Have the British often celebrated in their country?

Silverstone, Aintree, and Brands Hatch are the three circuits that have hosted the British Grand Prix. In the Formula 1 calendar, it is an unmissable event as it was the first meeting of the discipline and 72 years later, it is still present. It has never missed a season since 1950.

Not all the big ones at the party.

Since the creation of the discipline, many Britons have raced in the fastest cars in the world. Starting with the crownless champion, Stirling Moss, who as early as 1955 achieved a first victory on home soil. He repeated the feat two years later, winning the race with Tony Brooks, which was allowed at the time, but the two drivers were awarded half the points.

The 1960s were characterized by a great dominance of British native drivers. Between Jim Clark, John Surtees, Graham Hill, and Jackie Stewart, who all won world titles, success was abundant. However, only Clark and Stewart managed to prevail on one of the three British circuits. The top honors, however, go to the young Scottish double world champion, with five victories between 1962 and 1967. The second Scottish driver would secure a victory at Silverstone in 1969.

In the following decade, James Hunt takes over from his compatriots, but he has less success than them. However, he still wins his national Grand Prix twice (in 1976 and 1977), but only one victory is counted for him since in 1976 he is disqualified for illegally taking part in the race’s second start.

Hamilton, undisputed king with 8 victories

The 80s and 90s are considered the golden age of Formula 1. And of course, another British driver stands out for his speed and numerous successes. That would be Nigel Mansell. But before the man won the race four times (1986, 1987, 1991, and 1992), it was John Watson who brought a new victory for the men racing under the Union Jack.

After the retirement of the driver who raced notably for Williams and Lotus, it was Damon Hill who contributed to the team in 1994, before Johnny Herbert also added his success the following year. The transition to the next century is well celebrated with a double by David Coulthard in 1999 and 2000.

Next comes a short period of scarcity, as the next British driver to triumph on home soil is none other than Lewis Hamilton in 2008. The seven-time world champion will have to wait until 2014 for Mercedes to return to the forefront and secure another success at Silverstone. He will win the race in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2021, making him the most victorious driver in Great Britain.

With the W13’s performances on the rise for some time now, driver number 44 could add a ninth trophy to his list of accomplishments, further solidifying his dominance in the world of racing.

On the other hand, some major names in British motorsport are absent from this list. One of the biggest, if not the most important, is the double world champion Graham Hill, who, along with Jim Clark, was one of the best drivers of the 1960s. However, he did manage to finish on the podium four times between 1963 and 1966 (3rd, 2nd, 2nd, 3rd respectively). We can also note the absence of the 2009 world champion Jenson Button, Mike Hawthorn, and John Surtees.

The victorious British.

The European and 70th Anniversary Grand Prix are not taken into account.