Australia v Vettel

Formula 1, The Australia Times

Published on The Australia Times Issue 3

Sebastian Vettel. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Sebastian Vettel. Source: Wikimedia Commons

By Loren Hazelwood @LorenHazelwood

Sebastian Vettel. A name well-known in Australian households for being the German that caused fans to yell at their TV sets every time he was near or in front of our Australian Mark Webber.

He’s won world championship after world championship, and the more he won, the more frustrated Australian fans have become, saying, “Why can’t Webber achieve the same results?”

Well, this year should be completely different for our Aussie fans.

With Webber now retired and racing for Porsche, young-pup Daniel Ricciardo has graduated from his team at Torro Rosso, joining the German at the top of Formula 1. And to most people’s surprise (Vettel’s in particular), the young Aussie has outperformed his teammate on numerous occasions this season.

With the new generation of Australian racing overseas, Ricciardo has built respect with his new teammate, managing to outshine his world champion colleague.

In three out of four races this year, Ricciardo has blitzed Vettel in qualifying, and has also finished races in front of the German, causing a bit of tension in the pit paddock at Red Bull.

At the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, Vettel was in front of Ricciardo, with both running different tyre strategies. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner immediately went on the radio to Vettel sending him a team order to let through our Aussie racer.

Vettel’s reply was simply, “Tough love.”

Ricciardo then raced Vettel passing him into Turn 1, enabling Ricciardo to finish fourth, with Vettel fifth overall.

Although Vettel is currently in front of Ricciardo in the Drivers’ Championship, this won’t stop Ricciardo over-achieving at his new squad.

With the new 1.6-litre turbo-charged power trains, this season of Formula 1 has been nothing but completely unpredictable.

We thought we’d see many surprises, but would never predict seeing an Australian finally stand on the podium in Melbourne only to later be stripped of second place due to a fuel system failure.

Everyone could see from the Australian Grand Prix that Ricciardo had pace, and that he knew how to drive these innovative cars.

With a year that has so far been dominated by Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton taking the last three race victories, it’s easy to say that Red Bull seem not to have the pace and straight-line speed they had over the last four years.

Vettel has been struggling with the new car technology, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Ricciardo passed the world champion in the Drivers’ Championship.

Australia only has two Formula 1 World Champions including Alan Jones and Sir Jack Brabham. Webber was extremely close but was outshone by Vettel; can our Ricciardo defeat the German and make it three drivers to take the momentous championship? Only time will tell…

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2014 Formula 1 season preview

Fiasco Sports, Formula 1

With cars changing and the future of the sport flashing before our eyes, Fiasco Sports looks at what is changing for the 2014 Formula 1 season. 

 

Source: Formula 1 official

Source: Formula 1 official

Recent testing at Jerez has shown that luck in Formula 1 can change almost immediately.

Red Bull Racing’s engineers had to fly back to England to work on electrical issues with the new RB10 car, some issues still being unresolved with the new design at the Bahrain testing, with Adrian Newey explaining, “we have gone too aggressive with the new car design, and that has cost us testing laps.”

Source: Ausmotive

Source: Ausmotive

Mercedes and Ferrari look to be strong, according to the test days and the amount of laps they have completed and the driver line-ups.

It is set to be a competitive season with Kimi Raikkonen joining Fernando Alonso at Ferrari.

The 2014 season will see three new young drivers step-up from the development ranks to Formula 1, including McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen, Toro Rosso’s Danill Kvyat and Caterham’s Marcus Ericsson. 

Source: Ausmotive

Source: Ausmotive

Due to new weight regulations, teams are required to reconsider car design for the 2014 championship to enhance better fuel consumption as well as using a different size motor, with the 2014 cars using a V6 1.6 litre turbo-charged engine.

Below is a breakdown of what has changed for each individual team for the 2014 championship, including drivers, chosen race numbers and the updates for the team’s cars.

Source: Ausmotive

Source: Ausmotive

Red Bull Racing
Sebastian Vettel #1
Daniel Ricciardo #3
RB10: The Renault-powered Formula 1 car requires to be cooled more than any other engine, the new design is too aggressive causing the car to overheat.

