British Grand Prix

British Grand Prix
Silverstone Circuit
(2011–present)
Race information
Number of times held79
First held1926
Most wins (drivers)United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton (9)
Most wins (constructors)Italy Ferrari (18)
Circuit length5.891 km (3.66 miles)
Race length306.198 km (190.263 miles)
Laps52
Last race (2024)
Pole position
Podium
Fastest lap

The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor racing event organised in the United Kingdom by Motorsport UK. First held by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) in 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 and has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Championship every year since 1950. In 1952, following the transfer of the lease of the Silverstone Circuit to the British Racing Drivers' Club,[1] the RAC delegated the organisation of races held at Silverstone to the BRDC,[2] and those held at Aintree to the British Automobile Racing Club.[3] This arrangement lasted until the RAC created the Motor Sports Association in the late 1970s and it reclaimed organising control of the event. The RAC MSA was renamed Motorsport UK in 2019 when it formally split from the RAC.[citation needed]

The British Grand Prix is currently held at the Silverstone Circuit near the village of Silverstone in Northamptonshire in England. The 2019 event was the 70th time that the race had been run as a World Championship event since the inaugural season in 1950, and the 53rd time that a World Championship round had been held at Silverstone.

The British race is the oldest in the Formula One World Championship calendar as the 1950 race at Silverstone was round one of the first championship season in 1950. It and the Italian Grand Prix are the only two Formula One World Championship Grands Prix that have been staged during every season that the championship has been held. The British Grand Prix was a round of the World Manufacturers' Championship in both 1926 and 1927, but was never held during the existence of the European Championship. It was designated the European Grand Prix five times between 1950 and 1977, when this title was an honorary designation given each year to one Grand Prix race in Europe. All British Grands Prix dating back to 1926 have been held in England, where the British motor racing industry is primarily located.

The event is due to take place at Silverstone Circuit until at least 2034.[4]

  1. ^ "Heritage – Silverstone – 1950s". Silverstone. Archived from the original on 4 May 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  2. ^ Official Programme, 5th R.A.C. British Grand Prix, Silverstone, Saturday 19 July 1952, p11 "Foreword by Mr Wilfred Andrews, Chairman of the RAC"
  3. ^ Official Programme, 14th R.A.C. British Grand Prix, Aintree, Saturday 15 July 1961
  4. ^ "Silverstone confirmed as host of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix until 2034". Silverstone Circuit. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.

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