Silverstone Circuit

Silverstone Circuit is a motor racing circuit in England, near the Northamptonshire villages Silverstone and Whittlebury. It is the home of the British Grand Prix, which it first hosted as the 1948 British Grand Prix. The 1950 British Grand Prix at Silverstone was the first race in the newly created World Championship of Drivers. The race rotated between Silverstone, Aintree and Brands Hatch from 1955 to 1986, but settled permanently at the Silverstone track in 1987. The circuit also hosts the British round of the MotoGP series.

Circuit

thumb|left|Satellite view of the circuit in 2018

The Silverstone circuit is on the site of a Royal Air Force bomber station, RAF Silverstone, which was operational between 1943 and 1946. The station was the base for the No. 17 Operational Training Unit. The airfield's three runways, in classic WWII triangle format, lie within the outline of the present track.

The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border and is accessed from the nearby A43. The Northamptonshire towns Towcester () and Brackley () and the town Buckingham, in Buckinghamshire () are close by, and the nearest city is Milton Keynes, the home of Formula One team Red Bull Racing. Many F1 teams have bases in the UK, but Aston Martin is the closest to the track, with a new base having just been built under a kilometre from the race circuit.

Silverstone was first used for motorsport by an ad hoc group of friends who set up an impromptu race in September 1947. One of their members, Maurice Geoghegan, lived in nearby Silverstone village and was aware the airfield was deserted. He and eleven other drivers raced over a circuit, during the course of which Geoghegan himself ran over a sheep that had wandered onto the airfield. The sheep was killed and the car was written off, and in the aftermath of this event the informal race became known as the Mutton Grand Prix.

The next year the Royal Automobile Club took a lease on the airfield and set out a more formal racing circuit. Their first two races were held on the runways themselves, with long straights separated by tight hairpin corners, the track demarcated by hay bales. However, for the 1949 International Trophy meeting, it was decided to switch to the perimeter track. This arrangement was used for the 1950 and 1951 Grands Prix. In 1952 the start line was moved from the Farm Straight to the straight linking the Woodcote and Copse corners, and this layout remained largely unaltered for the following 38 years. For the 1975 meeting a chicane was introduced to try to tame speeds through Woodcote (though motorbikes would still use the circuit without the chicane until 1986), and Bridge corner was subtly rerouted in 1987.

The track underwent a major redesign between the 1990 and 1991 races, transforming the ultra-fast track (where, in its last years, fourth or fifth gear, depending on the transmission of the car, was used for every corner except the Bridge chicane which was usually taken in second gear) into a more technical track. The reshaped track's first Formula One race was won by Nigel Mansell in front of his home crowd. On his victory lap back to the pits Mansell picked up stranded rival Ayrton Senna to give him a lift on his side-pod after his McLaren had run out of fuel on the final lap of the race.

Following the deaths of Senna and fellow Grand Prix driver Roland Ratzenberger at Imola in 1994, many Grand Prix circuits were modified in order to reduce speed and increase driver safety. As a consequence of this the entry from Hangar Straight into Stowe was modified in 1995 to improve the run off area. In addition, the flat-out Abbey kink was modified to a chicane in just 19 days ready for the 1994 Grand Prix. Parts of the circuit, such as the starting grid, are wide, complying with the latest safety guidelines.

A lap in a Formula One car

The Hamilton Straight leads into Abbey (Turn 1). In a modern F1 car, this is a flat-out, sixth-gear right-hander. This leads immediately into Farm (Turn 2), another flat-out left-hander. The first heavy braking point arrives at Village (Turn 3), a slow right-hander taken in second gear. Drivers must sacrifice the exit of Turn 3 to get a perfect line for The Loop (Turn 4), the slowest corner on the circuit, approached at . Getting the power down early here is vital for the blast through Aintree (Turn 5) and down the Wellington Straight, the first of two DRS zones.

At the end of the Wellington Straight, drivers brake hard for Brooklands (Turn 6), a sharp left-hander that rewards a late apex. It flows immediately into Luffield (Turn 7), a long, 180-degree right-hander that requires immense patience on the throttle. Exiting Luffield, drivers flick through Woodcote (Turn 8) and accelerate down the Old Pit Straight towards Copse (Turn 9). This is a fast right-hander, taken in seventh or eighth gear at with only a slight lift sometimes. Then comes the high-speed esses of Maggotts and Becketts (Turn 10-13). This is a rapid-fire left-right-left-right sequence where the car experiences lateral g-forces exceeding 5g, with the goal to carry maximum momentum through the final part, Chapel (Turn 14), which opens up onto the Hangar Straight.

The Hangar Straight provides the best overtaking opportunity under DRS with speeds reaching

History

1940s

With the termination of hostilities in Europe in 1945, the first motorsport event in the British Isles was held at Gransden Lodge in 1946 and the next on the Isle of Man, but there was nowhere permanent on the mainland which was suitable.

In 1948, Royal Automobile Club (RAC), under the chairmanship of Wilfred Andrews, set its mind upon running a Grand Prix and started to cast around public roads on the mainland. There was no possibility of closing the public highway as could happen on the Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands; it was a time of austerity and there was no question of building a new circuit from scratch, so some viable alternative had to be found. Nearly 40 years later, Brown died while still employed by the circuit.

The second Grand Prix at Silverstone was scheduled for May 1949 and was officially designated the British Grand Prix. It was to use the full perimeter track with a chicane inserted at Club. The length of the second circuit was exactly three miles and the race run over 100 laps, making it the longest post-war Grand Prix held in England. There were again 25 starters and victory went to a 'San Remo' Maserati 4CLT/48, this time in the hands of Toulo de Graffenried, from Bob Gerard in his familiar ERA and Louis Rosier in a 4½-litre Talbot-Lago. The race average speed had risen to . The attendance was estimated at anything up to 120,000.

Also in 1949, the first running took place of what was to become an institution at Silverstone, the International Trophy sponsored by the Daily Express and which become virtually a second Grand Prix. The first International Trophy was run on 20 August in two heats and a final. Victory in heat one went to Bira and the second to Giuseppe Farina – both driving Maserati 4CLT/48s, but the final went to a Ferrari Tipo 125 driven by Ascari from Farina, with Villoresi third in another Ferrari. For this meeting, the chicane at Club was dispensed with and the circuit took up a shape that was to last for 25 years.

1950s

The 1950 British Grand Prix was a significant occasion for three reasons: it was the first ever World Championship Grand Prix, carrying the title of the European Grand Prix; it was the first race in the newly created World Championship of Drivers; and the event was held in the presence of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth – the first and only time a reigning monarch has attended a motor race in Britain.

The year was the institution of the World Championship for Driver, and Silverstone witnessed the first time that Alfa Romeo 158 'Alfettas' had been seen in England, and they took the first three places in the hands of Giuseppe Farina, Luigi Fagioli and Reg Parnell, with the race average having increased to ; however the race distance had been reduced to .

1961 was the year of the new 1.5 litre Formula One introduced by the governing body on safety grounds – it met with strong opposition in Britain which gave birth to the short-lived Intercontinental Formula, which extended the life of the now-obsolete Formula One cars. The International Trophy was run to this Formula and produced a notable first and last – the first and only appearance of the American Scarab and the last appearance of the Vanwall, in the hands of Surtees. The race was wet and Moss demonstrated his supreme prowess in Rob Walker's Cooper by lapping all but Brabham twice.

The International Trophy attracted World Championship contenders for the last time in 1978 but the race witnessed the début of the epoch-making Lotus 79 in the hands of Mario Andretti. Such events as this gave the Formula One also-rans a chance to start, which they were normally denied in Grands Prix; two such were the Theodore and Fittipaldi. Keke Rosberg won the former in atrocious conditions from Fittipaldi in his namesake car.

