Silverstone hasn’t changed a bit, but Lewis Hamilton is ready for a British Grand Prix on a 鈥渃ompletely different track鈥�.
With nine wins there, the most of any driver at a single track, Hamilton knows his home circuit inside out.
Ahead of this weekend’s race, he outlined how the will struggle with Silverstone’s long straights and fast corners.
The Ferrari star predicts cars running at reduced speed with empty batteries, because they need heavy braking zones to recharge the electrical power that’s .
鈥淭his is going to be the most unprecedented weekend in terms of the power deployment,” he said Thursday. 鈥淎ll of us drivers have been talking on the drivers鈥� chat just how poor the power is going to be through this track. We run out of battery power.鈥�
The fastest way round Silverstone now involves easing off the power to recharge in what would normally be some of the most exciting corners, Hamilton predicted, adding it could be a setback for him and Ferrari.
鈥淣ormally the engine鈥檚 screaming as you鈥檙e going into Copse, and you鈥檙e holding on for dear life as you go through there flat out. This year, the engine will be coasting down,鈥� he said. 鈥淢aggotts and Becketts is just not going to feel the same because I think you have to lift and coast or something through there for a period of time. It鈥檚 just a completely different track.鈥�
Even before Friday practice, drivers have spent plenty of time practicing for Silverstone on advanced simulators that mimic the behavior of the cars. Hamilton’s comments line up with predictions by rival Max Verstappen, who he 鈥渏ust started laughing鈥� when he tried it out.
Despite the changes Lando Norris, who won a thrilling British Grand Prix on his way to the title last year, says F1 can still put on a good show.
鈥淎ctually, I think Sunday will be exciting. On the outside, I think it鈥檒l be great,” he said. “Certainly there鈥檚 going to be less challenges on the track itself comparing to what you鈥檝e seen in the past few years.鈥�
Home race curse
Racing at home has been bad luck in F1 recently. No driver has scored a point in his home race since Kimi Antonelli’s ninth place at the Italian Grand Prix in September.
So far this year, Oscar Piastri failed to make the start in Australia and Charles Leclerc crashed out in Monaco, leaving 12th for Carlos Sainz, Jr. the best by any driver on home soil.
Where better for that streak to end than Britain? Besides Hamilton’s nine wins, Norris is the defending champion and George Russell’s coming off last week.
To top it off, those three combined for the first all-British podium since 1968 at last month’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
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