Silverstone Circuit – British Grand Prix and Home of British Motor Racing

Originally published June 2015. Last updated September 2026: added labelled Grand Prix circuit map (Wikimedia Commons, with attribution in caption)

Silverstone Circuit is a 5.891 km permanent track in Northamptonshire, England, and the regular home of the Formula One British Grand Prix. Built on a former RAF bomber station first used for racing in 1947, it promotes itself as the home of British motor racing and still mixes flat-out straights with high-speed direction changes such as Maggotts and Becketts.

Silverstone matters because it hosted the first world championship Grand Prix in 1950 and has stayed at the centre of UK motorsport through layout rebuilds, the Silverstone Wing, and a commercial model that does not rely on state funding. For European contrast read Spa-Francorchamps or Monza; for another British venue that once shared the British GP, see Brands Hatch.

Rain and gusty crosswinds on the open Northamptonshire plateau can turn a dry race into a strategy lottery — especially when teams gamble on hard tyres through Copse and the Hangar Straight.

Silverstone Circuit facts

Lap record note: the official F1 race lap record is 1:27.097, set by Max Verstappen in the 2020 British Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton set pole at 1:24.303 that weekend. Older records from the 5.141 km or pre-Arena layouts are not directly comparable.

Silverstone Circuit — Arena Grand Prix layout (5.891 km) — Map: Antoine266 / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Built on a former RAF bomber station

Like many British circuits, Silverstone sits on a World War II Royal Air Force base. A group of enthusiasts ran the first races in September 1947; the Royal Automobile Club leased the airfield in 1948 and marked out a more formal course.

Silverstone Circuit in the early 1950s

First F1 British Grand Prix in 1950

In 1950 Silverstone held the first Formula 1 British Grand Prix — round one of the new world championship. From 1955 to 1986 the race rotated between Silverstone, Aintree, and Brands Hatch; since 1987 the British Grand Prix has stayed at Silverstone whenever it appears on the calendar.

Formula 1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit

Silverstone hosts Formula One, touring cars, and bikes

Apart from Formula One, Silverstone stages FIA World Endurance Championship rounds, the British Touring Car Championship, British GT, MotoGP, and World Superbike, plus historic festivals and club meetings on the shorter loops.

Start of a BTCC race at Silverstone

One of the longer tracks on the F1 calendar

The current Arena Grand Prix Circuit is a 5.891 km left-hand track with 18 turns. The International Circuit measures 3.619 km (10 turns), the National Circuit 2.638 km (6 turns), and the Stowe Circuit 1.281 km (5 turns) for schools and experience days.

Historic map: Silverstone Circuit layouts

Major redesign in the 1990s and the Silverstone Wing

The track was rebuilt in 1990 and 1991, trading some flat-out character for a more technical profile. Further changes in 1995 followed the tragedies at Imola in 1994. The Arena section opened for 2010, extending the lap through the infield while keeping favourites such as Copse and Becketts.

The Silverstone Wing pit complex opened at the exit of Club corner. Formula One now starts between Club and Abbey, while many national series still use the older pit straight and timing line.

Hamilton, Clark, and Prost at the British Grand Prix

Drivers across categories call Silverstone a favourite for fast, flowing corners. Lewis Hamilton holds the record with eight British Grand Prix wins at Silverstone. Jim Clark and Alain Prost each won five times. Ferrari leads constructors’ victories at the British GP, ahead of McLaren and Williams.

Porsche 911 parade at Silverstone

More than a race track

Without direct state funding, Silverstone added the Silverstone Business Park, Silverstone University Technical College, and the Wing conference and hospitality building — turning the site into a year-round motorsport campus.

Silverstone Wing

Visiting Silverstone Circuit

Silverstone lies beside the villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury, with Milton Keynes and Northampton the nearest larger towns. London is roughly 90 minutes by road when traffic is clear. Museum visits, driving experiences, and British Grand Prix tickets are sold through the official site — book accommodation early for July race weekend.

Fast facts about Silverstone Circuit

• Silverstone first hosted cars on the airfield in 1947.
• The 1950 British Grand Prix was the first F1 world championship race.
• The Arena Grand Prix layout is 5.891 km with 18 turns.
• Lewis Hamilton holds the record with eight British GP wins at Silverstone.
• Max Verstappen set the current F1 race lap record (1:27.097) in 2020.
• MotoGP and World Superbike share the circuit with F1.
• The British GP alternated with Brands Hatch and Aintree until 1987.
• Copse and Maggotts–Becketts define the circuit’s high-speed character.
• The Silverstone Wing moved F1 starts to the Club–Abbey section.
• Shorter National and International loops host club racing.

Silverstone remains Britain’s F1 shop window

When Formula One calendars shrink, Silverstone’s long contract fights and fan loyalty still make headlines — but the track’s identity is bigger than one race. Compare Asian modernism at Sepang International Circuit or Japanese precision at Sportsland SUGO with this flat, windy English plateau.

Related reading

• Spa-Francorchamps — Belgian Grand Prix circuit guide
• Monza Circuit — Italian Grand Prix guide
• Sepang International Circuit — Malaysian Grand Prix guide
• Brands Hatch — British motorsport history
• Imola Circuit — San Marino and Emilia-Romagna GP
• Circuito del Jarama — European road-course contrast

Address: Towcester, Northamptonshire NN12 8TN, United Kingdom

Phone: +44 844 372 8200

Official website: silverstone.co.uk