Come the 1979 Grand Prix and the passage of two years had made a great difference to the performance of the turbocharged Renaults; the car which qualified on the last row in 1977 was now on the front row beside Alan Jones in the Williams FW07. When Jones's Cosworth expired, his teammate Clay Regazzoni moved into the lead, going on to win from René Arnoux in the Renault RS10 with Jean-Pierre Jarier third in the Tyrrell 009. The winner's average speed was .

1980s

thumb|right| [[John Watson (racing driver)|John Watson's 1981 British Grand Prix race winning McLaren, during the 2011 Silverstone Classic meeting]]

In May 1980, sports cars returned in the form of the Silverstone Six-Hours, which was won by Alain de Cadenet driving a car bearing his own name, partnered by Desiré Wilson; the 235 laps (687 miles) being completed at . The only other to complete the full race distance was the Siegfried Brunn/Jürgen Barth (Porsche 908/3), with a Porsche 935K Turbo driven by John Paul and Brian Redman third, a lap down.

1981 saw the arrival of the one-one-one grid, staggered in two rows. The turbocharged era saw Renault occupying the front row of the grid, and turbo-engined Ferraris fourth and eighth. The Renaults dominated the race, but total reliability was still lacking and the victory went to John Watson in a McLaren MP4/1. Second place went to Carlos Reutemann in the Williams FW07C from the Talbot-Ligier JS17 of Jacques Laffite, a lap down; the race speed was down a little at .

May 1983 saw the running of the Silverstone 1000 kilometres, which was a round of the newly instigated World Endurance Championship. Porsche dominated the event, taking the first five places, with Derek Bell and Stefan Bellof bringing their 956 home ahead of Wollek and Stefan Johansson in an identical car.

The 1985 International Trophy, run on 24 March, was the inaugural event under the regulations for the new International Formula 3000. New Zealand driver Mike Thackwell won the International Trophy for the third time, and the first F3000 race in the process, driving a Ralt RT20 from John Nielsen in a similar car. Third place went a March 85B driven by Michel Ferté.

The 1988 race was won at , the dramatic reduction in race speed being due to heavy rain. Senna took victory in his McLaren from Mansell (Williams) and Nannini (Benetton).

The sports car race was a sad affair, with but a handful of cars coming to the grid. There were 11 starters and just five finishers. The race was won by the Peugeot 905 of Warwick and Yannick Dalmas at , two laps ahead of the Maurizio Sandro Sala/Johnny Herbert Mazda MXR-01 which was four laps ahead of the Lola-Judd T92/10 driven by Jésus Pareja and Stefan Johansson. At the end of the season, the World Sports Car Championship was no more.

A year later, the Grand Prix was a race of controversy which rumbled on for most of the season: Hill was barely ahead of Schumacher on the grid and on the formation lap the young German sprinted ahead of him, which was not allowed under the rules (cars were required to maintain station during the formation lap). The race authorities informed Benetton that their man had been penalised 5 seconds for his transgression but they did not realise that it was a stop/go penalty and did not call Schumacher in, so he was black-flagged. Schumacher ignored the black flag for six laps, and for failing to respond to the black flag Schumacher was disqualified, having finished second on the road. Hill won the race from Jean Alesi in the Ferrari and Mika Häkkinen in the McLaren.

On 14 May, the FIA GT Championship came to Northants, in slightly more clement conditions and victory went to Julian Bailey and Jamie Campbell-Walter driving a Lister Storm GT from no fewer than four Chrysler Viper GTS-Rs.

Formula One returned for the 2001 British Grand Prix in July to see Häkkinen triumph having managing to overtake the driver in pole, Schumacher. Schumacher, driving for Ferrari finished second while teammate Barrichello gained the final spot in the podium.

The 2002 British Grand Prix saw Ferrari return to the top two steps of the podium with Schumacher beating Barrichello, while pole-sitter and Williams driver Juan Pablo Montoya finished in third. These three drivers, as well as gaining the top three qualifying places, were the only drivers to finish on the lead lap. This year marked the first year of British Grand Prix being promoted by American sports agency Octagon pursuant to lease agreement with BRDC signed in December 2000. Octagon also assumed the management of the circuit and acquired the assets and liabilities of Silverstone Circuits Limited from BRDC. BRDC kept the ownership of the circuit.

thumb|[[Rubens Barrichello winning the 2003 British Grand Prix]]

Although the 2003 Grand Prix was won by pole-sitter Barrichello for Ferrari, the race is probably most remembered for a track invasion by the defrocked priest, Neil Horan, who ran along Hangar Straight, head-on to the train of cars, wearing a saffron kilt and waving religious banners. Kimi Räikkönen (McLaren) was pressured by Barrichello into losing the lead and an unforced error later on allowed Montoya to seize second.

Neil Hodgson had a successful round at the World Superbike meeting in 2003. The Ducati rider held off James Toseland to win the first race and finished ahead of fellow Ducati pilot, Gregorio Lavilla by 0.493 seconds in the second race. Rubén Xaus finished third in both races.

On 30 September 2004, British Racing Drivers' Club president Jackie Stewart announced that the British Grand Prix would not be included on the 2005 provisional race calendar and, if it were, would probably not occur at Silverstone. However, on 9 December an agreement was reached with former Formula One rights holder Bernie Ecclestone ensuring that the track would host the British Grand Prix until 2009 after which Donington Park would become the new host. However, the Donington Park leaseholders, Donington Ventures Leisure, ran into severe financial problems and went into administration, resulting in the BRDC signing a 17-year deal with Ecclestone to hold the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. In an unrelated case, due to financial problems affecting parent company The Interpublic Group of Companies, Octagon terminated its lease of Silverstone Circuit and ceased promoting British Grand Prix after 2004. BRDC reassumed the management of the circuit and acquired assets and liabilities of Octagon subsidiary Silverstone Motorsport Limited and merged them back into reactivated Silverstone Circuits Limited, this reverted the 2000 transaction.

Schumacher celebrated his 80th Grand Prix victory of his career at the 2004 event after taking the lead from Räikkönen during the first round of pit stops. Barrichello completed the podium in third, and coming home in fourth was BAR's Jenson Button.

A crowd of 68,000 saw Renegade Ducati's Noriyuki Haga and Ten Kate Honda's Chris Vermeulen take a win each in the 2004 World Superbike event. Haga pulled off a close finish in race one, just beating Vermeulen. In race two, the roles were reversed with the Honda beating the Ducati.

When the Le Mans Prototypes returned in 2004, they raced for the Le Mans Series over a distance of 1000 km. It was a straight battle between the pair of Audi R8's of Audi Sport UK Team Veloqx and Team Goh's singleton R8, with victory going to the Veloqx pair of Allan McNish and Pierre Kaffer. In second place, one lap behind was Rinaldo Capello and Seiji Ara for Team Goh, followed by the all British pair of Johnny Herbert and Jamie Davies for Veloqx.

A crowd of 27,000 welcomed back the World Touring Car Championship. The Alfa Romeo drivers dominated the first race, on a sunny 15 May 2005. Gabriele Tarquini scored a lights to flag victory, leading home an Alfa quartet. Behind the Italian, a tough fight for second between James Thompson and Fabrizio Giovanardi, with a number of overtaking and paint swapping moves, also involving the BMW 320i of Andy Priaulx. Augusto Farfus completed the quartet, with Priaulx dropping back to fifth. After a superb start, Priaulx led most of race two, until side-lined with a puncture. This enabled the SEAT duo of Rickard Rydell and Jason Plato to take the win for the Spanish manufacturer, with Tarquini in third.

Ducati took both legs of the 2005 World Superbike double-header. Régis Laconi scored the first win and Toseland doubled Ducati's pleasure. Laconi beat Troy Corser to the finishing line by 0.096secs. Toseland claimed third on the podium. Toseland turn came to Race 2, when he passed Croser and Haga.