Ferrari
Fernando Alonso #14
Kimi Raikkonen #7
F14 T: Ferrari have developed a car retaining last year’s pull-rod suspension, but have changed nearly everything else by increasing the cooling system while keeping adequate aerodynamic downforce and changing the body shape to balance the weight of the car.

Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton #44
Nico Rosberg #6
F1 W05: The Mercedes-powered car includes an elegant design. Mercedes having a strong advantage working directly with the motor suppliers and being able to mould the car to the engine, rather than build the motor to the car like other teams, giving them the edge gaining important laps during testing.

McLaren
Jenson Button #22
Kevin Magnussen #20
MP4-29: McLaren have chosen the “anteater” nose style and the rear wing has completely changed this year, being held up by one single pillar. McLaren will continue to use Mercedes engines for the 20th season, before heading to Honda for 2015.

Lotus
Romain Grosjean #8
Pastor Maldonado #13
E22: Lotus were one team that didn’t feature at the first pre-season test in Jerez, unveiling the car at Bahrain and believing they can be the lead Renault team this year, currently working on optimising the power delivery allowing drivers to more time to get used to it.

Force India
Nico Hulkenberg #27
Sergio Perez #11
VJM07: Force India has changed their livery to a black-dominant colour, utilising an unusual nose design, with the team continuing to partner with Mercedes who will supply the entire drive train.

Source: Ausmotive

Source: Ausmotive

Sauber
Adrian Sutil #99
Esteban Gutierrez #21
C33: The Ferrari-powered Formula 1 car has included new elements used for the Ferrari’s F14, while opting for an unusual nose design.

Toro Rosso
Jean-Eric Vergne #25
Daniil Kvyat #26
STR9: The Renault-powered car began work during the summer of 2012, with the team working on the aero-package of the car and focusing on the development of creating a more current and competitive shape.

Williams
Felipe Massa #19
Valterri Bottas #77
FW36: Due to new regulations, Williams have decided to attach the end plates to a new ‘beam wing’, which is placed less than 150mm above the reference plate, where there are no restrictions, utilising the rear diffuser and making the new innovation just as effective as 2013′s rules.

Marussia
Jules Bianchi #17
Max Chilton #4
MR03: Using a Ferrari engine for 2014, the MR03 compared to other cars on the grid is using a more simplistic design; similar to McLaren they are using a single-pillar rear wing.

Caterham
Kamui Kobayashi #10
Marcus Ericsson #9
CT05: For the fourth year in a row, Caterham will use Renault F1 Sport engines, while unveiling a car with a very unusual nose design in striking green paint.

Source: Ausmotive

Source: Ausmotive

Some changes have also occurred with the official 2014 race calendar, with the Korean and Indian races dropped for the Austrian and Russian Grand Prix.

The official Formula 1 Championship will kick off with the Australian Grand Prix held in Melbourne’s Albert Park on March 16, starting the nineteen-round season.

Round Date Race
1
Mar 16
Australian Grand Prix
2
Mar 30
Malaysia Grand Prix
3
Apr 7
Bahrain Grand Prix
4
Apr 20
Chinese Grand Prix
5
May 11
Spanish Grand Prix
6
May 25
Monaco Grand Prix
7
Jun 9
Canadian Grand Prix
8
Jun 22
Austrian Grand Prix
9
Jul 6
British Grand Prix
10
Jul 20
German Grand Prix
11
Jul 27
Hungarian Grand Prix
12
Aug 24
Belgian Grand Prix
13
Sep 7
Italian Grand Prix
14
Sep 21
Singapore Grand Prix
15
Oct 5
Japanese Grand Prix
16
Oct 12
Russian Grand Prix
17
Nov 3
United States Grand Prix
18
Nov 10
Brazilian Grand Prix
19
Nov 23
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

 

Written by Loren Hazelwood. @LorenHazelwood

– See more at: http://fiascosports.com/2014-formula-1-season-preview/#sthash.G9w3IMPz.dpuf

Nosing into the 2014 Formula 1 Season

Formula 1, Spultured

Ricciardo RB10 stop Jerez D3_600

So most of us motorsport fans are thinking, what is the deal with the new Formula 1 front-ends? They look weird, but knowing the deal with Formula 1 there is a reason why the cars have changed.

