F1: Five things to look forward to at the British GP

Sebastian Vettel (2nd right) of Red Bull Racing celebrates with his race engineer Guillaume Rocquelin (2nd left), second placed Fernando Alonso (left) of Ferrari and third placed Lewis Hamilton (right) of Mercedes GP following the Canadian Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 9, 2013 in Montreal, Canada. (Getty Images)

The British Grand Prix is probably the most important of all races in the Formula One calendar. The Silverstone circuit holds the privilege of having hosted the first F1 event in 1950 and all that history adds to its status. The circuit has retained a general character as it offers high-speed racing with a number of steep corners.

Red Bull will have a natural advantage at the circuit with their performance at Canada but the British GP often comes down to the nerves and should be a competitive event. We can expect a huge number of fans in spite of the fact that the race has become very expensive over the years and many British regulars are choosing to travel abroad for the spectacle.

Lewis Hamilton, champion at Silverstone in 2008, talked about the excitement that the race generates for him. He said, “I am massively excited about it, and really looking forward to it. It’s been a bit of a long break since the last race, but the build-up to this one is always the most exciting. It’s generally the busiest but it’s also just great to be here and looking forward to seeing the turnout of fans that we have this weekend.”

The Mercedes driver will be challenging the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen on race day but the fans will get behind him as they hope to see their home-boy take the podium.

Here is a list of five things we look forward to at the British GP:

Paul di Resta of Force India drives during qualifying for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit on July 7, 2012 in Northampton, England. (Getty Images)

5. High Speeds

The circuit has been traditionally encouraging in this aspect and with Red Bull putting up an excellent display at Canada, they will be hoping to trash some records at the circuit, which allows some free runs and high speed corners. The magnitude of the speed that can be exacted from this circuit can be judged by the fact that seven of its 18 corners are taken at over 250 km/h.

One of the few remaining power circuits on the calendar, Silverstone is often used and will not be as ‘green’ as Canada when the drivers go out for the first run. Kimi Raikkonen holds the lap record at the circuit at 1:34.661 accomplished with Lotus last year.

Mark Webber of Red Bull Racing is interviewed by the media during previews to the Canadian Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 6, 2013 in Montreal, Canada. (Getty Images)

4. Mark Webber

The Red Bull driver – who just announced his that he is to leave the sport at the end of the current season – has been living under the shadow of Sebastian Vettel and the British GP offers him an opportunity to prove his critics wrong.

He boasts of a great record at the circuit and has won the race twice in three years. The Australian will look to make a hat-trick and join a group of elite drivers who have written history at Silverstone.

Fernando Alonso of Ferrari prepares to drive during the final practice session prior to qualifying for the Canadian Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 8, 2013 in Montreal, Canada. (Getty Images)

3. Ferrari Challenge

The closest challenge to Red Bull will be given by Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who will be competing alongside Webber for his third win at the circuit. His previous victory came in 2011 and he won his first race in 2006 when he was racing for Renault.

As a young driver, he plied his trade against Michael Schumacher at the circuit and overpowered him. Alonso desperately needs a victory to close the gap on Vettel, who threatens to run away with the title again this season.

Pirelli tyres are laid out in the paddock during practice for the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit on April 19, 2013 in Sakhir, Bahrain. (Getty Images)

2. Mercedes Tyre Trouble

The high speed, abrasive surface and steep turning means that the tyres suffer a lot of wear and tear at Silverstone. The Mercedes team has been putting up courageous performances in the qualifying but they are languishing because of the wear and tear their tyres suffer during the race.

Hamilton talked about the problem ahead of the race and said, “I definitely feel we’ll be competitive through the weekend but I don’t know where the time is being lost on Sunday. For some reason the Red Bulls and Ferrari seem to have 0.3-0.5 secs on long-run pace. I don’t know where that is.”

Their trouble is compounded by the penalty imposed upon them by the FIA for their controversial Pirelli tyre testing.

Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull Racing celebrates on the podium after winning the Canadian Formula One Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 9, 2013 in Montreal, Canada. (Getty Images)

1. Sebastian Vettel

The youngest driver to secure a Grand Prix win at Silverstone (2009) will be back after some bitter memories in the last few years. In spite of dominating the calendar, he has been unable to grab a win here in the last three years.

He finished third at the circuit last year behind teammate Webber and second placed Alonso. However, as the championship leader and comprehensive winner at Canada, Vettel would appear to be best placed to tackle Silverstone’s challenges.