Montoya won the 2005 British Grand Prix.

In the 2005 Le Mans Series race, Team ORECA Audi R8 scored a victory, with McNish, this time paired with Stéphane Ortelli, winning after a race-long battle with the Creation Autosportif's DBA 03S of Nicolas Minassian and Campbell-Walter, a car that provided much of the season's excitement.

Troy Bayliss gained a pair of wins in the 2006 World Superbike, aboard his Xerox Ducati. Haga (Yamaha) and Toseland (Honda) joined Bayliss on the podium in both races.

thumb|right|[[Kimi Räikkönen piloting his Ferrari to victory in the 2007 British Grand Prix]]

Following Hamilton's victory in the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix, Silverstone reported that ticket sales had "gone through the roof"; circuit director Ian Phillips added, "we haven't seen this level of interest since Mansell-mania in the late 80s and early 90s". Hamilton qualified his McLaren on pole. However, race day saw Räikkönen move ahead during the first round of pit stops. The other McLaren driver, Alonso, finished second.

Bayliss (Ducati) took the chequered flag in a solitary 2007 World Superbike race, with a heavy downpour causing the first race to be run in the wet, with Race 2 cancelled altogether. Naga and Corser completed the podium line-up.

After a one-year hiatus, the Le Mans Series returned to Silverstone. At the head of the field, the Team Peugeot 908 HDi's lead was unchallenged and Minassian achieved his goal to do one better, partnered by Marc Gené. Emmanuel Collard/Jean-Christophe Boullion finished two laps down in second. Third place on the podium was for the Rollcentre Pescarolo, piloted by Stuart Hall and Joao Barbosa.

Hamilton won the 2008 British Grand Prix, when he crossed the line to win by 68 seconds. The margin of victory was the largest in Formula One since 1995. Once again, Barrichello finished on the podium, this time in a Honda.

thumb|right|[[Allan McNish driving the Audi R10 during the 2008 Le Mans Series race]]

A spirited drive from the 2008 Le Mans winners Rinaldo Capello and McNish saw their Audi R10 TDI progress through the field after a trip in the gravel early in the race, all the way up to second behind their sister car. When the leading Audi came in for an unplanned pit stop and was pulled into the pit for some rear suspension repairs, this handed the lead to McNish and Capello, who took a well deserved win. The Charouz Lola-Aston Martin B08/60 was second, driven by Jan Charouz and Stefan Mücke. The Pescarolo of Romain Dumas and Boullion got a well deserved podium finish.

The 2009 British Grand Prix at Silverstone was due to be the last in Northamptonshire, as the event was moving to Donington Park from the 2010 season. The race was won by Sebastian Vettel for Red Bull Racing, 15.1secs ahead of his teammate Mark Webber. A further 25.9secs behind was Barrichello, in his Brawn. However, due to Donington Park funding issues, the Grand Prix would remain at Silverstone.

The 2009 1000 km of Silverstone saw Oreca take the chequered flag with the aid of their drivers Olivier Panis and Nicolas Lapierre. The next three cars home were also on the lead lap after 195 laps of racing, with second place going to Speedy Racing's Lola-Aston Martin B08/60 of Marcel Fässler, Andrea Belicchi and Nicolas Prost. The newer Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 of Aston Martin Racing took the next two places, with the partnership of Tomáš Enge, Charouz and Mücke claiming the final step on the podium.

2010s

thumb|right|[[Fernando Alonso's Ferrari F150 Italia in the pit lane, in the Formula One 2011 British Grand Prix]]

Mark Webber (Red Bull) won the 2010 British Grand Prix, just over a second ahead of McLaren's Hamilton. Nico Rosberg claimed third place for Mercedes.

The FIM World Superbike Championship round at Silverstone in 2010 was dominated by British riders. In both races, Yamaha Sterilgarda's Cal Crutchlow won with Jonathan Rea second. Alstare Suzuki's Leon Haslam and Aprilla's Leon Camier made appearances in the top three, giving Britain a complete podium sweep of the event.

thumb|right|[[Cal Crutchlow on his way to a double win, in the 2010 World Superbike event]]

The 2010 British motorcycle Grand Prix returned to Silverstone for the first time since 1986, although the category had evolved into MotoGP. Jorge Lorenzo dominated the event for Fiat Yamaha, finishing nearly seven seconds clear of a battle for second place. Andrea Dovizioso won the battle for second for Repsol Honda, with the Tech 3 Yamaha of Ben Spies third, after passing fellow American Nicky Hayden on the last lap.

Anthony Davidson and Minassian won for Peugeot in the 2010 1000 km of Silverstone. Second place was enough for the Oreca team to be crowned as the 2010 champions, using a Peugeot instead their own race winning chassis from the 2009 event. This time Lapierre was co-driven by Stéphane Sarrazin. Audi were third with the R15 TDI of Capello and Timo Bernhard.

The 2011 British Grand Prix saw Fernando Alonso win for Ferrari, sixteen seconds ahead of the Red Bulls of Vettel and Webber.

The Althea Racing Ducati of Carlos Checa won ahead of Yamaha's Eugene Laverty with Laverty's teammate Marco Melandri finishing third in both races of the 2011 World Superbike meeting.

MotoGP returned in June 2011, with the Repsol Hondas dominating the race in rainy conditions. Casey Stoner took pole position and beat his teammate Dovizioso by more than 15 seconds. The Tech 3 Yamaha of Colin Edwards completed the podium.

The 2011 6 Hours of Silverstone witnessed a nose-to-tail fight between the Audi R18 of Bernhard and Fässler and the Peugeot 908 of Sébastien Bourdais and Simon Pagenaud, but was temporarily finished after a spin by Bernhard. A conservative drive from Pagenaud saw him caught and then overtaken by Fässler. Pagenaud picked up the pace and the two cars were on each other's tails until the end of the fourth hour when damaged rear bodywork needed replacing on the Audi. This gave the Peugeot a one-minute advantage that it did not give up. Third was the OAK Racing's Pescarolo 01 piloted by Olivier Pla and Alexandre Prémat.

The 2012 British Grand Prix was won for the second time by Webber, with pole-sitter Alonso second for Ferrari, finishing three seconds behind. Webber's teammate Vettel rounded off the podium.

Silverstone is often the site of unpredictable weather, and the 2012 World Superbike event took place in mixed wet and dry conditions. Kawasaki Racing's Loris Baz won from the BMWs of Michel Fabrizio and Ayrton Badovini. Baz then took second behind PATA Racing's Ducati, piloted by Sylvain Guintoli in a shortened second race. Jakub Smrz took third, as nine riders went down before the official called an early end after eight laps.

The 2012 British MotoGP was won by the Yamaha factory rider, Lorenzo. He crossed the line 3.313 seconds ahead of the Respol Honda of Stoner, with Dani Pedrosa third on the other Honda.

The 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours winners Benoît Tréluyer, André Lotterer and Fässler steered their Audi R18 e-tron Quattro hybrid car to victory in the 6 Hours of Silverstone on 26 August 2012. The second Audi of Allan McNish, Rinaldo Capello and Tom Kristensen, finished third, with the Toyota TS030 hybrid of Alex Wurz, Kazuki Nakajima and Nicolas Lapierre splitting the two in second, having led early on.

thumb|right|[[Toyota TS030 Hybrid on its way to the third place in the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship race]]

The opening round of the 2013 World Endurance Championship saw Audi Sport Team Joest dominating. The race soon developed into a pattern of two Audi R18 e-tron quattros followed by two Toyota TS030 Hybrids and backed up by two Rebellion Lola B12/60s. Audis had a better early stage of the race when the Toyota's tyres did not work well, and by the middle of the race they were securely leading the race by one lap. McNish was behind Tréluyer by more than 20 seconds with some 15 laps to go. But McNish (partnered by Kristensen and Loïc Duval), and motivated to win the RAC Tourist Trophy award for the race, closed the gap and overtook Tréluyer (supported by Lotterer and Fässler) two laps before the finish. The podium was completed the Toyota of Davidson/Sarrazin/Sébastien Buemi.

