What are the keys to extracting performance at Silverstone? We ask Racing Director Dave Greenwood to reveal all

Like many of the circuits in the UK, born from the perimeter roads of former airfields, Silverstone is famous for its high speeds. From the commitment required at Copse to the flowing sequence through Maggotts and Becketts, the historic venue has long been regarded as one of Formula One’s greatest drivers’ circuits, rewarding confidence and skill.

Building the energy

Under F1’s new technical regulations, Silverstone remains a breathtaking high-speed challenge, but every lap now demands a careful balance between energy deployment, aerodynamic performance and mechanical grip.

“There are places where we’ll recover quite a bit of energy, particularly into the final corner and Turn 6 [Brooklands],” says Dave Greenwood, Racing Director. Equally, there are long straights where we’ve got to use that energy for quite long periods.”

Managing energy is especially important through the middle sector of the 5.89km lap. After exiting Luffield, drivers begin one of the longest sustained deployment phases of the circuit.

“From Turn 7 to Turn 14 we have a lot of straight to use all the energy we have saved, and the opportunity to recover is very limited,” Greenwood explains. “The key is arriving at Luffield with the battery topped up, which we can do through The Loop and into Brooklands, and that’s what every team will be trying to achieve.”

But before the flat-out stretch to Stowe, there will be the careful modulation of the throttle through Copse and the Maggotts-Becketts sequence as cars will be more grip limited, thanks to the reduced downforce under this year’s regulations.

Perfecting the setup

Drivers need a responsive front end to attack Silverstone’s rapid changes of direction, while retaining a stable rear to inspire confidence through its fastest corners. The ideal setup is a fine compromise between an over-aggressive front and eliminating high-speed understeer.

But strong mechanical grip is also essential to rotate the car through The Loop and Luffield with good traction needed to carry speed onto the following straights. Those corners become even more significant when you consider Silverstone’s exposed location on a high plateau — which is why it was a perfect site for an airfield.

“These slower areas of the track are particularly affected by crosswinds,” adds Greenwood. “So the aerodynamic performance of the car becomes very important. The sensitivity to lap time in the lower-speed corners is huge, much more than losing a few kph in a high-speed corner.”

With four Straight Mode zones and the Overtake Mode detection and activation point midway through Club, between Turns 17 and 18, drivers should have plenty of opportunities to attack during the race.

But perhaps, the most critical aspect of this year’s event is that with Silverstone hosting a Sprint weekend, there is even less time than usual to find that sweet spot. With just a single practice session on Friday morning before competitive running begins, it will put added pressure on all the teams to find their perfect setup.