Silverstone, at the heart of F1
In ten days, the 2011 British Grand Prix will take place. It's an opportunity to look into the special connection between the Silverstone circuit and its surroundings with the world of Grand Prix racing.
The British Grand Prix at Silverstone is one of the historic races of the F1 season. Held since 1950 on this very circuit, this race was the very first in the history of the Formula 1 World Championship and was won by Giuseppe Farina in an Alfa Romeo. This race and the region where it is located undeniably represent the birthplace of motorsport and its premier discipline.
Beyond the historical aspect that the British Grand Prix holds, it is interesting to note that most teams are based around Silverstone. It’s not without reason that Silverstone and its surroundings are nicknamed “the Silicon Valley of F1.” Eight out of the twelve teams in the 2011 championship are based within approximately 150 kilometers of the legendary British circuit: The reigning world champions Red Bull Racing have their headquarters in Milton Keynes, while McLaren, Mercedes GP, Lotus Renault GP, Williams, Force India, Team Lotus, and Virgin are respectively based in the localities of Woking, Brackley, Enstone, Grove, Silverstone, Hingham, and Sheffield.
Engine manufacturers are not left out: Cosworth is based in Northampton, while Mercedes-Benz race engines are prepared 8 kilometers further north, in Brixworth, at the former Ilmor premises.
But these Grand Prix dinosaurs are not the only ones sheltered in this small part of the English countryside, as dozens of small companies specializing in parts subcontracting and working for F1 teams are also established in this geographical area. Very often, these companies invested in high-level competition heavily rely economically on the partnerships they maintain with the Formula 1 teams.
In the end, a very large portion of the Grand Prix grid operates around the Silverstone circuit, and only Scuderia Ferrari, Sauber F1 Team, Scuderia Toro Rosso, and the small HRT team stand out as exceptions. However, these teams, with the exception of the Maranello team, source some of their parts from English specialists in the F1 Silicon Valley.