Mercedes's Rosberg held off Red Bull's Webber to win the 2013 British Grand Prix. In a race featuring two safety car interventions and tyre failures on five cars (four of which blew the rear-right tyre), Ferrari's Alonso finished third from ninth on the grid. Rosberg's teammate, Hamilton, dropped to last with tyre failure, but recovered to finish fourth ahead of Lotus's Räikkönen.

Pata Honda's Jonathan Rea took advantage of the fluctuating weather conditions to take the lead mid-distance during the 2013 World Superbike Race 1, which he held until the end. Aprilia Racing's Eugene Laverty followed home for second place, with Crescent Suzuki's Leon Camier third. Race 2 started dry but deteriorated to treacherously damp by mid-race. This saw Baz prevailing, replicating his victory from 2012, in similar conditions. Jules Cluzel took his Crescent Suzuki up to second place, followed home by Laverty in third.

Reigning World MotoGP Champion, Lorenzo, ended Marc Márquez's four-race winning streak to take victory in the 2013 British MotoGP. Yamaha factory-rider, Lorenzo swapped the lead three times with Márquez through the last few corners, but Lorenzo managed to make the crucial pass and win. Márquez's Repsol Honda teammate, Pedrosa finished third, while Crutchlow was seventh. Meanwhile, in the supporting Moto2 race, Scott Redding won.

Easter Sunday 2014 saw the return of Porsche to top-level sportscar racing in the World Endurance Championship event. Toyota dominated the event, as the Toyota TS040 Hybrid of Sébastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson and Nicolas Lapierre took victory by a clear lap over their teammates, Alex Wurz, Kazuki Nakajima and Stéphane Sarrazin, at the end of a race that was red-flagged before its scheduled finish courtesy of heavy rain. Porsche claimed a podium on its return with the 919 Hybrid. The partnership of Mark Webber, Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley took third, finishing two laps down on the winner and one down on the second-placed Toyota.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the 2014 British Grand Prix. He was catching his teammate and championship rival, Nico Rosberg, at the half-way stage of the race when Rosberg suffered a gearbox failure and was forced to retire, with Williams's Valtteri Bottas coming from 14th on the grid to finish second. Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo took third. The race had to be red flagged following a high-speed crash on the opening lap of Kimi Räikkönen.

The reigning world champion Marc Márquez won the Hertz British MotoGP for his 11th win in 12 starts. The Honda rider overtook the previous year's winner Jorge Lorenzo on a Yamaha with three laps to go to cross the line 0.732 seconds in front. The second works Yamaha of Valentino Rossi completed the podium, after fending off Honda's Dani Pedrosa.

The escalating costs of the British Grand Prix led to the BRDC triggering a break clause in their contract, meaning that the 2019 British Grand Prix would be the last at the Silverstone Circuit. Although there was speculation of a street race in London, lengthy negotiations with Liberty Media led to a new agreement for Silverstone to continue to host the British Grand Prix for a further five years after 2019.

World Champion Lewis Hamilton's win at the 2019 British Grand Prix was his sixth win at the Silverstone circuit, and with it, he broke a 52-year-old record for most wins in the British Grand Prix by a Formula One driver. The previous record of five wins was set and held by Jim Clark in 1967. This record was then matched by Alain Prost in 1993, and Hamilton in 2017.

2020s

The 2020 British motorcycle Grand Prix, scheduled to be held at Silverstone, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Silverstone Circuit held two Formula One World Championship races in one season in 2020 (behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic) on consecutive weekends with the races on 2 and 9 August; the second race was referred to as the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix to commemorate the 70 years since the inception of the Formula One World Championship in 1950.

In December 2020 the BRDC named the pit straight after Lewis Hamilton in recognition of his achievements. This is the first time in the circuit's history that an area of the track has been named after an individual.

Leading up to the Sunday race of the 2022 British motorcycle Grand Prix, it was confirmed that the 2023 race would start on the Hamilton Straight, with Abbey becoming the new turn 1, which is the same configuration as in F1. This was the first time that the MotoGP, 2 and 3 class started at the Hamilton straight since the 2012 event.

thumb|right|[[Lewis Hamilton at the 2024 British Grand Prix where he won a record ninth British Grand Prix]]

In February 2024, Silverstone and Formula One agreed a ten-year contract extension to host the British Grand Prix, with the new deal lasting until the 2034 event.

Before the Moto3 race in 2024, the 2025 dates were confirmed to be 23–25 May 2025, this would be the earliest a British motorcycle Grand Prix has ever been hosted in Silverstone and its former track Donington Park.

In the Moto2 Race, British rider Jake Dixon won his first home race in his career, making him the first British rider to win his home race since Danny Kent won the 2015 Moto3 race.

After 945 days without a victory in Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton won his ninth British Grand Prix breaking the record for most wins at a single circuit or Grand Prix and extending his consecutive Silverstone podium record to 12.

On 6 July 2025, Google commemorated the 75th anniversary of Formula 1 and its origination at Silverstone in 1950 with a dedicated Google Doodle on their homepage, showcasing the iconic Silverstone track, Wing building and red car with the number 75 emblazoned upon it. Lando Norris won his first British Grand Prix becoming the 13th British driver to win on home soil.

Other competitions

thumb|Formation lap around Brooklands corner at the [[2010 Silverstone Superleague Formula round|2010 Superleague Formula round]]

Silverstone also hosts many club racing series and the world's largest historic race meeting, the Silverstone Classic. It was also host to a 24-hour car race, the Britcar 24, having run between 2005 and 2018.

It has in the past hosted exhibition rounds of the D1 Grand Prix both in and . The course, starting from the main straight used in club races, makes use of both Brooklands and Luffield corners to form an S-bend – a requirement in drifting – and is regarded by its judge, Keiichi Tsuchiya, as one of the most technical drifting courses of all. The section, used in drifting events since 2002, is currently used to host a European Drift Championship round. The Course also hosts the Formula Student Competition by the iMechE yearly.

In 2010 Silverstone hosted its very first Superleague Formula event.

Events

; Current events

14 February: Pomeroy Trophy
23–26 April: British GT Championship Silverstone 500, GB3 Championship, GB4 Championship
15–17 May: BRSCC Silverstone 24 Hours
22–24 May: Ferrari Challenge UK
30–31 May: F4 British Championship
13–14 June: BRSCC Silverstone Summer Race Weekend
3–5 July: Formula One British Grand Prix, FIA Formula 2 Championship Silverstone Formula 2 round, FIA Formula 3 Championship, F1 Academy
24–26 July: Silverstone Classic
1–2 August: GB3 Championship, GB4 Championship, GT Cup Championship
7–9 August: Grand Prix motorcycle racing British motorcycle Grand Prix, Moto4 British Cup, Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup
11–13 September: European Le Mans Series 4 Hours of Silverstone, Le Mans Cup, Ligier European Series, Eurocup-3
19–20 September: BRSCC Silverstone Autumn Race Weekend
25–27 September: British Touring Car Championship, F4 British Championship, Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain
10–11 October: HSCC Finals
17–18 October: MRL Silverstone GP Meeting
31 October–1 November: Walter Hayes Trophy