The FIA have decided to add new rules into the sport for 2014, making this year’s cars arguably the most unattractive of our time, but hey… It will be better for the trees.

Formula 1 has changed the size of the engine to a turbo-charged 1.6-litre V6 in a bid to make the cars more environmentally friendly.

Not only have the cars changed for this year, but so have the teams. In fact you could say there was a bit of shuffling going on in the pits during the off-season. Three rookies will also attack the field this year, and Kamui Kobayashi is back for Caterham.

Unfortunately for us Aussies, there is only one Australian participating in the Formula 1 season this year. Young Daniel Ricciardo replaces Mark Webber at Infiniti Red Bull Racing, partnering new-dad Sebastian Vettel.

The biggest test of this year you ask? Well, Kimi Raikkonen back at Ferrari – of course. Going back to a former team with a former world champion by the name of Fernando Alonso is sure to be interesting and very competitive.

And because of our good German friend Sebastian Vettel winning the past four Drivers’ Championships, the FIA has decided to introduce a ‘double points’ feature for the final round, just to make it a little more interesting. Even though the Red Bull driver won the last championship with races to spare, the FIA believe this will spice up the final round.

Another fun fact, drivers this year are able to choose what number they want to race with for the Formula 1 season. Interestingly, Pastor Maldonado chose unlucky 13.

Pre-season testing kicked off a few weeks ago in Jerez, which saw the favourites for this year, Red Bull, flying back to headquarters in England to work on electrical faults. Further testing got under way in Bahrain over the weekend and you know it’s going to be a strong season when the testing can’t identify who will win the first round in Australia.

So, in summary – new cars, new engines, new points advantages, new numbers… I mean, this season is going to be more unpredictable than ever, so please don’t head down to your local TAB and place a bet on the Australian Grand Prix. In case you’re wondering, it all kicks off March 14 on the streets of Melbourne.

#KeepCalmF1SeasonIsNear

@LorenHazelwood

2013 Wrap for Loren Hazelwood Media

Loren Hazelwood

Well, what a year 2013 was and what a fantastic start for Loren Hazelwood Media, looking stronger than ever for the coming year. 

Loren Hazelwood at the Sydney 500 working hard

Loren Hazelwood at the Sydney 500 working hard

Loren Hazelwood decided to get her career into gear by creating Loren Hazelwood Media, reaching her into the depths of the journalism industry.

Since starting her website and writing for other media outlets, Loren Hazelwood Media has posted over 70 articles, basing feature news articles from Mark Webber retiring to the biggest crashes in 2013.

Hazelwood started writing for the Australian Driver Magazine, which then pushed her towards working for Brisbane-based sport and pop culture website Spultured, then with the enthusiast team at Fiasco Sports, and also various feature articles for major racing publications.

Among contributing articles, Hazelwood also worked with her brother Todd Hazelwood, running his press and media throughout his debut season in Formula 3 and during his proud win on the Shannons Supercar Showdown.

Hazelwood also teamed up with Liam Meegan from Direct Management Group to start a weekly radio show called The Sports Show, interviewing AFL stars, V8 Supercar drivers, state politicians and following the sporting news.

Loren Hazelwood Media is currently working on getting bigger and better for 2014, with the final year of University studies approaching for Hazelwood, next year will make her stronger than ever.

If anyone is interested in a media package deal for 2014, please view the contact page. 

Mark Webber to drive at Bathurst 12 Hour with Eric Bana and James Tomkins

Bathurst 12 Hour, Film and TV, Formula 1

Recently retired Formula 1 driver Mark Webber is tipped to head home to Australia for the Bathurst 12 Hour race in 2015. 

