Cosworth takes a look at the new Silverstone circuit and it's special history
Round 10 of the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship takes place at a signficantly modified Silverstone Circuit in Britain this weekend. The new look Silverstone circuit kick-starts the second half of this season’s Formula One world championship with teams and drivers facing a range of new challenges around the historic venue.
The same circuit which holds the honour of having hosted the first ever Formula One world championship event back in 1950.
Sixty years on, the addition of the new Arena section, containing a mix of high and low speed corners which have been designed with spectator visibility and overtaking opportunities in mind, extends the lap by just under 0.8km, making it one of the longest tracks on the calendar.
Calculations suggest that average speed will remain relatively unchanged and in fact the circuit, while remaining fast, will be slightly less of an engine circuit than it used to be. Engine power will be nonetheless important through the high speed parts of the track and particularly through higher speed corners.
Silverstone has a special place in Cosworth’s heart as its home Grand Prix. Cosworth is one of the biggest employers in the region with around 300 staff based at its Northampton facility, around ten miles from Silverstone, where all of Cosworth’s CA2010 engines are designed and built.
Source: Williams/Cosworth F1
