F1 set to sizzle at Silverstone

NO FEWER than five legendary Williams single-seaters will be at the Silverstone Festival on 22-24 August, when it marks the birth of the Formula 1 World Championship at the Northamptonshire circuit with an unprecedented collection of British (and other) winners.

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With nine Constructors' Championships and seven World Championship drivers, the Williams Heritage cars expected in the World Champions Collection are Alan Jones's 1979 FW07B, Nelson Piquet's 1987 FW11B, the 1992 FW14B of Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill's 1996 FW18 and Jacques Villeneuve's 1997 FW19. Other confirmed cars honouring all ten of Britain's World Champions are set to include cars driven by Hawthorn, Hill, Clark, Surtees, Stewart and Button.

Overall the collection will showcase cars driven by all 34 drivers to have claimed the coveted Drivers' World Championship, ranging from Giuseppe 'Nino' Farina's Alfa Romeo 158 right through to one of Max Verstappen's recent Red Bull Racing championship-winning cars.

The Alfa, which won at Silverstone and went on to win the 1950 Championship, recently featured in a Sky Sports F1 film being driven at Silverstone by ex-racer and presenter Martin Brundle. 'Silverstone has an amazing F1 history and heritage,' he said. 'Every time you get out of one of these cars, you wonder how they did that – they really were gladiators.'

Other highlights of this year's festival include a celebration of tin-top legend Andy Rouse, who claimed the British Touring Car Championship title an unparalleled four times between 1975 and 1985, in cars ranging from a Triumph Dolomite Sprint to a Ford Sierra XR4Ti.

Significant motoring events being honoured with displays and track parades include 50th anniversaries of the Jaguar XJ-S and Lotus Esprit. See silverstone.co.uk/events/silverstone-festival.

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