; Former events

24H Series (2016, 2018)
Alpine Elf Europa Cup (2018–2019)
American Le Mans Series
Silverstone 500 USA Challenge (2000)
Auto GP (2006, 2013, 2015)
BMW M1 Procar Championship (1979)
BPR Global GT Series (1995–1996)
British Formula 3 International Series (1971–2014)
British Formula Two Championship (1989–1994, 1996)
British Superbike Championship (1998–2023)
British Supersport Championship (1998–2023)
EuroBOSS Series (1995–1999, 2001, 2003–2004)
Eurocup Mégane Trophy (2008–2011)
Euroformula Open Championship (2013–2019)
European Formula 5000 Championship (1969–1975)
European Formula Two Championship (1967, 1975, 1977, 1979–1984)
European Touring Car Championship (1970, 1972–1986, 1988, 2001–2002)
European Truck Racing Cup (1985–1988)
F4 Eurocup 1.6 (2010)
Ferrari Challenge Europe (2006–2007, 2012, 2014, 2017–2018, 2022)
Ferrari Challenge Italia (2008)
FIA European Formula 3 Championship (1980–1984)
FIA European Formula 3 Cup (1987)
FIA Formula 3 European Championship (2013–2015, 2017–2018)
FIA GT Championship (1997–2002, 2005–2009)
FIA GT1 World Championship
RAC Tourist Trophy (2010–2011)
FIA GT3 European Championship (2006–2011)
FIA World Endurance Championship
4 Hours of Silverstone (2019)
6 Hours of Silverstone (2012–2018)
FIA World Rallycross Championship
World RX of Great Britain (2018–2019)
FIM Endurance World Championship (1983, 2002)
Formula 3 Euro Series (2011)
Formula 750 (1973–1976)
Formula BMW Europe (2008–2010)
Formula One
70th Anniversary Grand Prix (2020)
Formula Palmer Audi (1998–2000, 2002–2005, 2007–2010)
Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup (2013–2016)
Formula Renault Eurocup (1995–1996, 1998–1999, 2001–2002, 2008–2011, 2015, 2017–2019)
Grand Prix Masters (2006)
GT World Challenge Europe (2013–2019)
GT4 European Series (2007–2011, 2013, 2016)
GP2 Series
Silverstone GP2 round (2005–2016)
GP3 Series (2010–2018)
International Formula 3000
BRDC International Trophy (1985–1990, 1992–2004)
International GT Open (2013–2019)
JK Racing Asia Series (2012)
Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe (2009, 2011–2019)
International Touring Car Championship (1996)
MotoE World Championship
British eRace (2023)
Porsche Supercup (1994–2020, 2022–2024)
Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup (2011–2015)
Renault Sport Trophy (2015)
SEAT León Eurocup (2014–2016)
Sidecar World Championship (1977–1984, 1986, 2002–2003)
Silverstone 24 Hour (2005–2013, 2015–2018)
Superbike World Championship (2002–2007, 2010–2013)
Superleague Formula (2010)
Supersport World Championship (2002–2007, 2010–2013)
TCR UK Touring Car Championship (2018, 2020–2021, 2023–2025)
Trofeo Maserati (2003–2006, 2014)
USAC Cup National Championship (1978)
World Series Formula V8 3.5 (2008–2012, 2015–2017)
World Sportscar Championship (1976–1988, 1990–1992)
World Touring Car Championship
FIA WTCC Race of UK (1987, 2005)
W Series (2021–2022)

Lap records

thumb|right|500px|The various configurations of Silverstone, 1949 to the present.

Max Verstappen's lap of 1:27.097 in the 2020 British Grand Prix is the official race lap record for the current Grand Prix configuration, which has only been in existence since 2011. The diagram at right illustrates the changes in configuration which have been made, a detailed description of the changes which have been made, see development history of Silverstone Circuit.

Official lap records are set in a race, although qualifying laps are typically faster. The fastest lap of 1:24.303 was set by Lewis Hamilton during 2020 qualification. As of April 2026, the fastest official race lap records of Silverstone are listed as:

{| class="wikitable"

! Category !! Time !! Driver !! Vehicle !! Event

! colspan=5 | Grand Prix Circuit (2011–present):

| Formula One || 1:27.097 || Max Verstappen || Red Bull Racing RB16 || 2020 British Grand Prix

| LMP1 || 1:37.289 || Mike Conway || Toyota TS050 Hybrid || 2019 4 Hours of Silverstone

| FIA F2 || 1:39.993 || Jack Aitken || Dallara F2 2018 || 2019 Silverstone Formula 2 round

| GP2 || 1:42.297 || Mitch Evans || Dallara GP2/11 || 2014 Silverstone GP2 round

| Formula Renault 3.5 || 1:43.000 || Matthieu Vaxivière || Dallara T12 || 2015 Silverstone Formula Renault 3.5 Series round

| LMP2 || 1:43.116 || Oliver Gray || Oreca 07 || 2025 4 Hours of Silverstone

| FIA F3 || 1:45.692 || Logan Sargeant || Dallara F3 2019 || 2019 Silverstone Formula 3 round

| Auto GP || 1:46.942 || Kimiya Sato || Lola B05/52 || 2013 Silverstone Auto GP round

| GP3 || 1:47.096 || Callum Ilott || Dallara GP3/13 || 2018 Silverstone GP3 round

| F2 (2009–2012) || 1:49.117 || Luciano Bacheta || Williams JPH1 || 2012 Silverstone FTwo round

| Euroformula Open || 1:49.758 || Nicolai Kjærgaard || Dallara F317 || '2019 Silverstone Euroformula Open round

| GB3 || 1:50.059 || Deagen Fairclough || Tatuus MSV GB3-025 || 2026 1st Silverstone GB3 round

| LMP3 || 1:54.310 || Matteo Quintarelli || Ligier JS P325 || 2025 Silverstone Le Mans Cup round

| LM GTE || 1:55.762 || Alexander Vartanyan || Tatuus FR2.0/13 || 2018 Silverstone Formula Renault Eurocup round

| Renault Sport Trophy || 1:56.383 || || Renault Sport R.S. 01 || 2015 Silverstone Renault Sport Trophy round

| Formula Regional || 1:56.847 || Abbi Pulling || Tatuus F3 T-318 || 2022 Silverstone W Series round

| GT3 || 1:57.730 || Ben Barnicoat || McLaren 720S GT3 Evo || 2026 Silverstone British GT round

| LMPC || 1:58.924 || Phil Keen || Oreca FLM09 || 2011 6 Hours of Silverstone

| GT1 (GTS) || 2:00.396 || Michael Krumm || Nissan GT-R GT1 || 2011 RAC Tourist Trophy

| Superkart || 2:00.456 || Matt Robinson || Anderson Redspeed-VM || 2022 Silverstone British Superkart Racing Club Super Series round

| GB4 || 2:00.459 || Alexandros Kattoulas || Tatuus MSV GB4-025 || 2025 1st Silverstone GB4 round

| Formula 4 || 2:01.055 || Deagen Fairclough || Tatuus F4-T421 || 2024 1st Silverstone British F4 round

| Ferrari Challenge || 2:01.094 || Gilbert Yates || Ferrari 296 Challenge || 2025 Silverstone Ferrari Challenge UK round

| CN || 2:02.558 || Frédéric Makowiecki || Ligier JS51 || 2011 Silverstone Speed Euroseries round

| Porsche Carrera Cup || 2:03.001 || Julien Andlauer || Porsche 911 (991 II) GT3 Cup || 2019 Silverstone Porsche Supercup round

| JS P4 || 2:03.617 || Ruben Hage || Ligier JS P4 || 2025 Silverstone Ligier European Series round

| Radical Cup || 2:03.777 || James Lay || Radical SR3 || 2023 Silverstone Radical Cup UK round

| Eurocup Mégane Trophy || 2:08.720 || Stefano Comini || Renault Mégane Renault Sport II || 2011 Silverstone Eurocup Mégane Trophy round

| GT4 || 2:09.403 || Matt George || Mercedes-AMG GT4 || 2023 1st Silverstone British Endurance Championship round

| JS2 R || 2:10.689 || Simone Riccitelli || Ligier JS2 R || 2025 Silverstone Ligier European Series round

| Formula BMW || 2:10.697 || Afiq Ikhwan || Mygale FB02 || 2012 Silverstone JK Racing Asia Series round

| TCR Touring Car || 2:10.994 || Mauro Calamia || Maserati Trofeo || 2014 Silverstone Trofeo Maserati Corse World Series round

| Alpine Elf Europa Cup || 2:12.408 || Gaël Castelli || Alpine A110 Cup || 2019 Silverstone Alpine Elf Europa Cup round

| SEAT León Supercopa || 2:13.066 || Mikel Azcona || SEAT León Cup Racer || 2015 Silverstone SEAT León Eurocup round

