Formula One's 70th Anniversary Season gets started with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on March 12 and, as always, ends with the Japanese Grand Prix in Japan on November 29. This year's race schedule promises a great deal of exciting racing and excitement, so I've decided to write a review of each race for you to read, just in case you're interested in racing in the future. You'll find information here about the racing cars and teams, the qualifying system, the tyre allocation, the race format and many other aspects of what Formula One is all about.
Silverstone has hosted two Grands Prix in its history, and although they were both run at its famous Alexandra Park circuit, this year the race takes place on the grounds of the Exmoor Airfield. It's the oldest airport in England, and it's one of the largest in Europe. As you can imagine, it's perfect for Formula One, because it is one of the most demanding tracks on the calendar. And Silverstone has never seen a worse day than this weekend.
The British Grand Prix is an event that's not just good for the sport, but great for the fans as well. Many spectators have been watching the races in advance, and it's a unique experience for them – one in which they feel like part of a family and part of a great sporting story.
The second race on the schedule is the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, which is the only round of the season that features an Open class race. The majority of the races will be either B classes Bikes, or Bikes and Coupe classes, and some, including this one, will feature intermediate classes that include street bikes as well as motorcycles. Bikes have had a bad few months, due to the banning of the two wheeled machines at various races last year, but this is the most important race for them to make their comeback and give the sport the chance it needs.
Bikes, as their name suggests, race against bikes, and they are often referred to as B-bikes. The B-Class race is the only one where the leading bikes from all the different manufacturers are included in the top three, and it has become a great test of skill between the different types of bike.
There is much to enjoy about the Japanese Grand Prix, but the race for B-Class supremacy is the most interesting. The B-class field consists of the same Honda, Yamaha, BMW, Nissan and Sauber bikes that form the dominant teams, but the competition is fierce. It's likely that Mercedes will be the first race in which Mercedes Benz, BMW, Honda and Yamaha take on each other in an exclusive championship race. The championship is so competitive that there are some surprises in store for the teams and drivers throughout the season, but it's the first race for Max Verstappen that the fans should be expecting.
