5 of the most memorable moments from the British Grand Prix

From Mercedes to McLaren - a brief history of the British Grand Prix's best bits.

In some 76 years of Silverstone, there have been a lot of memorable moments in the British Grand Prix.

From its humble beginnings as a World War II airfield, to becoming the spiritual home of British motorsport, Silverstone has witnessed Formula 1 history unfold lap by dramatic lap.

What started as a grass-roots racing circuit carved out of old RAF runways, has evolved into one of the sport's most revered venues, with them even hosting the very first Formula 1 World Championship race in 1950.

The British Grand Prix has been Silverstone's crown jewel since that inaugural championship season.

In the decades since, this Northamptonshire circuit has served up some of the most spine-tingling, heart-stopping, and downright unbelievable moments in motorsport history.

We've scoured the archives to bring you the five most unforgettable chapters from Silverstone's past that didn't just make headlines, but helped define what Formula 1 truly means.

When chaos reigned supreme: Scheckter's 1973 catastrophe

The 1973 British Grand Prix didn't just make history – it rewrote the rulebook on what could go wrong in a single corner.

Jody Scheckter's name became synonymous with mayhem that July afternoon, though the South African driver certainly hadn't planned to orchestrate one of F1's most spectacular pile-ups.

As the field thundered toward Woodcote Corner, Scheckter made his move to overtake Denny Hulme on the outside.

What happened next would be replayed in motorsport documentaries for years to come.

Misjudging the manoeuvre spectacularly, Scheckter's McLaren spun like a pinball across the full width of the track, smashing into the pit wall before ricocheting back into the path of the oncoming field.

The ensuing carnage was unprecedented—nine cars eliminated in a single incident, with only 18 of the original 29 starters making it to the checkered flag.

In an era when safety was still finding its feet in Formula 1, the fact that only Andrea de Adamich suffered serious injury (a broken ankle that ended his single-seater career) bordered on miraculous.

The Italian's Brabham was so mangled that it took rescue crews nearly an hour to extract him from the wreckage.

When the dust settled and the race restarted, Peter Revson claimed victory from the chaos – though his win would forever be overshadowed by those terrifying few seconds at Woodcote that proved sometimes the biggest stories in F1 happen before the real racing even begins.

The lion's greatest roar: Mansell's masterclass in 1987

Nothing epitomises Formula 1 quite like a bitter rivalry between teammates, and by 1987, the animosity between Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet had reached boiling point.

Piquet, the defending world champion, wasn't shy about his disdain for his Williams-Honda teammate, famously dismissing Mansell as an "uneducated blockhead."

The Brazilian's arrogance would come back to haunt him on home soil, in front of 100,000 passionate British fans who had come to witness their hero's moment of truth.

What unfolded was pure theatre.

Piquet controlled the race from pole position, seemingly cruising toward victory while Mansell lurked in his mirrors.

Then, with 35 laps complete, Mansell made the call that would define his legacy—a tyre change that left him 29 seconds behind with just a handful of laps remaining.

What happened next was nothing short of supernatural.

Fuelled by patriotic fervour and personal vendetta, Mansell systematically destroyed the lap record eight consecutive times, his Williams-Honda howling around Silverstone like a man possessed.

The crowd rose as one as "The Lion" closed an impossible gap, their roars crescendoing as he swept past the stunned Piquet with just two laps to go.

The fairy tale ending came with a twist worthy of Hollywood—Mansell's engine literally exploded as he crossed the finish line, his car coasting to a halt just meters past the checkered flag.

He had pushed his machine beyond its absolute limits, and it had responded by giving him everything it had before dying a glorious death.

In that moment, Nigel Mansell didn't just win a race; he captured the very soul of British motorsport.

Divine intervention: When God (almost) stopped F1

July 20, 2003, will forever be remembered as the day Formula 1 met its most unusual opponent—a kilt-wearing Irish priest with a message about the end times.

Cornelius "Neil" Horan burst onto Silverstone's Hangar Straight at 280 km/h, charging toward oncoming cars while brandishing a banner proclaiming "Read the Bible. The Bible is always right."

His debut in sports disruption (he'd later gate-crash the Olympics, World Cup, and even Britain's Got Talent) turned what should have been a routine victory for Jarno Trulli into an afternoon of absolute chaos.

