Trio of Grand Prix legends set for Silverstone Classic

Three of the most successful Grand Prix cars of recent Formula One history will take part in this summer’s Silverstone Classic. All three head-turners are known winners, having been raced by world champions, and will appear at the Northamptonshire event on 29-31 July.

The first is the Williams-Renault FW18 in which Jacques Villeneuve took victory at Silverstone exactly 20 years ago in 1996. The second British Grand Prix winner is Mika Hakkinen’s McLaren-Mercedes MP4-16A, which took the chequered flag five years later in 2001.

The third and final car is the March 701, which will take part in the two FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship showdowns.

Both the FW18 and MP4-16A were designed by Adrian Newey and are owned by United Autosports, the Leeds-based team headed by American sponsorship and marketing guru Zak Brown and erstwhile British racer Richard Dean.

Mikka Hakkinen in the McLaren-Mercedes MP4-16A.

The two cars have recently been restored to their former glories by those at Williams and McLaren and will be making their eagerly-anticipated Silverstone Classic debuts in July. Not only will they be revving up on track alongside a number of other F1 cars from the similar Mansell, Senna and Schumacher epoch, but additionally they will be on prominent public display in the paddock, giving all visitors a rare chance to see them up close.

Brown will also race the March 701. This particular chassis was the very car – run by the Ken Tyrrell Organisation – in which triple World Champion Jackie Stewart won the 1970 Race of Champions at Brands Hatch – the March marque’s maiden Formula 1 race win – and followed up with an equally significant victory a month later in the Spanish GP.

‘What a fantastic treat for visitors,’ said Nick Wigley CEO of event organiser Goose Live Events. ‘Just hearing these V10s revving to 20,000rpm is going to be something no F1 fan is going to want to miss.

All tickets include free entrance to both racing paddocks and pit complexes, trackside grandstands and live music concerts on Friday and Saturday evenings. Full ticket details can be found on the official www.silverstoneclassic.com website.