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2005 Formula 1 British Grand Prix
Race Preview

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McLaren expected to dominate!

Alonso dominated the French Grand Prix grabbing pole and leading from start to finish. Kimi Raikkonen may have been able to challenge Alonso but that was not to be thanks the engine penalty he incurred. The situation is likely to be reversed at Silverstone where McLaren are expected to have an edge over Renault but reliability remains an issue for McLaren and the weather may play a role.  The other top teams were close to each other but were a long way behind Renault and McLaren. A trend that is most likely to continue for the rest of the season.

McLaren are expected to dominate the British Grand Prix going by the impressive results they had from testing however one cannot discount Renault as they have performed well on all the tracks so far this season. The rest of the top teams will again be close to each other and expect Williams to have a better race here!.
Early weather forecasts indicate showers on all three days, we may have the first wet race of this season and that would almost certainly give us an unexpected result.

The race last year was fought between Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen with Raikkonen starting from Pole but Michael on a different strategy taking the lead after his first stop and winning the race. 

The track at Silverstone is a high speed circuit with a number of high speed corners. The lap however ends with a series of low speed corners. The teams setup the cars with emphasis on the high speed sections. 
There are a number of overtaking opportunities at Silverstone and expect to see a lot more overtaking than what we saw at Magny-Cours.
Tyre wear is expected to be high due to the number of high speed corners.

With back to back races, only Ferrari are conducting on track testing this week at Monza.

Here is a team by team review:

Renault: Won their home race thanks to an impressive drive by Alonso. They aren't expecting a similar performance here but don't write them off.
Reliability 8.0/10 - Speed 9.5/10 (Latest Renault Team News)

Drivers: Fernando Alonso won his 5th race of the season and extended his lead over Kimi Raikkonen by 2 points. He will try his best at Silverstone but a win may be difficult. Podium likely.

Giancarlo Fisichella couldn't match Alonso in France and only managed 6th after stalling on his 3rd pit stop. He needs to do better otherwise he'll lose his drive at the end of the year. Points likely!

McLaren: They are expected to dominate here but their reliability is under question with an engine failure for Kimi and a hydraulics failure for Montoya in France. 
Reliability 8.5/10 - Speed 9.5/10 (Latest McLaren Mercedes Team News)

Drivers: Kimi Raikkonen minimised the points loss to Alonso after an impressive run from 13th to 2nd at Magny-Cours. He goes to Silverstone as the favourite and reliability and weather holding, he is likely to win.

Juan Pablo Montoya looked set for a podium finish at Magny-Cours but a hydraulics failure took him out of the race. This will affect his qualifying slot putting him at a disadvantage. The car is strong and he should be able to finish on the podium.

Ferrari: They aren't as competitive as Renault and McLaren and that was obvious in France. Michael was nearly a lap down on Alonso and yes Michael was stuck behind Trulli for the first 18 laps but he wasn't as fast as the leaders in clear air. They have a lot of work to do if they are to close the gap!
Reliability 9.0/10 - Speed 9.0/10  (Latest Ferrari Team News)

Drivers: Michael Schumacher finished on the podium after Montoya retired. On pace he couldn't match Alonso and Raikkonen. Expect more of the same here. Points likely, podium difficult.

Rubens Barrichello struggled with brake problems and failed to finish in the points. Points likely at Silverstone with a bit of luck. 

Toyota: Had a reasonable race at Magny-Cours even though it didn't suit them. They will be stronger here but a podium finish will be difficult.   
Reliability 9.5/10 - Speed 9.0/10 (Latest Toyota Team News)

Drivers: Jarno Trulli is one of the best qualifiers out there and was impressive at Magny-Cours. He struggled in the race but still managed 5th. He should do better at Silverstone.

Ralf Schumacher had the disadvantage of being the first out in qualifying at Magny-Cours but managed to recover nicely and finish in 7th place. He'll be closer to Trulli at Silverstone.

Williams: 12th and 14th would be one of the worst results for the team on record. They seem to be rushing modifications in the hope that they will work. Couple that with an uncertain engine supplier for next year and such a result would be normal. They should do better at Silverstone but don't expect a podium finish.
Reliability 8.5/10 - Speed 8.5/10 (Latest Williams BMW Team News)

Drivers: Nick Heidfeld struggled with a differential problem on his car and made 6 trips to the pits at Magny-Cours. The only reason he stayed out was to get a decent  qualifying spot. He'll another difficult race here with points difficult.

Mark Webber had a heating problem in his cockpit!. Again he stayed out to ensure a decent qualifying slot. Like his team-mate, points possible but will be difficult.

Red Bull: They weren't as competitive as expected at Magny-Cours. This race will even be tougher for them.
Reliability 8.5/10 - Speed 8.0/10 (Latest Red Bull Racing Team News)

Drivers: David Coulthard managed another top 10 finish but needed two more cars to retire for him to score points. Expect more of the same at Silverstone.

Christian Klien only raced for 1 lap at Magny-Cours then retired with loss of fuel pressure! He was close to Coulthard in qualifying and should be similarly close here.

Sauber: Were quicker than expected at Magny-Cours and that should give them a boost. They should do better on this kind of track. 
Reliability 8.0/10 - Speed 8.5/10 (Latest Sauber Team News)

Drivers: Felipe Massa retired with a hydraulic failure at Magny-Cours. He should have a good race at Silverstone but points will depend on the retirements up front.

Jacques Villeneuve finished 8th at Magny-Cours. It seems Villeneuve wants to impress the new owners. Should have a close fight with his team-mate here. Points will be tough.

Jordan: Delayed the introduction of their new car due to overheating problems and they aren't expected to race it here either. They need to get the new car right as Minardi is catching them!
Reliability 8.5/10 - Speed 7.5/10 (Latest Jordan Team News)

Drivers: Tiago Monteiro continues his amazing run of finishes. He is the only driver to have finished all the races so far this season. He'll be happy with a top 10 finish! 

Narain Karthikeyan seems to be gaining back some confidence outqualifying his team-mate at Magny-Cours. He had gearbox problems in the race and was the last classified driver. He should do better at Silverstone.

Minardi: Both cars retired because of tyre failures due to valve caps not being refitted. This could be a procedure the Minardi technicians missed but it does raise a safety concern. They are closing in on Jordan.
Reliability 7.0/10 - Speed 7.0/10 (Latest Minardi Team News)

Drivers: Christijan Albers retired from France while running at the back. He'll be fighting his team-mate at Silverstone.

Patrick Freisacher had the same tyre problem as his team-mate in France. His challenge would be to beat his team-mate and race as close as possible to Jordan. 

BAR: They have finally scored points this season. Of course they scored a podium at Imola earlier this year but were subsequently disqualified. They were close to Ferrari and Toyota at Magny-Cours and expect them to fight those two teams again at Silverstone.
Reliability 8.5/10 - Speed 9.0/10 (Latest BAR Team News)

Drivers: Jenson Button finished 4th at Magny-Cours and should have a similar result here at Silverstone.

Takuma Sato had some exciting moments at Magny-Cours but it showed how tricky it is to overtake in Formula 1. A strong finish for Sato was a real possibility but he ended up in 11th following two trips to the gravel. If he stays on the track, he'll likely have a strong finish. 

Bridgestone News - Michelin News

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