2006 British Grand Prix - Preview

2006 BRITISH GRAND PRIX
SILVERSTONE
6 JUNE	


PREVIEW


The British Grand Prix, round eight of the 2006 FIA Formula One World
Championship, takes places this weekend at the historic Silverstone
circuit in Northamptonshire, UK. As the first of this season's two home
races for the Honda Racing F1 Team, the British Grand Prix is one of the
highlights of the season, with the team's Operations Centre based only
eight miles away in nearby Brackley.

Also a firm favourite with the team's race drivers, Jenson Button and
Rubens Barrichello, the Silverstone circuit is one of the fastest tracks
on the F1 calendar, and the grandstands will be packed with the many
British fans of the team and Jenson. This weekend's race, coinciding
with the start of the World Cup in Germany and England's first match,
will give the patriotic crowds something extra to cheer about.

The Honda Racing F1 Team completed its preparations for the British
Grand Prix in Barcelona last week. An intensive three-day test,
finalising the car set-up and tyre choice for the Silverstone race, was
completed on Friday with the team now heading up to Silverstone to
prepare for the race weekend.

RUBENS BARRICHELLO
"Silverstone is just a fantastic circuit. It's a high-speed track with
some challenging corners, and although overtaking can be a bit difficult
around here, it's a track that I really enjoy driving. I've spent a
great deal of time both testing and racing at Silverstone since I was
young, so it holds some special memories for me. Of course the most
special of those is my win from pole position back in 2003. We had a
solid test in Barcelona last week to prepare for Silverstone, looking
specifically at the car set-up and the tyres for this race, so I'm
feeling fairly comfortable going into the weekend."

JENSON BUTTON
"The British Grand Prix is my home race and it's a very emotional
weekend for me. I'm very patriotic and having the support of all the
British fans, to hear them chanting your name, is such a fantastic
feeling. Silverstone is a very special circuit, it's incredibly fast
with a long complex of high-speed corners which quite literally takes
your breath away. The change of direction is so quick there that you
really feel the speed of the car. You need good aerodynamics at
Silverstone so this is where all the hard work in the wind tunnel before
the race pays off. We've also done a lot of track testing at Barcelona,
which is a high-speed circuit, to prepare for this race. We're aiming to
get both cars in the points this weekend, it's going to be tough for us
as we're just not on front-running pace at the moment, but I'm sure we
will get the maximum possible out of the car."

GIL DE FERRAN
Sporting Director
"This is Jenson's home race as well as a home race for the team, since
our Brackley base is just a few minutes down the road. Needless to say
we all enjoy this Grand Prix and a lot of our team members and their
families will be in attendance. For Jenson in particular this will be a
highly charged weekend. We come to Silverstone hoping to have a better
race than in Monaco. We have done a lot of set-up work in preparation
for this weekend bearing in mind the special high speed requirements for
this track. " 

SHUHEI NAKAMOTO
Management Board Member - Honda Racing F1 Team, Engineering Director -
Honda Racing Development 
"We have an upgrade on the engine for Silverstone which will give the
drivers some more torque and power as we continue the battle to close
the gap to the front runners."


Silverstone, Northamptonshire

Race Distance	60 laps
Circuit Length	3.194 miles (5.141 kms)

The historic Silverstone circuit, a former airfield, is one of the few
remaining venues where Formula One cars can really be unleashed. As a
result, it is still one of the highlights of the calendar which was been
well demonstrated by some great races in recent years. 

The circuit itself is a thrilling drive, although there is some
criticism over a lack of passing places. However, 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 290kph bend,
while the slowest section is the 80kph Vale left-hander that leads
directly into Club.