It’s been a long break. I’ve had to look it up and the last time I was at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix was in 2006, when I spent the weekend following the late, great, Formula 1 correspondent Alan Henry. What an experience. Alan knew everyone and everyone knew and loved Alan. Clinging onto his shirt tails got me into motorhomes and press conferences and enabled me to eavesdrop on one-to-ones with F1 royalty. I was introduced to Keke Rosberg by Alan. An Autocar colleague greatly missed. Thirteen years later, I’m back at Silverstone. No media accreditation this time, no golden card in the form of an F1 legend to hold my hand. Just a general admission ticket for Saturday qualifying. And a list of a dozen challenges supplied by the editor and a few other Autocar mates. I have, for example, got to get a driver’s autograph. That could be tricky. Some challenges are a lot easier, such as watching from the outside of Maggotts and Becketts as the F1 cars hammer through. Walking a bit of the old GP circuit should also not be too challenging.  The circuit has changed dramatically since I was last here and I don’t recognise a lot of it. I’ve flown over it many times but you can’t see the subtleties of the layout from 2000ft.  With me today is our photographer Olgun Kordal. He drove down from Birmingham this morning and I came up from London. Since I had the tickets, we met first for a coffee at Cherwell Valley services. Silverstone’s traffic scares me to death (I was caught in the famous car park mud bath of 2000) so I’ve come up on my Royal Enfield 650 Interceptor.  We’ve had to buy a car park pass for Kordal, which cost £30. Motorbikes park for free, which is another reason for coming on two wheels. The general admission tickets themselves are £95 each, so if you tot that lot up, you get a total of £220. Oh, and another £7.50 for posting the tickets to the office.  Talking of the filthy lucre, editor Tisshaw, as one of the challenges, has said that our expenses claim should not exceed £50. I have a feeling he means for both of us.  Our rendezvous at the services was set for 7.15am not just to avoid the traffic going into Silverstone but also because I want to see the Masters historic race for old F1 cars, which starts at 8.20am. It’s also one of our challenges (to see a support race) so this will be one in the bag early on.  The traffic avoidance ploy worked a treat. Kordal was already parked up and in the circuit by the time I’d filled up the bike with fuel and parked up right next to the main entrance. A quick security search and I’m with him next to Gate 16. If you come on Friday, your general ticket gives you access to the grandstands but today we’d need to pay extra. No problem. There are lots of raised grass banks that give a good view of the circuit.  Rather, a good view of the tall wire fence. I’ve no interest in photography, but for many people, part of the appeal of a live motor race is being able to take dramatic photos. Good luck with that at Silverstone in 2019.  The car is quite a distance away and has a filter of mesh in front of it but the Lotus 49 still looks incredible. At its wheel is its owner, Adrian Newey. The Gold Leaf-liveried 49B is the oldest car in the race and is up against newer Marchs and Williams chassis but Newey is doing a cracking job. I haven’t heard a current F1 car live yet. I wonder how it will compare to the DFV in Newey’s Lotus. I shall enjoy having a closer look at the 49 later and with luck will be able to find its owner for a quick chat.  First, though, let’s find the old circuit and have a stroll. That was simple: we’ve come across it on our way to the Fanzone. The bit we’re on is where the old track came under the bridge and then went towards the Priory and Brooklands bends. If you’ve got hair as grey as mine, you’ll remember the track when it led from here direct to Woodcote with no chicanes before it turned right for the pit straight and on to Copse.  The kerbs are still in place and extremely brutal. You could easily break a suspension wishbone on them. I know from experience they’ll snap a collarbone and ribs. I did both during a bike race here about 15 years ago. We were going on a Nile cruise the next day and I didn’t dare tell my wife (who was in the pits). She only found out when I had to explain to her a few days later why I was crying carrying our suitcases.  From here, we enter the Fanzone. What is that I see? A Mercedes F1 car on a stand. It’s bound to be a show car but Tisshaw didn’t say it had to be a real one. I touch it for Kordal’s camera and the rear wing wobbles worryingly. But over the other side of the ’Zone, there’s a stand for the Jim Clark Trust and on it is a pukka Lotus 25. Tisshaw can’t argue: it’s a real F1 car. Another ticked off.  The results are coming thick and fast. A long row of driving games that are part of the E-Sports display give me the chance to drive a lap of the circuit
Origin: Autocar at the British GP: access all areas (or not)