What British Grand Prix has been the most memorable so far this year and the 2025 season starting at Silverstone this week? BBC Sport is responding to this inquiry.
1969 epic duel between Stewart and Rindt
Jackie Stewart was the man to beat in Formula 1 as the 1960s came to an end. The Scot was the favorite to win when round six arrived in Britain after winning four of the first five races of the 1969 season.
Stewart’s Matra was ahead of Jochen Rindt, an Austrian who drove for Lotus. The two drivers then engaged in a titanic battle that would frequently see the race’s lead change hands once the flag was raised, though.
1976 was Hunt’s win that he lost.
One of the most contentious races in Formula One history took place at Brands Hatch in 1976 as the host of the British Grand Prix.
James Hunt won that July contest, but the home driver would lose it two months later.
A red flag was displayed in Hunt’s first-lap collision with Clay Regazzoni’s Ferrari. The stewards initially forbade him from the restart after he returned his damaged McLaren to the pits using a shortcut. The partisan and sultry crowd, however, was upset, so Hunt was allowed to participate and the decision was reversed.
1987: Mansell mania reigns
The moustachiose Nigel Mansell is claiming the pole position at Silverstone in 1987, his Williams team-mate Nelson Piquet taking the title.
Mansell was two seconds away from Piquet on lap 35. However, the team decided to go with the Briton for new tires due to a wheel balance problem. With 29 laps left, Mansell rejoined the action 28 seconds behind Brazilian Piquet due to a quick (for the time) 9.5-second stop.
With only three laps left, Mansell relentlessly hauled in Piquet, overtaking his rival into Stowe.
The crowds roared on to the track, joyfully and delirious. The British audience is amazing at this, according to the statement “and the British crowd break ranks”! Murray Walker, a commentator, cried.
Mansell and Senna hitch a ride in 1991.
Mansell celebrated his dominant third victory of his career on home soil this weekend, but it is more remembered for the iconic, albeit slightly risky, act of sportsmanship.
Ayrton Senna, who had finished second behind Mansell, was given a fourth-place position in the championship after his McLaren ran out of fuel in the final lap.
When Mansell finished his cooldown lap, he noticed the Brazilian waiting for help and offered Senna a ride back to the pits by his side. Fans gave out enraged glances at the marshal Senna after he had brushed off in order to climb onto the Williams, which caused a riotous applause.
1995: Schumacher and Hill end up in the gravel.
When a British driver competes in the title race, the Silverstone atmosphere intensifies, so Damon Hill’s position of dominance, only 11 points behind defending champion Michael Schumacher, gave the home crowd a boost as the 1990s approached the halfway point.
Schumacher was second and Willimas’ Hill was pole, but the German seized control with a one-stop plan.
Hill was in second place on new tires when he crossed the finish line with Schumacher in the Priory corner, attempting to overtake the Benetton driver for the lead. The pair ended up in the gravel on lap 46.
Hill claimed that the stewards believed there was “equal blame on both parts” for the collision after the race when fans clamored for his autograph.
2008 Hamilton’s wet-weather masterclass
In 2008, the gloomy weather and rain hampered round nine of the campaign due to the great British summer.
Lewis Hamilton’s name was inscribed in British Grand Prix folklore at the age of 23 when he was still a student at McLaren. After failing to win any points in his previous two grands prix, he was under pressure to enter the race.
Hamilton passed team-mate and polesitter Heikki Kovalainen on lap five of the inside of Stowe, where Mansell had supplanted Piquet for the lead 11 years prior.
2020: Hamilton triumphs on three wheels.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Silverstone has been silent, with no fans attending the circuit’s two consecutive race weekends in August.
The first race, which carried the traditional “British” title until the final lap, saw Lewis Hamilton’s puncture on the final lap. The second was the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.
Hamilton had watched as Valtteri Bottas’ race, which had been stopped by tire issues, came to an end two laps later. It appeared as though Hamilton’s record-breaking seventh home victory was about to pass when Max Verstappen, who was about 30 seconds behind, began to close in.
2021 drama-filled title race
When the pair started competing on the front row at Silverstone in 2021, Max Verstappen, the polesitter, was 32 points clear of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in a tense title race.
The drama began to play out as the opening lap of one of the fastest laps in Formula 1 took a dramatic turn into the 190-mph Copse corner, which saw Red Bull’s Verstappen spin out of the grand prix. Following the 51G impact, the Dutchman was taken for precautionary tests.
After passing Lando Norris and team-mate Valtteri Bottas, Hamilton had to pass Lando Norris and Valtteri Bottas before heading straight after race leader Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari. He was given a 10-second penalty for the collision with Verstappen. He completed his eight-second gap by 12 laps, passing Leclerc at Copse’s exit on lap 50 of 52.
Hamilton’s first win in 945 days – 2024
After his truimph at Silverstone in 2024, Hamilton said, “I thought it was never going to happen again.” His triumph at Mercedes in his final year marked his unfathomable dry spell for one of the greatest drivers of all time.
In front of 164, 000 spectators, Hamilton defeated Lando Norris of McLaren and Verstappen in a fierce race-long fight. His ninth victory at home helped him break the record for wins in a single circuit.
related subjects
- Formula 1
