British Grand Prix 2015: What time does it start, where can I watch it and are tickets still available?
A look ahead to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone
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Your support makes all the difference.Lewis Hamilton will seek a second consecutive British Grand Prix success in order to regain the advantage in the Mercedes battle for the 2015 Formula 1 Drivers' Championship.
His main rival and Mercedes cohort Nico Rosberg took a dominant victory in Austria to remind fans and Hamilton himself that he is capable of mixing it up with the reigning champion.
But as they prepare to duel around the famous Silverstone circuit, it will be the Briton who has the home support behind him.
The start of last season's British Grand Prix
When does it start?
Practice 1: Friday 03 July – 10am
Practice 2: Friday 03 July – 2pm
Practice 3: Saturday 04 July – 10am
Qualifying: Saturday 04 July – 1pm
Race: Sunday 05 July – 1pm
What can we expect?
Unless he slips up, expect to see Hamilton on pole. The 30-year-old has clinched the top spot in seven of the eight grand prixs this season, but it’s on Sunday that he has had trouble converting those poles.
Hamilton has just four wins to his name, whereas the one time that Rosberg started from pole he converted it into a win at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Once again, Sebastian Vettel is likely to be the best of the rest, but if his Ferrari mechanics don’t buck up their ideas in the pit stops, Williams could be in with another good shout of stealing a position on the podium, having seen both Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa visit the rostrum in the last two races.
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen is believed to be fighting for his Ferrari future, with the likes of Bottas, Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and others being linked with a move to the prancing horse next season. It could already be too late for the Flying Finn to fight his case, but if he’s going to give himself a chance then he needs to start delivering now.
Finally, expect more woe for McLaren. Austria represented one of their worst ever weekends, with Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso picking up a combined 50-place grid penalty that included a stop/go penalty for the 2009 world champion Button and a drive-through for the two-time world champion Alonso – who never served his penalty given that his race ended on the first lap when he careered over an out-of-control Raikkonen.
With Silverstone having four long straights and fast sweeping corners of the likes of the Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel complex, McLaren’s under-performing Honda engine is likely to suffer even further.
Pastor Maldonado and Esteban Gutierrez collide during last year's race
Where can I watch it?
Both Sky Sports F1 and the BBC will be broadcasting live coverage of all five sessions throughout the weekend, should you find youself without a ticket.
Can I still buy tickets?
Yes, but unsurprisingly they’re limited. Tickets start from £40 for children and £80 for adults should you wish to attend on Friday, with general admission increasing to £55 and £110 respectively for Saturday. Race day tickets start from £220 to sit at Club A, and you’ll have to shell out £400 if you purchase a seat at Becketts on either Friday or Saturday for race day.
What else is on and who to look out for?
There’s British interest in both GP2 and GP3 this weekend, with the two main support races set to entertain as much, if not more than the F1 race itself. Reigning GP3 champion Alex Lynn will compete for victory in the two GP2 races, with the Williams test driver currently sitting in fifth position in the driver standings. However, all eyes will be on runaway leader Stoffel Vandoorne, with the McLaren protégé holding an impressive 76-point lead over Alexander Rossi.
In GP3, Jann Mardenborough will hope to boost his championship hopes as he also sits in fifth position, although the GT Academy product is only 32 points behind leader Luca Ghiotto.
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