Silverstone braced for record-breaking British Grand Prix crowd

Silverstone is preparing for what it expects to be a record-setting British Grand Prix attendance, with organizers forecasting 565,000 spectators across the weekend. The event, the ninth round of the Formula One season, would surpass the sport’s 31-year record set by the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide by 45,000. Silverstone said it has already sold more than 175,000 tickets for Sunday’s race alone, also described as a new circuit record in Northamptonshire. Circuit chief executive Stuart Pringle told the Press Association that the venue has the right history, including hosting F1’s first world championship race in 1950, and that the scale reflects the importance of the British market. On the sporting side, George Russell arrives after winning in Austria, trimming Kimi Antonelli’s lead to 40 points, while Lewis Hamilton is six points off the pace in a resurgence with Ferrari. The track is under a three-year, 10-season Liberty Media agreement understood to be worth £300 million, running until 2034.