The British Grand Prix™ is one of the most special fixtures on the F1® calendar. Held at Silverstone, the Home of British Motorsport, the race has been a staple on the calendar since it held the first ever Formula 1 Grand Prix championship race in May 1950. Being at Silverstone is an experience like no other, the British Grand Prix is more than a race with entertainment all night long and an atmosphere that cannot be beaten, and the 2024 British Grand Prix gave us all of that and more.
For me, race weekend began on Wednesday, with a long drive to the campsite. There is nothing quite like pulling up to the campsite queue. The rain might have been falling, but it never stops Formula 1 fans, with everyone setting up camp for the weekend and creating the atmosphere I wait all year to be part of again. With no track access until Thursday, Wednesday for many consists of meeting friends old and new, getting comfortable on their airbeds and simply soaking up the atmosphere, divulging in what is an F1 fan’s dream. Silverstone Circuit, one of the best race tracks in the world, is mere metres away and race weekend is just around the corner.
One of the biggest talking points came on Thursday morning, with the rumours already swirling around the world of F1. Formula 2 driver Ollie Bearman – who made his debut in F1 when he stepped in for Carlos Sainz at this year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – was announced as one of Haas’ drivers for 2025. After his performance at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, securing P7 with only one Free Practice session and Qualifying under his belt, the best kept secret became reality, and Bearman’s dreams came true.
Away from the hot topic of the driver market, the excitement at the Main Stage was heating up. One huge part of the British Grand Prix weekend is the engagement between fan and driver, and driver interviews kicked off with the future stars of F1 hitting the stage. Drivers from Formula 2 and Formula 3 took the stage before stopping to sign merchandise and take selfies with fans who had been waiting excitedly all day to catch a glimpse of their favourite upcoming talents. A Women in Motorsport panel at the Main Stage saw F1 presenter Ariana Bravo host four incredibly talented women; Stephanie Carlin from McLaren, Hannah Schmitz from Red Bull, Faith Atack-Martin from Haas and racing driver Jessica Hawkins from Aston Martin gave an inspiring insight into how they made it to their roles, what their jobs consist of and offered advice for budding girls and young women wanting to break into motorsport.
Elsewhere, over at the Drivers Inn Stage by Copse, more panel sessions allowed F1 team personnel to share an insight into their role in the pinnacle of global motorsport. Engineers, personal trainers, presenters, social admins, communication specialists and sustainability experts took the stage as part of their own panel. Working on F1 panels aside, onstage entertainment across the weekend saw music headliners Kings of Leon, Stormzy, Pete Tong and Rudimental on the Main Stage, and podcasts hosted live by The Fast and The Curious and P1 With Matt and Tommy. When there’s no on-track action at Silverstone, you can guarantee that there will be off-track entertainment for everyone to enjoy, from the pit stop challenge in the Fanzone to entry to Silverstone Museum and non-stop fun at the Main Stage, Drivers Inn Stage, Made at Vale and the Red Bull Energy Zone.
The weather dipped on Friday, but a little bit of rain never stopped a British Formula 1 fan. Grey skies didn’t stop the British drivers either, with Lando Norris setting the fastest times in both Friday sessions. The skies cleared momentarily, with sun shining through in the afternoon for some dry running, but once the rain came out to play after FP2, there was no sign of it stopping. Four seasons in 24 hours, sun, rain, thunder and wind, and although tents were leaking and the air was cold, it didn’t put a dampener on the weekend.
Saturday’s early morning F3 Sprint Race was postponed until later in the evening due to the treacherous conditions, but the F2 Sprint went ahead as planned, with Mercedes junior superstar Andrea Kimi Antonelli taking the win after Safety Car upon Safety Car neutralised the pack. Unfortunately, only one British driver saw the chequered flag; AIX Racing’s Taylor Barnard finished in P10, while Zak O’Sullivan and Ollie Bearman both retired early. The F3 Sprint Race was underway in the evening’s sunnier conditions, with British driver Arvid Lindblad taking his first win of the weekend on home turf. Callum Voisin finished in P4, Joseph Loake in P15 and Cian Shields in P17, while Luke Browning finished in P24 after damage ruined his race.
F1 Qualifying turned out to be one for the history books. For the first time ever at Silverstone, three Brits qualified in the top three – George Russell took Pole, followed by his Mercedes teammate Sir Lewis Hamilton in second, and McLaren’s Lando Norris took third. It was the first time since the 1968 South African Grand Prix that three British drivers locked out the first three grid positions. The excitement for the Brits continued as England knocked Switzerland out of EURO 2024, with big screens around the track showing the game, including at the Main Stage, where Hamilton and Russell watched on anxiously with thousands of fans, celebrating together when the final penalty went in and the result was confirmed. After hours of miserable rain, mud and deluge, the sun was shining, the Grand Prix was a matter of hours away, and the Brits were making history.
British Grand Prix race day kicked off with another wet race. The F3 Feature Race was the first on-track action of the day, with Arvid Lindblad taking his second win of the weekend, despite fellow Brit Callum Voisin taking the win on the asphalt; he was racing with a 10-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. More carnage meant more Safety Cars, but Voisin still managed to take the final step on the podium with his penalty in tow, while Browning finished P8 and Loake took P24, and Shields suffered a DNF. The F2 Feature Race followed, with Isack Hadjar finishing first. The Brits finished further down the pack; Bearman finished P7, O’Sullivan P11 and Barnard P14. The final support race of the weekend came in the form of the Porsche Supercup and the race was won by Dutchman Larry ten Voorde, but BRDC SuperStar Harry King crossed the line in P4.
The rain came and went in the hours leading up to the big event, with sweepers out cleaning the track and hyping the crowd with the sound of their horns and their waving arms. Watching a Grand Prix from home with family or from F1 Arcade with friends is cool, the nerves build and the atmosphere intensifies as it creeps closer to lights out, but there is nothing quite like being on the grassy banks or sitting in the grandstand. The Red Arrows performed their air display, Hannah Waddingham performed the National Anthem, before the Red Arrows completed their flypast, colours of red, white and blue filling the skies to the roars of the crowd.
After a weekend of unpredictable weather and battling with the worst conditions at the British Grand Prix in years, we were treated to a fantastic 52 laps. Despite the changing weather and drivers having to decide whether staying on slick tyres or changing to intermediates was the best choice, the action was incredible. Pierre Gasly didn’t make lights out, having to park his Alpine back in its pit box after the formation lap because of a gearbox problem. Polesitter George Russell led the race until lap 18 when he was passed by his teammate and after a pit stop, he returned to the order in P5. Unfortunately, due to a suspected water system issue, Russell was forced to retire on lap 33. Lando Norris however, on lap 20, took the lead of the race from Hamilton into turn one.
Although, it wasn’t meant to be for Norris to take his first home race win, because Sir Lewis Hamilton crossed the line to take his first win in 945 days, his first since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Hamilton has broken so many records, and on Sunday, he broke another, taking his ninth win at a single circuit. And at his final home race with Mercedes, the team that has taken him to six World Championship titles, Lewis’ win was emotional. He stopped on-track to collect a Union Jack, drove back to the pits and celebrated with his team, with his family and with his devoted fans.
Max Verstappen finished second and Lando Norris took third.
A wet and rainy weekend, but one for the history books. A magical return to the top step for Hamilton and for Silverstone, the venue that’s set to be home to the British Grand Prix until 2034, who matched the 2023 weekend attendance of 480,000 and broke their single day attendance record of 164,000 spectators on race day.
Special for more reasons than you can count, the 2024 British Grand Prix weekend is one that will be remembered forever.
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