The circuit itself is a thrilling drive although there is some criticism over a lack of passing places. Overtaking moves are possible into Vale and Abbey, although cars tend to lose downforce following each other closely through the preceding fast corners. The entry to Becketts is the quickest corner on the track, a 180mph (290kph) bend, while the slowest section is the 50mph (80kph) Vale left-hander that leads directly into Club - a corner that will frustrate many with the absence of traction control, as the cars accelerate from second gear through to fifth while under severe lateral load.

The first half of the circuit, all the way to turn 8, now sees very little braking at all and the engines under prolonged load. The second part of the circuit includes more slow corners, and places a premium on a good low speed balance and traction. The percentage of the lap spent at full throttle has climbed significantly with the advent of the V8 engines – from 59% in the last year of the V10 to 66% this.

Silverstone is now one of the harder circuits in terms of the demands it places on the engine, which also needs to be responsive at high revs as the drivers take the quick corners on either full or partial throttle.

Downforce levels at Silverstone are medium-high – almost identical to Barcelona. The downforce is required for the quick corners in the opening part of the lap, and the relatively short straights and braking zones mean that any deficit in straightline speed is unlikely to see competitors overtaking you. The lack of heavy braking also means we run some of the smallest brake ducts of the year to optimise aerodynamic performance.

The numerous high-speed corners mean Silverstone is a demanding circuit for the tyres, as they work hard over a lap. However, the difference compared with a circuit such as Barcelona is that none of the high-speed corners are particularly long. In general, if temperatures are cool and tyres are graining then the left-front will suffer in particular, while in higher temperatures, the left rear will be the limiting tyre.

Fuel usage is about average for the season, with the BGP001 expected to drink around 2.4kg a lap. Strategy could be mixed up by the 'fuel effect', as each 10kg of fuel carried by the car adds around 0.35s per lap.

Last year's event had excitement all the way. The weekend started poorly, with Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button qualifying in distant 16th and 17th places, but a typical wet day at Silverstone shuffled the order by the end of the race. Jenson spun out of the race after 38 laps, but Rubens managed to stay on the tarmac and, with a fortuitous choice of tyres during the race, finished third, securing Honda's only podium finish of the season.