Mark Webber has his eyes set on Bathurst 12 Hour. Photo: Martin Rickett/PA

Mark Webber has his eyes set on Bathurst 12 Hour. Photo: Martin Rickett/PA

Australian racing driver Mark Webber has today started rumours that he may race the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12-hour in 2015.

Only days after racing his last Grand Prix in Formula 1 at Brazil, Webber already has his eyes on to conquer Australia’s endurance event at Mount Panorama, running under the Porsche banner.

The ex-Red Bull driver was asked on Twitter by a fan if he was going to run the Bathurst 12 Hour this year with the German team next year, with Webber’s reply “No 2015″.

Webber has also indicated that he will co-drive with Australian actor Eric Bana and Olympic rower James Tomkins.

Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour media manager Richard Craill believes this is fantastic news and can’t wait to see what Webber brings to the event.

“If Mark comes out, it will obviously be a massive boost for the event, he’s the biggest name in Australian motorsport on a global level and has a significant fan base both here and overseas,” said Craill.

“The reaction alone from him tweeting about coming and racing in 2015 has been massive, there is obviously a huge want for him to come and do it.

“The one thing we need to stress is that, at the moment, this is all coming off the back of Mark getting on Twitter – so fingers crossed he goes on record about it sooner rather than later and ‘officially’ commits to it!”

Webber is yet to officialy confirm if he will race in the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.

Written by Loren Hazelwood. @LorenHazelwood

– See more at: http://fiascosports.com/mark-webber-to-drive-at-bathurst-12-hour-with-eric-bana-and-james-tomkins/#sthash.n2IHwNPt.dpuf

Cheers Mark, G’Day Dan

Formula 1, Spultured

Well, another season of Formula 1 is done and dusted, with the time now coming to say goodbye to our Aussie mate, Mark Webber.

And what a great finale at Brazil. Webber got an OK start (for him…) before carving through the field, making outstanding passes on Lewis Hamilton and one of his best mates Fernando Alonso, proving to me that he still has it – even at his last race. Watching him just made me realise this was going to be the last time we were going to see old mate Webber on the track in a Formula 1 car.

Webber had a fantastic career, showing us Australians that he could do it and by hell – he has made us proud. It was just fantastic to see him holding the Aussie flag on the podium in Brazil and I’m sure he will be doing our country just as proud while racing for Porsche next year.

Before all of the fame and fast race cars, Webber took the gamble to go from racing Formula Fords in Australia to trying his hand in Europe. Along the way he made it look possible that even without a lot of money, you could still make it to the pinnacle of motor racing.

webber

And thank God he did. With Webber departing from Red Bull Racing and ditching his rival Sebastian Vettel, our fresh new Aussie talent Daniel Ricciardo gets his chance. Stepping up from the Toro Rosso Formula 1 team to Red Bull Racing, he gets his show with arguably the strongest team in the series, period.

Ricciardo of course will have a tonne of pressure next year, but the young Aussie knows he can do it. Moreover, the blonde German won’t threaten him, something which is slightly hard to imagine considering his teammate is a four times world champion.

So Mark, you have done Australia proud over the years. From your first Grand Prix in Australia, to finishing on the podium in your final race, we have been lucky to have someone like yourself. You demonstrated to the world what true Aussie grit really is. Thankyou, you’ve been a blast to watch.

Now c’mon Dan, show this German how it is done.

Vettel edges closer to world title taking pole in India

Fiasco Sports, Formula 1

Sebastian Vettel has pipped the two Mercedes drivers in qualifying, grabbing pole position for tomorrow’s Indian Grand Prix. 

Sebastian Vettel with his eye's on the top prize. Image: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel has continued his dominating form from free practice, qualifying in first position for the Indian Grand Prix.

The 26-year-old has previously had a great run at the Buddh International circuit, looking on the money to wrap-up the FIA Formula 1 Drivers World Championship in tomorrow’s grand prix.

Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton managed to qualify second and third to the German, while Australian Mark Webber was just pipped by the pair due to running a different qualifying strategy to his teammate Vettel.

