We head to Silverstone this weekend and the home of British motor racing for round 10 of the 2019 Formula One World Championship. The team’s home race is the oldest on the calendar and this year will mark an incredible milestone as the team celebrates Sir Frank Williams’ 50th anniversary as a Formula One team principal and team owner.
Sunday’s British Grand Prix will mark Sir Frank’s 824th race as Team Principal, and special content across the weekend is planned, in addition to the FW42 carrying a celebratory message. It will be a memorable weekend for George Russell too as he makes his British GP debut in front of his home crowd, whilst Silverstone is a circuit that Robert Kubica knows well and enjoys.
Dave Robson, Senior Race Engineer
Silverstone remains one of the most enjoyable circuits on the Formula One calendar and provides an exciting challenge for drivers and engineers alike. The combination of corner complexes and well-spaced straights push the cars to their limits and makes car setup and tyre management crucial.
Pirelli have provided their hardest compounds for this event, a combination last seen in Barcelona. The circuit has been resurfaced very recently and it is unclear how the tyres will behave. Therefore, this will be the first challenge facing the drivers and engineers and only once this is understood can the set-up be refined, and test components evaluated.
We are looking forward to our home race, facing the challenges of this iconic circuit and continuing our progress. This will be George’s first experience of a home Formula One race and the power of the local British crowd, and a great opportunity for him to understand how to harness this support. With this race so close to our base, we also welcome the fact that Sir Frank will be able to join us over the weekend as we celebrate his 50th anniversary as a Formula One Team Principal.
Robert Kubica
Silverstone is a big event for the team, as it is our home race. We hope for better performance and car improvements, but the track is very challenging. It has a lot of high-speed corners and is completely different to Austria. We will try our best and deliver what we can for our fans.
George Russell
I am really looking forward to Silverstone as it will be my first home Grand Prix. I have a lot of good memories of Silverstone and it is my favourite circuit on the calendar. So, all in all, it should be a great weekend.