HOW SILVERSTONE HELPED SAVE F1 2020
“THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX is the best grand prix, particularly because of the fans – the thousands that turn up and really create the spectacle,” says Lewis Hamilton. “So, it’s going to be super-weird. We had a test day there before the first race, and it’s going to feel just like that – empty.”
Hamilton knows how to succeed at Silverstone – he’s won there a record six times in Formula 1. And he knows the part the home supporters play, the energy they provide, the pressure of their expectation, in which he revels. But he also knows that crucial element will be missing this year, and for good reason.
This weekend’s British GP will be followed a week later by the 70th Anniversary GP, with Silverstone becoming the second F1 venue to host a follow-up race after the Red Bull Ring’s Austrian and Styrian events earlier this month. Between those two venues alone, F1 has found half the races the FIA requires to call a championship.
The length of the 2020 season has become a critical element for F1. The COVID-19 pandemic swept away what should have been a 22-race calendar – the longest in the championship’s history. And as well as the health