The safety car's immediate deployment scrambled the entire field, transforming two Toyota drivers—Cristiano da Matta and Olivier Panis—from backmarkers into unlikely race leaders.

What followed was a masterclass in opportunism from Rubens Barrichello, who seized the moment to orchestrate one of the most dramatic comebacks in British Grand Prix history.

The Brazilian's charge from the back of the field showcased everything beautiful about Formula 1—raw speed, tactical brilliance, and the ability to capitalise when fate deals you an unexpected hand.

While poor Trulli, who had controlled the race before Horan's intervention, could only watch his certain victory slip away to sixth place.

Sometimes the most memorable moments in sport come from the most unlikely sources. Neil Horan may have been trying to save souls, but what he actually did was create one of Silverstone's most surreal and entertaining afternoons.

Victory from the pits: Schumacher's controversial masterpiece

The 1998 British Grand Prix proved that in Formula 1, it's not over until the very last corner of the very last lap – and sometimes, not even then.

Rain had turned Silverstone into a treacherous slip-and-slide, claiming victim after victim as the race progressed.

Mika Häkkinen looked untouchable in his McLaren-Mercedes, building a commanding lead that survived even a spectacular 360-degree spin that somehow didn't cost him the race lead. The Finn's recovery was vintage champion material—until the safety car wiped out his 49-second advantage in an instant.

What followed was a chess match between Häkkinen and Michael Schumacher that culminated in one of the most controversial victories in F1 history.

Schumacher's last-lap passing move on Alex Wurz earned him a 10-second penalty, seemingly handing victory back to Häkkinen. But the German had one more trick up his sleeve.

In a stroke of genius (or cunning, depending on your perspective), Schumacher realised that Silverstone's pit lane entrance lay just past the finish line.

By taking his penalty after crossing the line on the final lap, he effectively won the race before serving his punishment- a loophole that left everyone from McLaren to the stewards scratching their heads.

The protests flew thick and fast, but the result stood.

Ferrari claimed their most controversial victory, three stewards lost their licenses, and Formula 1 gained another legendary tale of split-second thinking trumping everything else.

Sometimes the most memorable victories aren't won on track—they're won in the rule book.

The ride of a lifetime: When enemies became brothers

July 14, 1991, gave us perhaps the most iconic image in Formula 1 history—and it had nothing to do with crossing the finish line first.

Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell were supposed to hate each other.

Their rivalry had been forged through years of wheel-to-wheel combat, neither giving an inch, both pushing the boundaries of what was possible in a racing car.

On home soil, with 100,000 British fans roaring their approval, Mansell delivered a masterclass, leading for 59 of 60 laps while Senna stalked him like a predator.

Then, with victory in sight and the checkered flag approaching, disaster struck.

Senna's fuel gauge had lied—his McLaren spluttered to a halt on the final lap, leaving the Brazilian stranded trackside as his championship hopes evaporated in the Northamptonshire air.

What happened next transcended sport itself.

Mansell, basking in victory during his cool-down lap, spotted his stricken rival and made a decision that would define both men's legacies. Slowing to a halt beside Senna's car, the Englishman offered the ride of a lifetime.

Without hesitation, Senna grabbed the roll bar and hooked his foot into Mansell's cockpit, becoming the sport's most famous hitchhiker.

The image of these two gladiators—one triumphant, one defeated—sharing a moment of pure humanity became instantly iconic.

In a sport often criticised for its egos and politics, here were two fierce competitors showing the world what sportsmanship really means.

It was a reminder that behind the helmets and the hype, Formula 1 drivers are human beings capable of extraordinary grace under pressure.

The memories that make us

From Scheckter's spectacular pile-up to Senna's hitchhike home, these five moments prove that the best stories in Formula 1 aren't always about who crosses the finish line first.

They're about drama, courage, controversy, and those split-second decisions that echo through motorsport history.

Silverstone has been the stage for chaos and brilliance in equal measure, serving up moments that transcend the sport itself.

Whether it's Mansell's engine exploding in glorious victory or a kilt-wearing priest nearly derailing the entire championship, the British Grand Prix reminds us why we fell in love with Formula 1 in the first place.

While we can't promise your next lease car will make F1 history, we can promise it'll make your journey a whole lot more memorable.