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Track guide · road course
Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit at a glanceChecked 2026-09-09
- Length
- 5.891 km3.66 mi
- Turns
- 18
- Opened
- 1948
- Capacity
- 175,000
- Location
- Silverstone, Northamptonshire
- Type
- road course
- Direction
- clockwise
- Surface
- asphalt
- Elevation change
- 36 ft
- Owner
- British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC)
- Address
- Silverstone, Towcester
- Phone
- +44 1327 320280
- Website
- silverstone.co.uk
Track map and layout
Silverstone occupies a former Second World War RAF bomber airfield, and its layout still carries that heritage in names like Hangar Straight, Wellington Straight and Farm Curve. The modern Grand Prix Arena Circuit runs clockwise over 5.891 km and 18 corners, opening with the fast right-hander at Copse before the lap's defining sequence: Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel, a left-right-left-right-left combination taken at huge speed that is regularly rated among the best corner complexes in world motorsport. From there the track heads down Hangar Straight into Stowe, sweeps through Vale and Club, then loops back through the infield Arena section (added in 2010) via Village, the Loop and Aintree before rejoining the old lap at Wellington Straight, Brooklands, Luffield and Woodcote. Silverstone also runs shorter National (2.639 km) and International (2.979 km) configurations for domestic racing and testing.
Named corners and sections
Copse.
A fast, sweeping right-hander that opens the lap proper after the pit straight; flat-out for modern F1 cars and one of the circuit's biggest commitment corners.
Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel.
A rapid left-right-left-right-left sequence widely regarded as one of the finest corner complexes in motorsport; Maggotts takes its name from an adjacent field, Becketts and Chapel from the medieval chapel of St Thomas à Becket that once stood nearby.
Stowe.
A fast right-hander at the end of Hangar Straight, named after nearby Stowe School, and a common overtaking point under braking.
Abbey.
The high-speed right-hander that starts the modern lap directly after the start-finish straight, named after the ruins of Luffield Abbey.
Luffield.
A long, tightening double-apex right-hander in the old infield section, one of the slowest points on the Grand Prix lap.
Woodcote.
The final corner onto the pit straight, once one of the fastest corners in the world before chicanes and reprofiling slowed it for safety.
Configurations
Grand Prix (Arena) Circuit
5.89 km18 turns; current F1, MotoGP, WEC/ELMS and British GT layout, in use since 2011
International Circuit
2.98 km10 turns; used for testing, GT racing and some club events
National Circuit
2.64 km6 turns; used by the BTCC and shorter club race meetings
Events and race weekends
Silverstone's calendar is built around the Formula 1 British Grand Prix in July, which has been held at the circuit every year since 1987 and intermittently since 1948. The British motorcycle Grand Prix brings MotoGP in August, supported by British Superbike Superstock races. The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship and British GT Championship both hold rounds on the Grand Prix circuit, and the European Le Mans Series runs its 4 Hours of Silverstone in September. The BRDC Classic (formerly the Silverstone Classic), one of the world's largest historic race meetings, fills the circuit each July with vintage racing, live music and car club displays.
Formula 1 British Grand Prix
Formula 1held at Silverstone every year since 1987
Annual eventWhenJULJulyBritish motorcycle Grand Prix
MotoGPrun alongside BSB Superstock support races
Annual eventWhenAUGAugustKwik Fit British Touring Car Championship
BTCCrun on the National Circuit
Annual eventWhenSEPSeptemberBritish GT Championship
British GTseason-opening round in 2026
Annual eventWhenAPRApril4 Hours of Silverstone
European Le Mans SeriesAnnual eventWhenSEPSeptemberBRDC Classic
Historic racingrenamed from the Silverstone Classic for 2026
Annual eventWhenJULJuly
Getting there and parking
Silverstone sits in south Northamptonshire close to the Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire borders, about 90 minutes from central London and an hour south of Birmingham via the A43. There is no railway station at the circuit; on major event weekends, paid shuttle buses run to the gates from Milton Keynes Central, Northampton, Banbury, Oxford and Coventry stations. Road access via the A43 and A413 gets heavily congested on Grand Prix weekends, so organisers recommend arriving well before the gates open.
