British GP Memorable Moments: Part 1

Finally, it’s here. After three long weeks and all the drama regarding the International Tribunal, we are back to what F1 is about- racing. So, with it being the British GP this weekend at one of the fastest and oldest tracks on the calendar, we are back with the memorable moments which have defined this grand prix since way back in 1950 when it earned the honor of being the first Formula One World Championship Grand Prix ever held.

Majority of the races on British soil have been held on an unused World War II airfield near the Silverstone village shared by two counties- Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire. The two other tracks which have had the honour of hosting the Formula 1 British Grand Prix are Aintree and Brands Hatch.

With this Grand Prix being one of only two which have been on the calendar every year since Formula 1′s inception in 1950- the other being the Italian Grand Prix, there have been some very interesting incidents down the years:

Go, go, go!

The 1950 British Grand Prix (also known as the European Grand Prix which was a honorary name given to a particular Grand Prix every year in the earlier days, rather than a separate race) became etched in the history books as it was the first ever Formula 1 world championship race. What an atmosphere it must have been! The event attracted so much attention that it was the first time- though unfortunately, the last time- that members of the British Royalty( King George VI and Queen Elizabeth) graced the occasion.

A legend is born

The next year Jose Froilan Gonzalez created history. Ferrari won their first race and a legend was born. A legend which continues to this day, with a record 221 wins- far more than any other team in the history of the sport. A rich lineage which every driver/engineer dreams of being a part of.

Fangio vs oil drums

No doubt the legendary Mercedes W196 was a big unit but at Silverstone in 1954, it became too big a headache for even a driver of Fangio’s caliber. The driver whom everybody considered to the best, kept on hitting the oil drums placed to mark the corners and he did it so many times during the race that it dropped him to 4th from 2nd and a lap down at the finish.

When asked, the Argentine replied that he just couldn’t see the corners from over the silver body of the Mercedes. On a more serious note, the car’s handling was definitely poor that day and if Fangio couldn’t wrest the car to stay on the lead lap not much could have been expected of his teammates. That is exactly what happened- German Karl Kling finished an utterly disappointing 3 laps down.

Stern Stirling

With Formula 1 having been the most famous form of motorsport in the UK, it is not a surprise that the crowd desperately wanted a British driver to win on home soil and who better to do it than their darling Stirling Moss. Moss obliged, six races into the history of the British Grand Prix, but not before an epic battle with his nemesis Fangio. They were close to each other for the last few laps and sometimes it looked that Fangio could just pip the leading Mercedes of Moss but somehow the gritty Brit soaked up the pressure and held it all together till the end. Result: “God Save the Queen” rang for the first time on British soil after a Formula 1 race in front of the delirious British fans.

A 160mph average laptime!

Keke Rosberg took full advantage of his turbo-equipped monster to set a qualifying laptime in 1985, with an average speed which would stand unbeaten(on any track) till another beast, namely the F2002, would run in anger 17 years later.

The British lion at his British best

The 1987 edition- the first race after Silverstone became a permanent host of the British Grand Prix- involved a memorable performance from the ‘British lion’. Nigel Mansell, with 28 laps to go, made a precautionary pitstop to solve a vibration problem. That put him well behind leader Nelson Piquet and left him with a daunting job of having to catch the Brazilian at the rate of more than a second a lap to overtake him before the chequered flag.

Spurred on by the tremendous support of the adoring British fans, he broke the lap record 11 times during the next few laps, caught Piquet with two laps to go, passed him and took a spectacular win. Mansell could totally enjoy his slow-down lap thanks to him running out of fuel. The fans crowded around his car and gave him a salute befitting their hero.

I am retiring!

After retiring from the lead of the 1990 British Grand Prix due to a gearbox problem, Mansell threw this gloves into the crowd out of sheer frustration and announced that he was retiring from the sport altogether after the end of the season. How did he win the title in 1992 then? Of course, he later reversed his decision!

Read the Bible: says the Grand Prix Priest

In one of the funniest, and equally dangerous, invasions during sporting events Cornelius Horan, a priest, ran onto the Hangar Straight, during the 2003 race, not caring for his life with cars coming towards him at well over 250 kmph. He held a banner saying “Read the Bible, the Bible is always right”. To prevent a major accident, the Safety Car was deployed and the priest was later arrested. This may not be the only invasion in the history of the sport but the most memorable nevertheless.

Next time we shall take a look at the more controversial events during the British Grand Prix weekends some of which no doubt made a serious dent into the credibility of the sport.