The craziest editions of the British Grand Prix

Since 1950, the British Grand Prix has been a must-see event on the calendar, regularly offering spectacular races on each of the three circuits that have hosted it.

Over the course of seven decades of British Grand Prix history, everything imaginable has happened: fierce battles between teammates, victories on three wheels, and crowds cheering wildly for their heroes. It remains a major event, and this year the stands are expected to be full: tickets for Sunday were already sold out in April, and around 450,000 fans are expected over the three days of the festival. 1976 – “We want Hunt!” The race reflected the chaos of the season. After a difficult start, James Hunt found his rhythm in the McLaren, shaking off the reliability issues that had plagued him. However, he was still far behind his rival Niki Lauda (52 points to 26). Determined to move up the standings at Brands Hatch, Hunt qualified on the front row behind the Austrian, who also took pole position. At the start, Lauda took the lead, closely followed by his teammate Clay Regazzoni, whose attempt to overtake ended in a spin and caused a pile-up on the first lap that took out Hunt among others. The red flag interrupted the race and Hunt was initially excluded from the restart. After thousands of fans chanted “We want Hunt!”, the officials relented and allowed him to rejoin the race. He went on to win ahead of Lauda, but was disqualified for rejoining the race illegally. 1986 – Mansell vs. Piquet With Niki Lauda's retirement, Alain Prost seemed to be the clear favorite, but the threat from the two Williams cars was undeniable. Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet were both in contention, and the team was fighting with emotion after its founder, Frank Williams, suffered a life-changing road accident in March. The British Grand Prix became a tribute to their boss. After the accident that ended Jacques Laffite's career, the two Williams drivers started in second position, pulling away to finish at the front with Piquet in first place. Mansell, eager to beat his long-time rival, overtook Piquet on lap 23 after a mistake by the Brazilian. He then defended his lead for the remaining 52 laps and took the win. In an emotional moment, Frank Williams' wife Ginny was invited onto the podium to lift the constructors' trophy in front of 120,000 spectators. – Hamilton's mastery in the rain Heavy rain fell on Silverstone on July 6, 2008, turning the race into a slippery spectacle. Lewis Hamilton, in his second season in F1, had narrowly missed out on the title in 2007. He qualified in fourth position, while his teammate Heikki Kovalainen took pole position. By the end of the fifth lap, Hamilton had taken the lead and never looked back. The wet conditions caused several drivers to spin out: Adrian Sutil, Nelson Piquet Jr., then Timo Glock, Felipe Massa (twice), and Kovalainen all experienced difficulties but managed to get back into the race. Hamilton made only one small mistake, kept his cool, and won the race by more than a minute ahead of Kovalainen. This victory allowed him to retake the lead in the standings, tied with Massa and Kimi Raikkonen with 48 points. 2020 – Three wheels are enough
The COVID-19 pandemic forced organizers to delay the start of the season and hold it behind closed doors, in stark contrast to the usual crowds of over 100,000 spectators who flocked to Silverstone on Sundays. Lewis Hamilton nevertheless took pole position and, despite a modest start, was able to capitalize on his position. Two safety car periods followed incidents involving Kevin Magnussen (lap 1) and Daniil Kvyat (lap 12). Mercedes executed its strategy to perfection, distancing Max Verstappen in third. Verstappen remained within striking distance but was unable to close the gap. Tire problems added to the suspense: Valtteri Bottas had a flat front left tire on lap 50, and Carlos Sainz suffered the same fate on the following lap. Verstappen stopped in the pits to change tires and set the fastest lap, but he was unable to challenge Hamilton's comfortable lead. On the final lap, the second Mercedes also lost its front left tire, highlighting how slick tires had become the biggest unpredictable factor in the race. With just half a lap to go for Hamilton, the race turned into a frantic sprint against the clock. Verstappen, on fresh tires, was closing the gap with every passing second, while the Brit had to push hard despite having only three wheels. The final moments were a nightmare for Mercedes, but Hamilton managed the finish perfectly, crossing the line five seconds ahead of the driver who would become his championship rival the following year.

2021, the rivalry at its peak

Silverstone 2021 proved to be a decisive weekend and one of the most memorable clashes of the season. Max Verstappen had dominated the field since the start of the campaign, but Lewis Hamilton, racing in front of his home crowd, was determined to rewrite history. In 2021, Formula 1 also introduced a sprint race format while retaining the traditional qualifying session. In the final qualifying session, Hamilton completed a now legendary lap that earned him pole position for the sprint. The next day, however, Verstappen responded by taking pole position for the main race. On Sunday, Verstappen took the lead from the start, but Hamilton launched an early attack. The Dutchman defended his position fiercely, maintaining the lead in the first sector and on the old pit straight. At the entrance to Copse, Hamilton made a bold move; the two cars made contact, sending Verstappen's Red Bull into the wall while Hamilton's Mercedes remained on track. The incident earned Hamilton a ten-second penalty when he pitted, relegating him behind Charles Leclerc's Ferrari at the front of the race.

With Verstappen out of the race, Hamilton had every chance of taking all 25 points. The record holder for pole positions set a blistering pace, more than a second faster than any of his rivals. On lap 50, Mercedes caught up with Ferrari and Hamilton repeated his first-lap maneuver, this time successfully, securing his eighth victory on home soil.