British GP 2022
Silverstone is one of the highlights on the GP calendar. The drivers love the 5.891-kilometer high-speed race track with its 18 corners. On Friday they were exposed to the unpredictable weather in their 1,000 hp racing cars. We have collected the highlights of the Friday training sessions.
Silverstone: The English affectionately call it "The Home of British Motor Racing". There is also a portion of reverence and pride in equal measure. Formula 1 was born here in 1950. To date, the pinnacle of motorsport has held 55 Grands Prix at Silverstone. Only Monza and Monte Carlo have more on the credit side. Accordingly, a historically inspired wind blows through the Silverstone paddock when Formula 1 returns to its birthplace once a year.
The fans usually come in droves. This year, over 400,000 are expected to fill the grandstands around the 5.891-kilometer race track at the weekend. On the Sunday of the race alone there will be 140,000. Traffic jams seem inevitable. The stars of the scene are happy. The knowledgeable, enthusiastic audience is also one of the fairest around.
Training highlights in the gallery
The fans were already cheering on their heroes on the training Friday. They also didn't seem to mind that it started to rain just in time for the start of the first practice session. The Englishman knows the whims of the island weather. He's prepared for that. Drivers and teams focused on safety and approached the tricky task on the intermediate tires. It was challenging that the first part of the route in particular was wet and the second part was largely dry.
There is a lot to do for the teams. Except for Alpha Tauri, they have all the upgrades in their luggage. Smaller ones like Alfa Romeo, McLaren and Haas. Or almost new cars like Williams. The traditional racing team has reported 12 changes to the FIA for its home round. The top teams Red Bull and Ferrari also evaluated new parts. The same applies to Mercedes, which harbors the slight hope of being able to keep up with the previous high-flyers of the season thanks to the fluid course and thanks to the updates.
Lance Stroll made the first slip of the day. The Canadian lost his Aston Martin in Copse Corner a few seconds before the end of the first practice session – and ended up stranded in the gravel trap.