! colspan=5 | Motorcycle Circuit (2010–present):

| MotoGP || 1:58.895 || Aleix Espargaró || Aprilia RS-GP24 || 2024 British motorcycle Grand Prix

| Moto2 || 2:03.984 || Arón Canet || Kalex Moto2 || 2024 British motorcycle Grand Prix

| World SBK || 2:05.083 || Sylvain Guintoli || Aprilia RSV4 Factory || 2013 Silverstone World SBK round

| World SSP || 2:08.027 || Sam Lowes || Yamaha YZF-R6 || 2013 Silverstone World SSP round

| Moto3 || 2:09.727 || Adrián Fernández || Honda NSF250RW || 2024 British motorcycle Grand Prix

| 125cc || 2:13.781 || Pol Espargaró || Derbi RSA 125 || 2010 British motorcycle Grand Prix

| MotoE || 2:19.327 || Mattia Casadei || Ducati V21L || 2023 British motorcycle Grand Prix

! colspan=5 | Grand Prix Circuit (2010):

| Formula One || 1:30.874 || Fernando Alonso || Ferrari F10 || 2010 British Grand Prix

| GP2 || 1.41.610 || Sergio Pérez || Dallara GP2/08 || 2010 Silverstone GP2 round

| LMP1 || 1:44.338 || Stéphane Sarrazin || Peugeot 908 HDi FAP || 2010 1000 km of Silverstone

| Formula Renault 3.5 || 1:48.165 || Jon Lancaster || Dallara T08 || 2010 Silverstone Formula Renault 3.5 Series round

| LMP2 || 1:48.873 || James Calado || Dallara F308 || 2010 1st Silverstone British F3 round

| GT1 (GTS) || 2:00.548 || Frédéric Makowiecki || Aston Martin DBR9 || 2010 RAC Tourist Trophy

| Formula Renault 2.0 || 2:01.041 || Carlos Sainz Jr. || Barazi-Epsilon FR2.0–10 || 2010 Silverstone Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 round

| GT2 || 2:03.462 || Nick Tandy || Porsche 911 (997) GT3 Cup S || 2010 Silverstone Porsche Supercup round

| Formula BMW || 2:08.260 || Carlos Sainz Jr. || Mygale FB02 || 2010 Silverstone Formula BMW Europe round

| Eurocup Mégane Trophy || 2:08.877 || Stefano Comini || Renault Mégane Renault Sport II || 2010 Silverstone Eurocup Mégane Trophy round

| Formula Renault 1.6 || 2:12.002 || Paul-Loup Chatin || Signatech FR 1.6 || 2010 Silverstone F4 Eurocup 1.6 round

| GT4 || 2:15.892 || Paul Meijer || Aston Martin Vantage GT4 || 2010 Silverstone GT4 European Cup round

! colspan=5 | International Circuit (2010–present):

| GT3 || 1:00.485 || John Seale || Lamborghini Huracán GT3 || 2021 1st Silverstone Britcar round

| Superkart || 1:01.389 || Liam Morley || Anderson Maverick-VM || 2025 BSRC Silverstone round

| Praga Cup || 1:01.517 || Mike Millard|| Rapier SR2 LMPX || 2014 1st Silverstone Britcar GT round

| Ferrari Challenge || 1:06.385 || Calum Lockie || Ferrari 458 Challenge || 2015 2nd Silverstone Britcar GT round

| TCR Touring Car || 1:06.811 || Callum Newsham || Hyundai i30 N TCR || 2024 2nd Silverstone TCR UK round

| GT4 || 1:10.284 || Scott Mansell || Benetton B197 || 2004 Silverstone EuroBOSS round

| Praga Cup || 0:52.884 || Gordie Mutch || Praga R1T || 2022 2nd Silverstone Praga Cup round

| Superbike || 0:53.102 || Bradley Ray || Yamaha YZF-R1 || 2022 Silverstone BSB round

| Superkart || 0:53.257 || Liam Morley || Anderson Maverick-VM || 2021 Silverstone BSRC Super Series round

| Formula Palmer Audi || 0:54.325 || Ramón Piñeiro || Formula Palmer Audi car || 2010 Silverstone Formula Palmer Audi round

| Formula 4 || 0:54.571 || Ugo Ugochukwu || Tatuus F4-T421 || 2022 Silverstone British F4 round

| CN || 0:54.575 || Kiern Jewiss || Porsche 911 (992 I) GT3 Cup || 2022 Silverstone Porsche Carrera Cup UK round

| Supersport || 0:55.352 || Tom Booth-Amos || Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R || 2023 Silverstone BSS round

| Ferrari Challenge || 0:56.473 || David Mason || Ferrari 458 Challenge || 2015 1st Silverstone Britcar GT round

| GT4 || 0:56.579 || Tom Bradshaw || Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport || 2025 Silverstone Porsche Sprint Challenge Great Britain round

| NGTC || 0:56.875 || Tom Ingram || Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance || 2025 Silverstone BTCC round

| TCR Touring Car || 0:58.066 || Steve Laidlaw || Cupra León VZ TCR || 2025 Silverstone TCR UK round

| Formula BMW || 0:58.455 || Niall Breen || Mygale FB02 || 2006 Silverstone Formula BMW UK round

| BMW F900R Cup || 1:00.245 || Richard Cooper || BMW F900R || 2023 Silverstone BMW F900R Cup round

| Super 2000 || 1:00.682 || Tom Onslow-Cole || Ford Focus ST LPG || 2010 Silverstone BTCC round

| BTC Touring || 1:00.859 || Gordon Shedden || BTC-T Honda Integra Type R || 2006 Silverstone BTCC round

| Moto3 || 1:01.447 || Harrison Dessoy || Honda NSF250R || 2023 1st Silverstone British Talent Cup round

| SEAT León Supercopa || 1:06.028 || Stéphane Sarrazin || Peugeot 908 HDi FAP || 2008 1000 km of Silverstone

| Superleague Formula || 1:32.818 || Sébastien Bourdais || Panoz DP09 || 2010 Silverstone Superleague Formula round

| Formula Renault 3.5 || 1:35.130 || Salvador Durán || Dallara T08 || 2008 Silverstone Formula Renault 3.5 Series round

| LMP2 || 1:35.675 || Tomáš Enge || Lola B02/50 || 2004 Silverstone F3000 round

| F2 (2009–2012) || 1.38.733 || Philipp Eng || Williams JPH1 || 2010 Silverstone FTwo round

| LMP900 || 1:39.748 || Mimmo Schiattarella || Lola B2K/10 || 2000 Silverstone 500 USA Challenge

| Formula Three || 1:41.235 || Jean-Éric Vergne || Dallara F308 || 2010 2nd Silverstone British F3 round

| GT1 (Prototype) || 1:42.719 || Uwe Alzen || Porsche 911 GT1-98 || 1998 FIA GT Silverstone 500km

| LMPC || 1:44.048 || Mathias Beche || Oreca FLM09 || 2009 Silverstone Formula Le Mans Cup round