Felipe Massa managed to finish fifth in Q3, starting alongside Kimi Raikkonen, the driver who is set to replace Massa at Ferrari towards the end of the 2013 world championship.

Nico Hulkenberg out-qualified Fernando Alonso for seventh position in tomorrow’s race, with the two McLaren’s of Sergio Perez and Jenson Button rounding out the top ten grid positions.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo just missed out on Q3 by one-tenth, qualifying 11th for tomorrow’s race.

Vettel goes into the Indian Grand Prix with a 90-point lead to Ferrari’s Alonso, with the German set to take his fourth consecutive world title tomorrow if he finishes fifth or above.

Qualifying results

Pos No Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps
1 1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:25.943 1:24.568 1:24.119 12
2 9 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:25.833 1:25.304 1:24.871 21
3 10 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:25.802 1:25.259 1:24.941 20
4 2 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:25.665 1:25.097 1:25.047 17
5 4 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:25.793 1:25.389 1:25.201 19
6 7 Kimi Räikkönen Lotus-Renault 1:25.819 1:25.191 1:25.248 18
7 11 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1:25.883 1:25.339 1:25.334 19
8 3 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:25.934 1:24.885 1:25.826 15
9 6 Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1:26.107 1:25.365 1:26.153 21
10 5 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:25.574 1:25.458 1:26.487 23
11 19 Daniel Ricciardo STR-Ferrari 1:25.673 1:25.519 14
12 14 Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1:25.908 1:25.711 15
13 15 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:26.164 1:25.740 16
14 18 Jean-Eric Vergne STR-Ferrari 1:26.155 1:25.798 14
15 17 Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1:26.178 1:26.134 15
16 12 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1:26.057 1:26.336 11
17 8 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1:26.577 7
18 16 Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1:26.842 9
19 22 Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 1:26.970 8
20 21 Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1:27.105 6
21 20 Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1:27.487 7
22 23 Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1:28.138 8

Written by Loren Hazelwood. @LorenHazelwood

– See more at: http://fiascosports.com/vettel-edges-closer-to-world-title-taking-pole-in-india/#sthash.ueg945a9.dpuf

Vettel takes pole for Korean Grand Prix

Fiasco Sports, Formula 1

Reigning Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel has claimed pole position for the 2013 Korean Grand Prix. 

Sebastian Vettel takes his sixth pole for the season. Photo: Getty Images/The Daily Telegraph

Sebastian Vettel takes his sixth pole for the season. Photo: Getty Images/The Daily Telegraph

Sebastian Vettel has taken his sixth consecutive pole position for the 2013 Formula 1 Championship, setting a great first lap in Q3 with a time of 1:37.202.

 

The German was quick throughout all the qualifying sessions, feeling threatened by the Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who was quickest in practice yesterday, qualifying second.

 

Australian Redbull racer Mark Webber qualified in third, but will unfortunately will take a 10-spot penalty for tomorrow’s race due to an incident from the Singapore Grand Prix.

 

Lotus driver Romain Grosjean took fourth spot on the grid, while his teammate Kimi Raikkonen qualified tenth.

 

Next in line on the grid are the Ferrari team, with Fernando Alonso qualifying sixth and Felipe Massa starting from seventh. 

 

The Sauber-Ferrari had a strong run in qualifying, with Nico Hulkenberg taking eighth and Esteban Gutierrez placing ninth.

 

Australian Daniel Ricciardo just missed out on the top ten, starting from 13th for tomorrow’s race.

 

Despite no one having ever won the Korean Grand Prix from pole before, Vettel is confident he can back up his win from last year and extend his championship lead.

