Silverstone

God Rest.

First off, I'd like to start this blog off by offering my condolences to the loved ones of Allan Simonsen who tragically passed away during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A death in motorsport is always tragic, any racing driver will be sadly missed.




The British Grand Prix at Silverstone

As mentioned many times, Silverstone 2012 was the first ever live Formula 1 race I attended. Me and three very close friends decided to have a lads holiday watching the pinnacle of motor racing. It was a weekend in which I will never forget.

This year I am giving it a miss. Instead I'll be watching the race from a bar in Salou and as grateful as I am to be going away, I am still very envious of British Grand Prix goers. Still, a break from the pissy weather conditions in Northern Ireland with someone special is still pretty cool.

I absolutely love Silverstone, in my eyes it's a terrific circuit and is considered among the heights of Monaco, Spa, Interlagos and Monaco. I still have my old map from last year. It is soaked to its very fibres. I really hope the weather is perfect this year. Having said that, my favourite condition is a wet qualifying session and a dry race.

After wandering about the track during qualifying, we decided to stand at Luffield, the combination of a timing screen and huge TV screen was epic and truly informative for someone who had lack of access to Twitter. Plus it's great seeing the cars at such low speeds.

Obviously I'll not be covering any results, but it's not hard to predict winners. It's a Red Bull circuit, and considering Sebastian Vettel's form, he could very well complete a very dominate victory. That being said, his team-mate Mark Webber is something of a specialist here. I think he secretly practises at night time since he only lives a few miles from the track.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso is also a very strong racer at Silverstone, and Lotus's Kimi Raikkonen will be looking to get his title charge back on track now that those stupid street circuits are over for now.

British Hopes Are Feeble

Another thing I took from last year was the insane amount of support the British have for McLaren. It was crazy seeing a sea of orange hats. My friend Patrice caught and still has Jenson Button's hat from the F1 Forum last year.

This year there will be no surprise when Button and McLaren hopes flop. Mercedes's Lewis Hamilton will be the best opportunity for at least a podium. Hopefully McLaren can do something, The fans deserve something, driver appearances, free souvenirs, something to give back for their dedication.

I'll be cheering for Paul di Resta as always. He's such a talented driver and will be looking to prove to the British audience that he is capable of scrapping with the big boys.

With all being said, Max Chilton has as much chance as being a British winner as the other three do this year.

Soaring Ticket Prices To Blame For Record Low Ticket Sales

Whilst reading an article this week, I was shocked to discover that for a standard weekend ticket for the British Grand Prix is the third most expensive behind Interlagos and Abu Dhabi. 

That is sheer insanity on the face of it. 2012 broke the record for the most spectators at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. This years preliminary numbers show it will hit a record low. Teams have took to Twitter and BBC to plug for sales.

Improved facilities and transport is great, but it's all for nothing unless you get the people there.

Enjoy

Folks have a great British Grand Prix. It's the greatest sporting event that happens in the UK, and it delivers a fantastic experience. I hope everyone enjoys themselves safely and cheers on whoever they may support!