Best British Grands Prix of all time
26 March 2025Over the years, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone has delivered countless unforgettable moments that are etched into Formula 1 folklore.
Silverstone was not only the venue for the first-ever championship race 75 years ago, but has also been the stage for some of F1’s greatest triumphs, fierce rivalries, and heart-stopping overtakes.
Join us as we relive some of the most legendary British Grands Prix ever.
1950: The genesis of F1
As the very first Formula 1 World Championship event, the 1950 British Grand Prix at Silverstone will always be one of the most historic moments in motorsport.
King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret and Lord and Lady Mountbatten were all in attendance to mark the occasion with royal prestige, and to this day it remains the only time a reigning monarch attended a British Grand Prix.
The air was thick with anticipation with the dawning of a new age of motorsport. Eventual Champion Giuseppe Farina claimed victory in his Alfa Romeo ahead of Luigi Fagiolo and home hero Reg Parnell, laying the very earliest foundations for what would become a global racing phenomenon.
1967: Jim Clark’s Silverstone swansong
One of F1’s most naturally gifted drivers, Jim Clark put in one of his greatest-ever performances at his final visit to Silverstone in 1967.
Driving the iconic green and yellow Lotus 49 with the newly introduced Cosworth DFV engine, Clark dominated the race to take the chequered flag a jubilant first.
The victory marked his fifth on British soil; a record that stood for 26 years until Alain Prost matched that number in 1993, and was only eclipsed 52 years later with the sixth of Lewis Hamilton’s nine Silverstone victories.
Clark’s near-inhuman ability to extract pace from the car, paired with his smooth, precise driving style earned him a place among F1’s greats.
1987: Mansell vs Piquet and that dummy
A throng of British spectators roared with patriotism as Nigel Mansell staged one of the most iconic overtakes in F1 history at Silverstone in 1987.
Having been bested by Williams team-mate Nelson Piquet in Qualifying, Mansell languished in third after Turn 1 but made quick work of the fast-starting Prost and set off after the Brazilian.
Undeterred by an unscheduled pitstop, Mansell overcame a mammoth deficit before selling Piquet an audacious dummy on the Hangar Straight, feigning a move to the outside line.
In an instant, he’d switched back to the inside and dove towards the apex at Stowe, taking the lead to the deafening applause of the British crowd.
He went on to take an emphatic win, but ground to a halt on the cooldown lap and Mansell’s car was engulfed by an elated British crowd who’d stormed onto the circuit.
1991: Mansell mania and Williams’ taxi service
Four years later, Mansell delivered another unforgettable Silverstone victory in front of a delighted home crowd.
Despite a spirited attempt by the fast-starting Ayrton Senna on the first lap, pole sitter Mansell quickly regained control of the race and didn’t look back, with a whopping 42-second margin to Gerhard Berger at the chequered flag.
The most memorable moment from this race came after the winner had been declared, though.
Just like Mansell had four years prior, Senna stopped at the side of the circuit and in an act of true sportsmanship, Mansell gave Senna a ride back to the pits on his sidepod. The image of the two greats together remains one of F1’s most iconic moments.
1995: Title tensions boil over for Schumacher and Hill, Herbert picks up the pieces
The 1995 British Grand Prix delivered drama and emotion in spades as championship contenders Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill collided in spectacular fashion.
Having led from the off, Hill looked untroubled at the head of the field in the early stages, but his two-stop strategy to Schumacher’s one left the Brit behind the German in the race’s final stint.
Hill quickly deployed the extra grip from his fresh tyres and pressed Schumacher for the lead. After one failed attempt at Stowe, Damon made another move at Priory, where the pair collided, ending both their races and sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
That left the door open for British underdog Johnny Herbert to take his maiden F1 victory, fending off the feisty duo of David Coulthard and Jean Alesi.
The Silverstone crowd erupted as Herbert crossed the line with the popular and likeable Brit taking an emotional first win on home soil.
2008: Hamilton’s drive of a generation
In only his second season of F1, a fresh-faced Lewis Hamilton delivered one of the greatest wet-weather performances ever seen at Silverstone – or anywhere for that matter – at the British Grand Prix in 2008.
Torrential rain turned the circuit into a skating rink which claimed seven of the 20 runners in collisions or spins.
Hamilton rocketed up to second from his fourth-place grid slot and tucked in behind McLaren team-mate and pole sitter Heikki Kovalainen. After five laps, Lewis made a decisive move into Stowe and took the lead to the delight of the British crowd.
Lapping all but those who joined him on the podium at the end of 60 gruelling laps, Lewis was untouchable in the treacherous conditions and won with a 68-second advantage.
It was a drive that went down in F1 history as one of the greatest ever performances; on a day when the best drivers in the world faltered, Lewis Hamilton showed his mettle.
2020: Three-wheeled wagon
The 2020 British Grand Prix saw Hamilton once again make history at Silverstone, this time finishing the race with only three fully inflated tyres.
With a puncture stinging Hamilton’s front left on the final lap, a race that’d been dominated by the Brit now looked to be in question in the most dramatic circumstances. But with a 30-second gap Lewis had built up, there was hope.
He nursed his Mercedes to the line, sparks flying and rubber shredding in his wake, to claim a remarkable seventh home win.
2024: Hamilton’s historic homecoming
Hamilton etched his name even deeper into Formula 1 history with a record-breaking ninth win at Silverstone in 2024, finally snatching the record for the most victories at a single circuit from Schumacher.
An all-British trio of George Russell, Hamilton, and Lando Norris launched from the top three positions, but unpredictable weather quickly shook up the order.
Russell led early on, but tricky conditions allowed Hamilton to close in on his Mercedes team-mate and take the lead at Stowe. Both Mercedes drivers then slid wide at Abbey, gifting Norris the top spot.
With conditions shifting from dry to wet and back to dry again, the F1 cliché of being on the right tyre at the right time became as pertinent as ever.
Hamilton was the first of the front runners to take the gamble going back onto slick tyres, enabling him to jump back ahead of Norris after the final pit stops.
Despite a late surge from old rival Max Verstappen, Hamilton held firm in another mixed-conditions masterclass that caught out many of his competitors.
Chalking his ninth win at Silverstone and an emotional 104th of his career, Hamilton sent the British crowd into raptures.