 

Full qualifying results

Pos Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3
1 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:38.683 1:37.569 1:37.202
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:38.574 1:37.824 1:37.420
3 Mark Webber Red Bull Racing-Renault 1:39.138 1:37.840 1:37.464
4 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1:39.065 1:38.076 1:37.531
5 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:38.418 1:38.031 1:37.679
6 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:38.520 1:37.978 1:38.038
7 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:38.884 1:38.295 1:38.223
8 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1:38.427 1:37.913 1:38.237
9 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1:38.725 1:38.327 1:38.405
10 Kimi Räikkönen Lotus-Renault 1:38.341 1:38.181 1:38.822
11 Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1:39.049 1:38.362
12 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:38.882 1:38.365
13 Daniel Ricciardo STR-Ferrari 1:38.525 1:38.417
14 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:38.988 1:38.431
15 Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1:39.185 1:38.718
16 Jean-Eric Vergne STR-Ferrari 1:39.075 1:38.781
17 Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1:39.470
18 Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1:39.987
19 Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1:40.864
20 Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1:40.871
21 Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 1:41.169

 

– See more at: http://fiascosports.com/vettel-takes-pole-for-korean-grand-prix/#sthash.uAXztfYR.dpuf

Daniel Ricciardo Confirmed at Red Bull for 2014

Fiasco Sports, Formula 1

The long awaited rumour has been confirmed – Australian Daniel Ricciardo is set to join Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull Racing for 2014

Daniel Ricciardo. Image: Wayne Lubdey. Source: Herald Sun

Image: Wayne Lubdey/Herald Sun

Australian Daniel Ricciardo today confirmed that he will join the current championship winning team Red Bull Racing for next year alongside current world champion Sebastian Vettel.

The 24-year-old has signed a multi-year agreement to race for the Infiniti team, after ending months of speculation since fellow Australian Mark Webber announced his retirement from the sport at the end of this season.

The Western Australian has been linked with Red Bull since entering the Formula 1 grid.

He was originally their test driver in 2011, before joining the Red Bull sponsored Torro Rosso team in 2012.

“Next year I’ll be with a championship-winning team, arguably the best team and will be expected to deliver,” said Ricciardo.

“I’m not here to run around in 10th place, I want to get the best results for myself and the team.

“It will be a great challenge to be up against Sebastian Vettel; I’m looking forward to that.”

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner stated that the decision to take Ricciardo on board was an easy one.

“It’s fantastic to confirm Daniel as one of the team’s race drivers for 2014,” said Horner.

“He’s a very talented youngster, he’s committed, he’s got a great attitude and in the end it was a very logical choice for us to choose Daniel.

“Daniel knows what the team expects from him; he’ll learn quickly and it’s very much a medium to long term view that we’re taking in developing him.

Australian Webber praised Red Bull’s decision and personally used Twitter to congratulate Ricciardo.

Screen Shot 2013-09-03 at 11.27.05 AM

The next round of the FIA Formula 1 championship will start this Friday with practice at Monza, while Ricciardo currently sits at 14th in the championship.

Written by Loren Hazelwood

– See more at: http://fiascosports.com/daniel-ricciardo-confirmed-at-red-bull-for-2014/#sthash.G3biHoYv.dpuf

Race Preview: The British Grand Prix

Formula 1

924739_776960

This weekend will embark the 64th annual British Grand Prix, held at the Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire England, marking the eighth round of the 2013 Formula 1 championship.

Last year’s race winner Mark Webber is looking strong, having claimed two British Grand Prix under his belt. The Australian is yet to win a race this season.

The odds are on Ferrari and Red Bull Racing this year for the victory, with Fernando Alonso stating the Ferrari’s are very good on the Silverstone circuit. Sebastian Vettel believes that Red Bull’s aerodynamic excellence will work in their favour.

After tyre degredation issues in Bahrain, Mercedes have modified the brakes on Lewis Hamilton’s car, but Hamilton believes with the high-speed nature of the circuit this could intensify the issue.

McLaren celebrate their 50th anniversary this weekend, with Jenson Button yet to claim a home Grand Prix victory at the Silverstone circuit.

The 5.891 kilometre circuit features two DRS zones, including one on the Wellington straight with the detection just prior to Turn 3 and the second zone is located at Hangar straight, with detected at Turn 10.

This year’s British Grand Prix will be held over 52 laps, or 306.747 kilometres.

The race will begin at 13:00 local time.