6. McLaren – 29 points
7. Haas – 11 points
8. Alfa Romeo – 9 points
9. Williams – 7 point
10. AlphaTauri – 2 points

Predictions

After another excellent showing in Austria, there’s no reason to believe that Max Verstappen won’t take to the top step of the podium at Silverstone. Floor damage hampered him at last year’s British Grand Prix, but I think he rides to victory again this weekend.

1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
2. Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing
3. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari

How To Watch: F1 British Grand Prix (U.S. and U.K. times)

• Practice 1: Friday, July 7 – 7:30 a.m. ET – ESPN2 (12:30 Sky Sports F1)
• Practice 2: Friday, July 7 – 11:00 a.m. ET – ESPN2 (16:00 Sky Sports F1)
• Practice 3: Saturday, July 8 – 6:30 a.m. ET – ESPN2 (11:30 Sky Sports F1)
• Qualifying: Saturday, July 8 – 10:00 a.m. ET – ESPN (15:00 Sky Sports F1)
• Grand Prix Sunday (Pre-Show): Sunday, July 9 – 8:30 a.m. ET – ESPN (13:30 Sky Sports F1)
• British Grand Prix: Sunday, July 9 – 10:00 a.m. ET – ESPN (15:00 Sky Sports F1)

Featured image credit: Scuderia Ferrari