McLaren backs F1 champions display at 2025 Silverstone Festival

McLaren will play a major role in this summer’s Silverstone Festival as it backs a landmark exhibition celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Formula 1 world championship.

The Woking-based team is contributing five of its championship-winning cars to the event’s headline attraction: the World Champions Collection.

The showcase, being held from 22 to 24 August, will feature iconic machinery driven by each of the 34 drivers to have won the world title since F1’s inception in 1950.

It is the first time such an assembly has ever been brought together, and will include championship-winning cars raced by James Hunt, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen and Lewis Hamilton, all courtesy of McLaren.

“It’s fantastic to be able to provide such a great collection of our title winners for the Silverstone Festival World Championship Collection,” said Piers Thynnem McLaren’s COO.

“Celebrating our legacy is a key part of McLaren’s culture, and something we’re very proud of as a team. We look forward to seeing the showcase.”

The World Champions Collection forms the centrepiece of a weekend-long programme designed to commemorate 75 years since the first ever world championship race, held at Silverstone in May, 1950.

The display will not only honour every champion in chronological order but also chart the championship’s evolving technologies through the decades.

“We are very grateful for this incredible support from McLaren,” said Nick Wigley, event director. “McLaren has an amazing record of title winning successes in F1 and its only right that they should be so well represented in our World Champions Collection. The cars all have a great provenance and will be a brilliant addition to our anniversary celebrations at Silverstone Festival.”

Williams will also contribute no fewer than six championship-winning cars to the display.

The selected machines represent the team’s golden era, featuring the 1980 FW07B of Alan Jones, Nelson Piquet’s dominant 1987 FW11B, Nigel Mansell’s commanding 1992 FW14B, Damon Hill’s 1996 FW18, and Jacques Villeneuve’s victorious 1997 FW19 – each preserved and presented by Williams Heritage.

The Silverstone Festival – formerly known as the Silverstone Classic – will also include five historic races across the weekend, with fields spanning from 1950s front-engined machinery to the Cosworth DFV-powered cars of the ’70s and early ’80s.

Among the highlights will be a bumper grid of 500cc Formula 3 cars, recreating the support race that featured at the 1950 British Grand Prix.

Beyond the motor sport, the Festival will also feature a wide range of entertainment including live performances by Natasha Bedingfield, Craig David presents TS5, and Ministry of Sound Classical.

More details and ticket information can be found at www.silverstonefestival.co.uk.