by DC
19. June 2009 03:49
The British Grand Prix, think Silverstone. Just like if you say "e;grand prix in the South of France"e;, you think Monaco. The Home of British Motorsport"e; is the first grand prix track I went to in 1990, and I"e;ve still got a strong recollection of that V12 Ferrari howling out of the morning mist on the run down to Stowe. There"e;s a lot of emotion tied into the race for me, having won it in 1999 and 2000. It"e;s my favourite record in some respects it"e;ll take at least 990 or so years before someone else can win it spanning a millennium!
I think the atmosphere this weekend will be electric, not just because of the uncertainty over whether it"e;s the last-ever grand prix at Silverstone but also with Brawn"e;s Jenson Button coming into it on such a roll. I see on the autosport.com and BBC message boards some people saying they think F1 is getting boring. Sorry, I don"e;t agree. It"e;s a fantastic story of British success with an elite sportsman and tremendous engineering working in perfect harmony, on the back of what Lewis Hamilton and McLaren achieved last season too.
THE MAGIC OF SILVERSTONE
Coming from the tiny attendance at Istanbul, I"e;m looking forward to seeing the sell-out crowd this weekend. I"e;ll admit it: I never actually went that well at Silverstone, despite my victories there, but it"e;s an incredible challenge as a driver. When you exit Luffield and blast through Woodcote and across the start/finish line, you"e;re flat-out until the middle of Becketts.
From the exit of that, you"e;re flat again until Stowe. That section of track, where you"e;re never below fourth gear, is an awesome challenge for both car and driver. When you finally brake for Club Corner, the brakes are always stone-cold because you"e;ve not touched them for so long. There"e;s nowhere else like it.
I"e;ve got nothing against Donington Park, it"e;s a good circuit that I enjoyed in my junior career, but I think Silverstone is an exceptional place to hold a grand prix. Those meaty, high-speed corners set it apart.
BUTTON KEEPS ON ROLLING
How long can the dream keep going for Jenson? He"e;ll be expected to win again, because he"e;s driving the car of the season and he"e;s physically and mentally at the top of his game. Racing at home might add some extra pressure, but that didn"e;t affect him in the slightest at Monaco.
Red Bull needs to find that elusive one- or two-tenth edge that Brawn has over it on race pace to take the next step. Pole positions are all very exciting, but it"e;s standing on top of that podium that everyone wants to achieve. I think the team was disappointed by what transpired in Turkey.
Someone made a comment to me that what we"e;re seeing, seven races in, is the difference between an experienced quick driver in Jenson, who"e;s not making mistakes, and one who"e;s an inexperienced quick driver in Sebastian Vettel, who is making mistakes. Four in seven races to be precise. But we shouldn"e;t be too harsh; Sebastian"e;s doing all his learning in the public eye at the front of the grid, and he"e;ll develop and mature as the season goes on. And don"e;t forget, Mark Webber and Red Bull were on the front row with a much-less competitive car last year, and he"e;ll be keen to build on his runner-up position at Istanbul.
NEW-LOOK, REALISTIC LEWIS
It"e;s obvious to me that Lewis has now come to terms that he"e;s carrying the number one plate for this year only. There was a marked change in the demeanour from the Lewis we saw in Monaco to that in Istanbul. Whether that"e;s a conscious decision on his part, or on the basis of team advice, who knows?
The penny has certainly dropped that F1 is a combination of factors, the same as I had when I left Williams and had a few difficult years at McLaren.
He"e;ll continue to drive hard, and get the maximum out of the car, and see how it develops. He"e;ll be praying that it rains, which is always possible at Silverstone!
But I hope it doesn"e;t, as I"e;ll be camping in my motorhome among some of the drivers. I"e;m just really looking forward to it.
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