British Grand Prix: Has Silverstone Always Hosted The Race?
One of the most legendary events on the Formula 1 calendar, the 2023 British Grand Prix, will occur this weekend.
One of the most legendary events on the Formula 1 calendar, the 2023 British Grand Prix, will occur this weekend.
The 1950 F1 world championship’s inaugural race was the British GP, which was held at Silverstone.
When was Silverstone chosen as the new home of the British Grand Prix?
The first-ever British GP motor race occurred at the Brooklands track in 1926. Until 1948, when the British GP relocated to Silverstone, another British GP event was contested at Brooklands. After that, no further British GP competitions were staged.
In the interim, the Donington Grand Prix, a series of non-championship races, was held at Donington Park.
The Silverstone website explained, “The end of the Second World War had left Britain with no major race track, but plenty of airfields. On October 2, 1948, the Royal Automobile Club hosted the first British Grand Prix at Silverstone, a former RAF base. An estimated 100,000 people flocked to see Luigi Villoresi beat 22 others in his Maserati marked by bales, ropes and canvas barriers.”
Before switching venues to Aintree and Brands Hatch, the British GP was held at Silverstone from 1948 until 1954.
The Silverstone races were conducted there annually, starting in 1987 and continuing through 1956, 1958, 1960, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, and 1985.
Before Silverstone, where was the site of the British GP?
Before the inaugural race at Silverstone, the British GP was held at the Brooklands track. Until 1987, the British Grand Prix was contested alternately at Silverstone, Aintree, and Brands Hatch.
Since then, it has become one of the most prestigious races in the world and a regular event on the F1 calendar.