| GT1 (GTS) || 1:45.791 || Jérôme Policand || Chevrolet Corvette C6-R || 2007 1000 km of Silverstone

| Formula Renault 2.0 || 1:47.205 || Mathieu Arzeno || Tatuus FR2000 || 2008 Silverstone Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 round

| Formula Palmer Audi || 1:48.576 || Jolyon Palmer || Formula Palmer Audi car || 2009 2nd Silverstone Formula Palmer Audi round

| Superkart || 1:49.725 || Gianmaria Bruni || Ferrari F430 GTC || 2009 1000 km of Silverstone

| GT2 (GTS) || 1:50.763 || Jean-Philippe Belloc || Chrysler Viper GTS-R || 1999 FIA GT Silverstone 500 miles

| GT3 || 1:52.685 || Sean McInerney || Mosler MT900R || 2008 Britcar 24 Hour

| Formula BMW || 1:53.610 || Michael Christensen || Mygale FB02 || 2009 Silverstone Formula BMW Europe round

| Porsche Carrera Cup || 1:53.739 || Uwe Alzen || Porsche 911 (997) GT3 Cup || 2006 Silverstone Porsche Supercup round

| GT || 1:54.151 || Gabriele Tarquini || Honda Accord || 2001 Silverstone ESTC round

| N-GT || 1:54.677 || Stéphane Ortelli || Porsche 911 (996) GT3-RS || 2002 FIA GT Silverstone 500km

| Eurocup Mégane Trophy || 1:54.981 || Jonathan Hirschi || Renault Mégane Renault Sport || 2009 Silverstone Eurocup Mégane Trophy round

| GP Masters || 2:00.537 || Christian Danner || Delta Motorsport GP Masters car || 2006 Silverstone GP Masters round

| Super 2000 || 2:01.577 || Nicola Larini || Alfa Romeo 156 GTA Super 2000 || 2002 Silverstone ETCC round

! colspan=5 | Motorcycle Long Circuit (2003–2009):

| World SBK || 1:53.044 || Gregorio Lavilla || Suzuki GSX-R1000 || 2003 Silverstone World SBK round

| World SSP || 1:56.459 || Chris Vermeulen || Honda CBR600RR || 2003 Silverstone World SSP round

! colspan=5 | Motorcycle Short Circuit (2003–2009):

| Superbike || 1:25.377 || Gregorio Lavilla || Ducati 999 F06 || 2007 Silverstone BSB round

| World SBK || 1:26.299 || Troy Bayliss || Ducati 999 F06 || 2006 Silverstone World SBK round

| Supersport || 1:28.279 || James Westmoreland || Triumph Daytona 675 || 2009 Silverstone BSS round

| World SSP || 1:29.027 || Sébastien Charpentier || Honda CBR600RR || 2005 Silverstone World SSP round

! colspan=5 | International Circuit (1997–2009):

| Formula Three || 1:14.929 || Nicolas Minassian || Dallara F397 || 1997 1st Silverstone British F3 round

| GT1 (Prototype) || 1:16.758 || Chris Goodwin || McLaren F1 GTR || 1999 1st Silverstone British GT round

| GT1 (GTS) || 1:17.490 || Darren Turner || Aston Martin DBR9 || 2005 FIA GT Tourist Trophy

| GT2 || 1:21.483 || Steve Hislop || Ducati 998 || 2002 Silverstone BSB round

| Super Touring || 1:23.257 || Jason Plato || Renault Laguna || 1997 1st Silverstone BTCC round

| Formula BMW || 1:24.858 || || Mygale FB02 || 2004 Silverstone Formula BMW UK round

| World SBK || 1:26.299 || Troy Bayliss || Ducati 999 F06 || 2006 Silverstone World SBK round

| Super 2000 || 1:26.730 || Andy Priaulx || BMW 320i || 2005 FIA WTCC Race of UK

| Supersport || 1:27.248 || Jim Moodie || Yamaha YZF-R6 || 2002 1st Silverstone BSS round

| BTC Touring || 1:28.324 || James Thompson || BTC-T Vauxhall Astra Coupe || 2002 Silverstone BTCC round

| World SSP || 1:29.124 || Broc Parkes || Yamaha YZF-R6 || 2006 Silverstone World SSP round

! colspan=5 | Motorcycle Long Circuit (1997–2002):

| Superbike || 1:53.232 || Stéphane Mertens || Suzuki GSX-R1000 || 2002 Silverstone 200

| Supersport || 1:56.031 || Stuart Easton || Ducati 748 || 2002 2nd Silverstone BSS round

! colspan=5 | International Circuit (1996):

| Formula Three || 1:18.940 || Ralph Firman || Dallara F396 || 1996 1st Silverstone British F3 round

| GT1 || 1:22.660 || Ian Flux || McLaren F1 GTR || 1996 2nd Silverstone British GT round

| GT2 || 1:23.570 || Tom Kristensen || Lola T96/50 || 1996 BRDC International Trophy

| Formula Three || 1:48.460 || Jonny Kane || Dallara F396 || 1996 3rd Silverstone British F3 round

| Class 1 Touring Cars || 1:49.649 || Gabriele Tarquini || Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI || 1996 Silverstone ITC round

| GT1 || 1:49.780 || Jean-Marc Gounon || Ferrari F40 GTE || 1996 BPR 4 Hours of Silverstone

| GT2 || 1:54.520 || Rickard Rydell || Volvo 850 GLT || 1996 3rd Silverstone BTCC round

! colspan=5 | National Circuit (1994–1996):

| F3000 || 0:51.430 || Gareth Rees || Reynard 95D || 1996 1st Silverstone British F2 round

| Formula Three || 0:56.700 || || Dallara F394 || 1994 6th Silverstone British F3 round

| GT2 || 0:58.500 || Win Percy || Harrier LR9C || 1995 Silverstone British GT round

| Super Touring || 1:01.260 || Alain Menu || Renault Laguna || 1995 3rd Silverstone BTCC round

! colspan=5 | Bridge Grand Prix Circuit with Copse tightened and Abbey chicane (1994–1995):

| Formula One || 1:27.100 || Damon Hill || Williams FW16 || 1994 British Grand Prix

| F3000 || 1:40.950 || Tarso Marques || Reynard 95D || 1995 BRDC International Trophy

| Formula Three || 1:47.890 || || Dallara F394 || 1994 4th Silverstone British F3 round

| GT1 || 1:55.060 || Massimo Monti || Ferrari F40 GTE || 1995 BPR 4 Hours of Silverstone

| Super Touring || 2:01.610 || Gabriele Tarquini || Alfa Romeo 155 TS || 1994 2nd Silverstone BTCC round

| GT2 || 2:12.590 || Michel Ferté || Venturi 600 LM || 1994 3rd Silverstone British GT round

! colspan=5 | National Circuit (1991–1994): || Jason Elliott || Reynard 90D || 1991 Silverstone British F3000 round

| Formula Three || 0:55.540 || Dario Franchitti || Dallara F394 || 1994 3rd Silverstone British F3 round

| Group 5 || 1:00.700 || John Greasley || Porsche 935 K3 || 1993 Silverstone British GT round

| GT2 || 1:00.970 || Thorkild Thyrring || Lotus Esprit S300 || 1994 2nd Silverstone British GT round

| Super Touring || 1:02.230 || Paul Radisich || Ford Mondeo Si || 1993 3rd Silverstone BTCC round

