‘Unforgettable sight’: F1 history made with Silverstone display

The display at this weekend’s Silverstone Festival marks 75 years of F1 at the circuit where the championship was born, featuring machines from Giuseppe Farina’s 1950 Alfa Romeo 158 to Max Verstappen’s Red Bull RB18.

The cars were lined up on the iconic Silverstone grid on Thursday evening local time, forming a dramatic curtain-raiser ahead of three days of on-track racing and family-friendly entertainment.

The front row alone represented 24 championship titles. It featured Farina’s Alfa 158 alongside five-time champion Juan Manuel Fangio’s Maserati 250F, Sir Jackie Stewart’s Tyrrell 006, Alain Prost’s McLaren MP4/2B, Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes-AMG F1 W11, and Verstappen’s Red Bull RB18.

Other standouts included Graham Hill’s BRM P578, Nigel Mansell’s Williams FW14B, Jim Clark’s Lotus 25 R4, Michael Schumacher’s Benetton 191, and Fernando Alonso’s Renault R25.

A special tribute was also paid to John Surtees, the only person to win world titles on both two and four wheels, with one of his MV Agusta motorcycles displayed alongside his Surtees F1 car.

The display highlighted F1’s family connections as well, with father-and-son duos Graham and Damon Hill, and Keke and Nico Rosberg, paired together alongside their respective title-winning machines.

Silverstone Festival event director Nick Wigley said it was an incredible moment to see so many iconic cars come together in one place.

“After all the excitement ahead of the Festival, it was just extraordinary to see all these incredible title winners from the past 75 years grouped together here on the grid at Silverstone,” he said.

“It is an unforgettable sight.”

The collection will remain on show in Silverstone’s International Paddock throughout the Festival, giving fans a unique opportunity to witness the evolution of F1.

Other iconic cars on show include Mike Hawthorn’s Ferrari 246 Dino, Sir Jack Brabham’s Brabham BT20, Emerson Fittipaldi’s Lotus 72D, James Hunt’s McLaren M26, Ayrton Senna’s McLaren MP4/4, Nigel Mansell’s Williams FW14B, and Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull RB8.