- BHXBirmingham Airport (BHX)about 60 mindrive
- LTNLondon Luton Airport (LTN)about 49 mindrive
Parking
General car parking is included with most event tickets in fields around the circuit; premium and accessible parking is limited and typically must be booked in advance for the British Grand Prix.
TipFor the British Grand Prix, book event shuttle buses from Milton Keynes, Northampton or Banbury stations ahead of time and expect slow-moving traffic on the A43 approach roads on both arrival and departure.
Hotels and camping near Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone's own campsites are one of the British Grand Prix's biggest draws, letting fans walk to the gates in minutes rather than sit in road traffic; pitches for the F1 weekend sell out many months ahead. Visitors who want a hotel bed typically base themselves in Towcester, Milton Keynes, Northampton or Banbury, all within about 30-40 minutes' drive, with rooms across the region filling up and rising sharply in price for the Grand Prix and MotoGP weekends.
Where to look
Towcester is the nearest town; Milton Keynes, Northampton and Banbury offer a much larger range of hotels within roughly half an hour's drive, and trackside options include the Hilton Garden Inn and Escapade Silverstone residences.
Camping
Silverstone operates official on-site camping and glamping (including bell tents and yurts via The Ridings) for the British Grand Prix and other major weekends; general camping fields are within walking distance of the gates.
RV
Caravan and motorhome pitches are available in designated areas of the campsite for major race weekends, bookable through the official Silverstone ticketing site.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
Silverstone runs its own car and bike track days and driving experiences in-house, alongside a large number of third-party organisers who book the National, International and Grand Prix circuits throughout the year. Options range from arrive-and-drive experience laps in supercars or single-seaters to full open-pit-lane track days for road and race cars, with the Grand Prix circuit generally reserved for the biggest events.
Who runs days here
- Silverstone (in-house track days and experiences)both
- RMA Track Dayscar
- Opentrack Eventscar
- BookaTrackcar
Typical cost: Open-pitlane car track days from roughly £200-£300 per day; passenger and experience laps from around £239
New to track days? Our beginner guides, costs and gear →
Lap records
| Category | Time | Driver | Car | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formula 1 (race lap record, Grand Prix Circuit) | 1:27.097 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull RB16 | 2020 |
| MotoGP (Grand Prix Circuit) | 1:56.280 | Marco Bezzecchi | Aprilia RS-GP | 2026 |
| BTCC (National Circuit) | 0:57.582 | Jake Hill | — | 2022 |
Drive Silverstone Circuit in a sim
These racing games and simulators include Silverstone Circuit as official content. Mods and community tracks are not listed.
iRacing
paid trackLayouts—
Assetto Corsa Competizione
base gameLayouts—
Le Mans Ultimate
DLC: ELMS Pack 1Layouts—
Assetto Corsa
base gameLayoutsGP; International; National; 1967 (historic)
Automobilista 2
DLC: Silverstone PackLayoutsSilverstone [DLC]; Silverstone Historic 1975 [DLC]; Silverstone Historic 1975 (no chicane) [DLC]; Silverstone Historic 1991 [DLC]; Silverstone Historic 2001 [DLC]; Silverstone International [DLC]; Silverstone International Historic 2001 [DLC]; Silverstone National [DLC]; Silverstone National Historic 2001 [DLC]
RaceRoom Racing Experience
free; paid trackLayouts4 layouts (count shown on store page)
Forza Motorsport
base gameLayoutsGrand Prix; International; National (layout names as printed in release notes; list may be incomplete)
F1 25
base gameLayoutsStandard; Reverse (reverse from second career season onwards in Career / My Team)
MotoGP 26
base gameLayouts—
Building a sim rig? Four example setups from $279 → · Every real track in sim racing games
Checked against each publisher’s track list in October 2026 (read 19 Oct 2026).