! colspan=5 | Bridge Grand Prix Circuit (1991–1994):

| Formula One || 1:22.515 || Damon Hill || Williams FW15C || 1993 British Grand Prix

| Group C || 1:29.043 || Yannick Dalmas || Peugeot 905 Evo 1B || 1992 500 km of Silverstone

| F3000 || 1:36.670 || Franck Lagorce || Reynard 94D || 1994 BRDC International Trophy

| Formula Three || 1:45.440 || Kelvin Burt || Dallara F393 || 1993 5th Silverstone British F3 round

| Jaguar Intercontinental Challenge || 1:57.410 || David Brabham || Jaguar XJR-15 || 1991 Silverstone Jaguar Intercontinental Challenge round

| GT1 || 1:57.430 || Win Percy || Jaguar XJ220 || 1993 1st Silverstone British GT round

| Group 5 || 1:59.140 || John Greasley || Porsche 935 K3 || 1993 3rd Silverstone British GT round

| Super Touring || 2:01.470 || Patrick Watts || Mazda Xedos 6 || 1993 2nd Silverstone BTCC round

! colspan=5 | National Circuit (1990): || John Churchill || Spice SE88C || 1990 Silverstone BRDC Sportscar round

| Formula Three || 1:06.240 || Mika Salo || Ralt RT34 || 1990 2nd Silverstone British F3 round

| Group A || 1:09.890 || Tim Harvey || Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth || 1990 1st Silverstone BTCC round

| F3000 || 1:09.980 || Rickard Rydell || Reynard 89D || 1990 Silverstone British F3000 round

! colspan=5 | National Circuit (1989): || Roland Ratzenberger || Reynard 88D || 1989 Silverstone British F3000 round

| Group C2 || 1:04.500 || Tim Harvey || Spice SE89C || 1989 Silverstone BRDC Sportscar round

| Formula Three || 1:07.730 || Derek Higgins || Ralt RT33 || 1989 2nd Silverstone British F3 round

| Group A || 1:13.540 || Robb Gravett || Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth || 1989 2nd Silverstone BTCC round

! colspan=5 | Grand Prix Circuit with Bridge chicane (1987–1990)

| Formula One || 1:09.832 || Nigel Mansell || Williams FW11B || 1987 British Grand Prix

| Group C1 || 1:16.649 || Jean-Louis Schlesser || Mercedes-Benz Sauber C11 || 1990 480 km of Silverstone

| F3000 || 1:18.311 || Allan McNish || Lola T90/50 || 1990 BRDC International Trophy

| Group C2 || 1:25.020 || Tim Harvey || Spice SE89C || 1989 Autosport BRDC Supersprint

| Formula Three || 1:29.980 || J.J. Lehto || Reynard 883 || 1988 3rd Silverstone British F3 round

| Group A || 1:37.060 || Gianfranco Brancatelli || Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth || 1988 4th Silverstone BTCC round

! colspan=5 | Club Circuit/National Circuit (1952–1988): || Paul Stott || Tiga GC287 || 1988 Silverstone BRDC C2 round

| Formula Three || 0:53.810 || Johnny Herbert || Reynard 873 || 1987 2nd Silverstone British F3 round

| Group A || 0:57.780 || Andy Rouse || Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth || 1988 1st Silverstone BTCC round

| Group 4 || 0:58.400 || Tim Stock || Lola T70 Mk.III GT || 1970 Silverstone Club Circuit Race Meeting

| Formula Junior || 1:05.400 || Richard Attwood || Cooper T59 || 1962 Midland Enthusiasts Car Club Meeting 1962

| Formula Two || 1:17.600 || Tim Parnell || Cooper T45 || 1958 United States Air Force Trophy

! colspan=5 | Grand Prix Circuit (1975–1986):

| Formula One || 1:09.886 || Alain Prost || McLaren MP4/2B || 1985 British Grand Prix

| Group C || 1:13.950 || Andrea De Cesaris || Lancia LC2 || 1986 1000 km of Silverstone

| Formula Two || 1:16.000 || Mike Thackwell || Ralt RH6/84 || 1984 BRDC International Trophy

| USAC IndyCar || 1:18.450 || Danny Ongais || Parnelli VPJ6B || 1978 Daily Express Indy Silverstone

| Group 6 || 1:21.180 || Riccardo Patrese || Lancia LC1 || 1982 6 Hours of Silverstone

| F5000 || 1:22.000 || Alan Jones || March 75A || 1975 Silverstone F5000 round

| Sports 2000 || 1:23.200 || Ian Grob || Chevron B31 || 1975 Silverstone European 2-Litre Championship round

| Group 5 || 1:23.250 || Jochen Mass || Porsche 935 || 1979 6 Hours of Silverstone

| Formula Three || 1:23.790 || Russell Spence || Ralt RT3 || 1984 Silverstone European F3 round

| F3000 || 1:26.650 || Pascal Fabre || Lola T86/50 || 1986 BRDC International Trophy

| BMW M1 Procar || 1:29.960 || Niki Lauda || BMW M1 Procar || 1979 Silverstone BMW M1 Procar round

| Group A || 1:37.640 || Andy Rouse || Ford Sierra XR4 TI || 1986 2nd Silverstone BSCC round

! colspan=5 | Grand Prix Circuit (1952–1974); Motorcycling Circuit (1952–1986):

| Formula One || 1:17.500 || Ronnie Peterson || Lotus 72E || 1973 BRDC International Trophy

| Group 7 || 1:17.600 || Leo Kinnunen || Porsche 917/10 TC || 1973 Silverstone Interserie round

| F5000 || 1:18.000 || David Hobbs Brett Lunger || Lola T330 || 1973 GKN Vanwall Trophy

| Group 5 || 1:24.800 || Dieter Quester || Chevron B21 || 1972 Silverstone European 2-Litre Championship round

| 500cc || 1:28.200 || Kenny Roberts || Yamaha YZR500 || 1983 British motorcycle Grand Prix

| Group 4 || 1:28.200 || Denny Hulme || Lola T70 Mk.II GT || 1966 1st Silverstone BSCC round

| Formula Two || 1:29.200 || Jochen Rindt Graham Hill || Brabham BT23 Lotus 48 || 1967 BARC 200

| Group 2 || 1:32.400 || Jochen Mass Hans-Joachim Stuck || Ford Capri RS 2600 BMW 3.0 CSL || 1973 RAC Tourist Trophy

| 350cc || 1:33.790 || Anton Mang || Kawasaki KR350 || 1980 British motorcycle Grand Prix

| 250cc || 1:34.060 || Jacques Bolle || Yamaha TZ 250 || 1983 British motorcycle Grand Prix

| Formula Three || 1:35.800 || Roger Williamson || March 713M || 1971 3d Silverstone British F3 round

| 125cc || 1:38.650 || Ángel Nieto || Garelli 125 GP || 1982 British motorcycle Grand Prix

| Formula Junior || 1:39.400 || Peter Arundell || Lotus 27 || 1963 British Grand Prix Formula Junior support race

| Group 3 || 1:42.400 || Roy Salvadori || Jaguar E-Type Lighteweight || 1963 Silverstone International Trophy

! colspan=5 | Grand Prix Circuit (1949–1951):

| Formula One || 1:44.000 || Nino Farina || Alfa Romeo 159B || 1951 British Grand Prix

| Sports car racing || 1:41.000 || Gillie Tyrer || BMW 328 || 1950 Bugatti Owners Club Formula 2 Race

! colspan=5 | Original Grand Prix Circuit (1948):

| Grand Prix motor racing || 2:52.000 || Luigi Villoresi || Maserati 4CLT/48 || 1948 British Grand Prix

Fatalities

Harry Schell – 1960 BRDC International Trophy
Bob Anderson – 1967 British Grand Prix
Martin Brain – Nottingham Sports Car Club meeting
Graham Coaker – Formula Libre
Norman Brown – 1983 British motorcycle Grand Prix
Peter Huber – 1983 British motorcycle Grand Prix
Darren Needham – Mini Challenge UK
Denis Welch – 2014 Jack Brabham Memorial Trophy

Notes

References

External links

Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit on Google Maps (Current Formula 1 Tracks)