Carlos Sainz Jnr, McLaren, Silverstone, 2019

Silverstone track record falls as all teams lap quicker than 2018

Lap time watch: 2019 British Grand Prix

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The new track surface at Silverstone has helped all 10 F1 teams lap quicker than they managed 12 months ago.

McLaren is again the most-improved team, lapping over two seconds quicker than they did in 2018. Front-runner Mercedes and Ferrari posted the smallest improvement, lapping seven-tenths quicker.

While Williams are almost a second and a half quicker than they were a year ago, they remained over a second slower than the next car ahead of them. The team suffered a disastrous British Grand Prix last year where problems with a new rear wing design caused both drivers to spin off during qualifying.

Over the 10 races so far this season, F1 cars have lapped quicker at nine of them.

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As a result, the current V6 hybrid turbo cars are now almost nine-and-a-half seconds faster than the first generation machines of the current era were five years ago.

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2019 British Grand Prix

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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2 comments on “Silverstone track record falls as all teams lap quicker than 2018”

  1. Ben Rowe (@thegianthogweed)
    13th July 2019, 17:14

    Williams have made progress at their home race! ———————— From last year at least….

    The difference between them and other teams is so sad to see. Just a few years ago in 2015, we saw both of them get by both Mercedes. If it didn’t rain, I think Massa had a a very strong chance of a win and Bottas will have had either 2nd or 3rd I think. But I certainly don’t think they would have had worse than a double podium.

    But look at them now. They have gone downhill ever season from 2014 and by bigger steps each time it seems.

  2. ”As a result, the current V6 hybrid turbo cars are now almost nine-and-a-half seconds faster than the first generation machines of the current era were five years ago.”
    – To be fair, the track was partly damp in qualifying due to the rain earlier in the qualifying session, so, therefore, we never got the see the ultimate lap time-potential of the fastest car of that season on this circuit.

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