Lewis Hamilton will be among the 20 drivers at the 2023 British GP - with Brad Pitt on track in between sessions
Grand Prix Photos
The British Grand Prix marks a milestone during the 2023 F1 campaign. Not only is it the mid-way point of the season, but it could be the greatest chance yet for others to topple Red Bull‘s reign of supremacy.
As one of the oldest circuits on the calendar — one of only four that remain from the first world championship in 1950 — the Silverstone circuit has hosted moments of pure drama in recent years: from Lewis Hamilton‘s three-wheeled victory in 2020 to Carlos Sainz‘s debut win here last year. Big upgrades and a highly-motivated trailing field will be key ingredients in continuing the Silverstone spectacle in 2023.
The prospect of intermittent rain showers will only add to the show, as will filming of the new Brad Pitt F1 film, which will take place between sessions.
Hamilton vs Alonso is now one of F1’s greatest rivalries – race engineer Steve Hallam was right at the centre of the McLaren garage when relations first went cold
Although it was Sainz who claimed victory here in 2022, all eyes remained firmly fixed on the battle for second – the finale provided by Hamilton’s Mercedes who overtook Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc in the same corner, only to be passed by both again moments later. Aside from Red Bull, who continued to look utterly dominant in Austria, the rest of the field have remained close in performance with advantages swinging from one race to the next.
Mercedes, Alpine and McLaren are all expected to bring major upgrade packages, while Ferrari and Aston Martin will look to develop on the upgrades that have boosted their performance in recent races – Alonso and Leclerc finishing second in Canada and Austria respectively.
But each team’s true performance will only be revealed when tyre meets tarmac at Silverstone and the 74th world championship British Grand Prix gets underway.
Here’s how to watch the race.
The British GP is among one of the most popular races on the calendar — both for fans at the circuit and watching from home. For viewers in the UK and for the first time this season, both Sky Sports F1 and Channel 4 will be providing live coverage of every session throughout the weekend, which includes three practice sessions, qualifying and the British Grand Prix itself.
Live TV: All sessions will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and Channel 4, starting with Free Practice on Friday at 12.30pm.
Live stream: For viewers in the UK, Sky Sports F1 subscribers can watch all the running live on the Sky Go app. Now TV subscribers can also access live coverage of every session via Sky Sports F1. Channel 4 viewers can also watch every session live for the first time this season with live timings are available through the F1 app.
Highlights: Alongside live coverage, Channel 4 will also showcase highlights of the weekend’s action on both Saturday and Sunday evening.
All times in BST
| Qualifying Saturday 8 July |
British Grand Prix Sunday 9 July |
|
| Session start time | 3pm | 3pm |
| Live coverage Sky Sports, Sky Go, NowTV, Channel 4 |
2pm | 1.30pm |
| Highlights Channel 4 |
11.55pm | 11.50pm |
Having hosted the first F1 grand prix in 1950, the historic Silverstone circuit holds a special place on the calendar – even though its layout has changed on many different occasions. In its current form, the 3.6mile track boasts 18 corners and two DRS zones, promoting overtakes into Brooklands and Stowe. But the nature of the circuit means if the racing is kept close, there will be plenty of opportunities for drivers to exchange in wheel-to-wheel battles throughout the lap.
While weather during Friday’s practice sessions should remain clear, light rain is predicted from 1pm onwards on Saturday – potentially mixing up the running order of the grid during qualifying. Sunday’s race will see a return to warm weather, with only a small breeze expected.
Alongside a full F1 racing weekend, Silverstone will also host a variety of support races, including talent from F2, F3 and the Porsche Super Cup.
Now-Williams driver Logan Sargeant was the winner of last year’s F2 feature race, speeding away from pole to take a convincing victory that would play a major part in his F1 promotion. Similarly, Arthur Leclerc took a storming victory in the F3 feature race, helping to secure a place at DAMS for the 2023 F2 season.
In 2023, both series have featured great racing so far, but all eyes will perhaps be on F2 frontrunners Frederik Vesti, Théo Pourchaire and a surging Oliver Bearman – all of which will be in contention for a F1 seat over the coming seasons.
The British Grand Prix also marks the third round of the Porsche Super Cup after action packed races in Monaco and Austria – Harry King and Bastian Buus the victors in each race respectively.
Despite collecting its tenth consecutive race victory in Austria – including the season finale in Abu Dhabi last year – Red Bull’s impressive streak could come to an abrupt end at Silverstone – a track it could consider as ‘cursed’ ground.
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Having not won a British Grand Prix since 2012 – discounting Verstappen’s victory here at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix – Silverstone is not one of Red Bull’s favoured circuits, which potentially opens the door for rivals wanting to get their name on the top step of the podium.
Hamilton is an obvious favourite: currently in resurgent form and having won the British GP a record-setting eight times. But with Aston Martin and Ferrari both incredibly close in performance, it’s hard to determine who will come out on top at Silverstone, with wheel-to-wheel battles often ending in contact and disaster.
The legendary Copse corner has been the site of both mastery and controversy in recent years – providing a high-risk yet high-reward overtaking opportunity for drivers before heading into Maggotts and Becketts. With a major upgrade package for Mercedes hoping to push Hamilton and Verstappen back together at the front of the field, a 2021-esque incident between the pair could re-spark their rivalry and give Fernando Alonso, Leclerc or even a surprise Alpine a chance to capture the first non-Red Bull victory of the season.
All times in BST
| Friday July 7 | Saturday July 8 | Sunday July 9 | |
| F1 | Free Practice 1 – 12.30pm Free Practice 2 – 4pm |
Free Practice 3 – 11.15am Qualifying – 3pm |
British Grand Prix – 3pm |
| F2 | Practice – 10am Qualifying – 3pm |
Sprint – 1.10pm | Feature race – 9.50am |
| F3 | Practice – 8.40am Qualifying – 2.05pm |
Sprint – 9.15am | Feature race – 8.10am |
| Porsche Super Cup | Practice – 5.40pm | Qualifying – 4.45pm | Race – 11.50am |
