Alpine Racing Director Dave Greenwood has outlined the critical role energy management will play at this weekend’s British Grand Prix, where the Sprint format leaves teams with just one practice session to find the optimal setup around Silverstone’s demanding 5.89km layout.
Speaking ahead of the event, Greenwood detailed how the new technical regulations have transformed the challenge at one of Formula One’s most iconic circuits. While Silverstone’s high-speed character remains — from the commitment required at Copse to the flowing Maggotts-Becketts sequence — every lap now hinges on a delicate balance between energy deployment, aerodynamic performance and mechanical grip.
“There are places where we’ll recover quite a bit of energy, particularly into the final corner and Turn 6 [Brooklands],” Greenwood said. “Equally, there are long straights where we’ve got to use that energy for quite long periods.”
The middle sector of the lap presents the greatest energy management challenge. After exiting Luffield, drivers face one of the longest sustained deployment phases on the circuit, with limited opportunity to regenerate. “From Turn 7 to Turn 14 we have a lot of straight to use all the energy we have saved, and the opportunity to recover is very limited,” Greenwood explained. “The key is arriving at Luffield with the battery topped up, which we can do through The Loop and into Brooklands, and that’s what every team will be trying to achieve.”
Reduced downforce under this year’s regulations means cars will be more grip-limited through the high-speed corners, requiring careful throttle modulation through Copse and the Maggotts-Becketts complex. Drivers need a responsive front end for Silverstone’s rapid direction changes while maintaining rear stability through the fastest corners. Strong mechanical grip is equally essential to rotate the car through The Loop and Luffield, where good traction is needed to carry speed onto the following straights.
Silverstone’s exposed location on a high plateau — the reason it was originally selected as an airfield — adds another variable. “These slower areas of the track are particularly affected by crosswinds,” Greenwood added. “The sensitivity to lap time in the lower-speed corners is huge, much more than losing a few kph in a high-speed corner.”
Four Straight Mode zones and an Overtake Mode detection and activation point midway through Club, between Turns 17 and 18, should provide ample overtaking opportunities during the race. However, the Sprint weekend format compresses preparation time significantly, with only a single practice session on Friday morning before competitive running begins, placing added pressure on every team to nail their setup from the outset.