British Grand Prix weather: What is the risk of rain this weekend?
The British Grand Prix is one of the staple events of the calendar, with a rich history in the sport.
There’s nothing quite like the British Grand Prix – nor is there anything like the Great British weather, so how will it play its part this weekend?
It’s safe to say that there’s never any way of knowing from one week to the next about how the weather will play out in Britain, with the country having just been released from the grip of the heatwave that encircled much of Europe recently. However, things are set to warm up again…
British Grand Prix weather: How will conditions be at Silverstone?
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust
Friday 3 July [FP1, Sprint Qualifying]
Having had brief respite from 30°+ temperatures in the UK, this weekend will see the mercury climb again for the weekend at Silverstone.
Bright, sunny weather is due to greet fans around the circuit for Friday’s action, with air temperatures around 21°C for FP1 at lunchtime, before rising to around 25°C for Sprint Qualifying later in the day.
Saturday 4 July [Sprint, Qualifying]
Overcast conditions in the morning are expected to give way to more sun in the afternoon at Silverstone, and the midday-starting Sprint is expected to take place in settled conditions, with air temperatures around 23°C.
Expect the heat to rise again in the afternoon, albeit with a small breeze of around 10mph, with Grand Prix qualifying expected to remain settled, with temperatures hitting the 27°C mark.
Sunday 5 July [British Grand Prix]
Early forecasts indicate the chances of rain on Sunday for the British Grand Prix are next to nil, with temperatures expected to still be hot. Pack your sun cream, everyone.
The race, starting at 3pm, should have sunny skies overhead and heat of around 26°C, which, given the intense nature of British heat despite lower overall temperatures, could lead to pretty high track temperatures to go along with it.
More as we look ahead to the British Grand Prix
First Aston Martin AMR26 upgrade details confirmed as Adrian Newey sets date
F1 schedule: When is the next race and where is it being held?
How has the weather been at previous British Grands Prix?
Britain is known for many things, but one of the most common stereotypes is how unpredictable the weather can be – not least at last year’s race in particular.
Silverstone has played host to more than its fair share of classic wet races over time, but perhaps none more so than Lewis Hamilton’s first of nine British Grand Prix wins to date, back in 2008.
It has since gone down as one of the all-time great wet-weather drives as, having started fourth, he cruised through the variable conditions to not just lead, but did so by a mile.
Hamilton lapped everyone up to fourth place on the road while no fewer than five drivers’ races ended with spins off the road, and title rival Felipe Massa had a torrid time of it by finishing two laps down.
In all, Hamilton finished 68 seconds ahead of second-placed Nick Heidfeld, with the Briton taking a victory that is still talked about to this day.
Back to the weather however, and while some races have had the rain, the race’s placement in early July often sees summer scorchers take place, with warm temperatures sometimes creating tyre issues for the drivers due to the high-stress nature of the layout.
Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.
You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!
Read next: F1 race wins: Which drivers have the highest win totals in F1 history?