Spectator guide
Silverstone's size means views vary hugely by grandstand; the Wellington, Woodcote, Copse and Stowe grandstands are consistently rated among the best for watching wheel-to-wheel racing, while general admission mounds around the Arena section and Luffield give a cheaper but still panoramic view of several corners at once. Big screens and PA commentary around the venue help fans on general admission banking follow the wider race.
Seating
Grandstands are named after circuit landmarks (Copse, Maggotts, Becketts, Stowe, Vale, Woodcote, Abbey, Wellington and others), each overlooking a different sequence of corners.
Best places to watch
The Stowe and Copse grandstands offer close-up views of high-speed braking and overtaking; general admission banking near the Arena infield lets fans see multiple corners without a fixed seat.
Weather
- July (British GP): typically mild to warm, highs around 20-23°C, with a real chance of rain in any given year
- August (MotoGP): similar to July, warm and changeable, highs around 20-22°C
History of Silverstone Circuit
From bomber airfield to birthplace of the F1 World Championship
Silverstone was built on and around RAF Silverstone, a Second World War Royal Air Force bomber station that closed in 1946. Enthusiasts staged an impromptu race on the airfield's perimeter roads in 1947 and the Royal Automobile Club formalised the venue for 1948, laying out a circuit using the runways and connecting perimeter track. Silverstone hosted the very first round of the Formula 1 World Championship in May 1950, watched by King George VI, and has been a fixture of the sport ever since, becoming the permanent home of the British Grand Prix from 1987 after years of alternating with Brands Hatch.
Reshaping the lap
The original airfield layout was fast and largely flat, and safety concerns through the 1980s and 1990s drove a series of reprofiling projects. The most significant came between the 1990 and 1991 seasons, when Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel were reshaped into the demanding fast left-right-left-right-left sequence still raced today, and further changes slowed corners such as Woodcote with the addition of chicanes. In 2010 the circuit was extended with a new infield 'Arena' section, adding the Loop and Aintree corners and pushing the lap out to its current 5.891 km, a layout that has hosted every British Grand Prix since 2011.
A modern multi-purpose venue
Owned and run by the British Racing Drivers' Club, Silverstone today combines top-level motorsport with a large events and hospitality business. It hosts the British motorcycle Grand Prix, rounds of the British Touring Car Championship and British GT Championship, historic racing at the BRDC Classic, and large-scale non-motorsport events including CarFest. Trackside campsites and glamping fill for the Grand Prix weekend, and the on-site Silverstone Experience museum tells the story of British motorsport from the airfield's wartime origins to the present day.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit?
The Grand Prix Arena Circuit is 5.891 km (3.660 miles) with 18 turns; it has been used for the British Grand Prix since 2011.
What is the lap record at Silverstone?
The outright Formula 1 race lap record is 1:27.097, set by Max Verstappen in a Red Bull RB16 in 2020.
Where did the Maggotts and Becketts corners get their names?
Maggotts is named after an adjoining field, Maggotts Moor, while Becketts and Chapel refer to the medieval chapel of St Thomas à Becket that stood near the site before Silverstone Airfield was built.
Can you camp at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix?
Yes. Silverstone operates official on-site campsites and glamping within walking distance of the gates, and pitches for the Grand Prix weekend sell out well in advance.
Where is the nearest train station to Silverstone?
There is no station at the circuit itself; on major event weekends, paid shuttle buses connect the gates to Milton Keynes Central, Northampton, Banbury, Oxford and Coventry stations.
Can the public drive Silverstone?
Yes. Silverstone runs its own car and bike track days and driving experiences, and third-party organisers such as RMA Track Days, Opentrack and BookaTrack also hold regular track days on the National, International and Grand Prix circuits.
Which racing games and sims have Silverstone Circuit?
Silverstone Circuit is officially available in iRacing, Assetto Corsa Competizione, Le Mans Ultimate, Assetto Corsa, Automobilista 2, RaceRoom Racing Experience, Forza Motorsport, F1 25 and MotoGP 26. Some of these include it in the base game and others sell it as paid content; the table above shows which.
Other tracks nearby
Facts checked against 16 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-09.