Rain on qualifying day to interrupt largely warm British Grand Prix weekend

Spectators at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix should be treated to a largely warm summer weekend but can expect a rain shower which could affect qualifying.

Temperatures will rise through the first day of track action, with Formula 2 and Formula 3 practice taking place in mild conditions before it reaches 23C around the time Formula 1 cars leave their garages for the first time at 12:30.

It will be even warmer when F1’s second practice starts at 4pm, with an anticipated air temperature of 25C but with the potential of gusts of wind as strong as 40kph blowing against cars down the Wellington Straight on the track that used to be an airfield.

There will be similar temperatures on Saturday, but around the middle of the day when third practice takes place there is the expectation that rain clouds will pass over the circuit. After that it will rise from 22C to 25C, but with a cloudy sky the track may not dry quickly, putting F2’s sprint race and F1’s qualifying session at risk from the rain.

That won’t be the only complicating factor on Saturday. Winds of up to 50kph are expected during F1 qualifying. Blowing in a southerly direction they might aid drivers on the run down to Stowe, but are also likely to pose a challenge if a gust occurs as a driver is committing to one of Silverstone’s many high-speed corners.

Fans with tickets for Sunday’s action may encounter more rain during the morning’s support race action. However conditions are expected to dry up in the afternoon and the grand prix is not expected to be affected by rain.

With a mixture of sunny and cloudy skies and a maximum air temperature of 22C, race day conditions will be comparable to last year, when Silverstone saw the fourth-coolest race of the year for ambient temperatures.

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For more updates on the track conditions during each session keep an eye on RaceFans Live and the RaceFans Twitter account.

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