It may lack the glitz and glamour of Monaco but in terms of heritage and atmosphere,
Silverstone and the British Grand Prix comes a close second to the street circuit.
With seven rounds down and eleven to go,
Fernando Alonso looks increasingly comfortable at the top of the standings as the
F1 circus moves onto Northamptonshire a month earlier than usual.
Indeed, Monaco was as much about controversy as it was about action, with
Michael Schumacher's astonishing attempt to prevent arch-rival Alonso from claiming pole position being duly punished the stewards.
The resulting back of the grid penalty left Alonso to claim a relatively easy victory, albeit not without a spirited challenge from
Kimi Raikkonen and
Mark Webber, who both succumbed to engine problems mid-way through the race.
Schumacher meanwhile was left to lick his wounds, but the German showed why he is considered the best driver on the F1 grid by storming up to fifth place on arguably the toughest circuit to overtake on.
Nonetheless, he is now some 21 points behind the Spaniard, who will be looking to maintain his enviable record of finishes in the top two this year at a circuit
Renault can call their second home.
However, with
McLaren defending their victory at Silverstone from last season and Monaco showing the form that has been anticipated from them all year, as well as the home support that will hope to lift
Jenson Button following an awful race at the principality, this is by no means a two-horse race...
FIA F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP NEWS:
It has been an unusually quiet week for the F1 teams as they get in a last bit of testing before heading off to North America following the British Grand Prix.
However, as the season rapidly reaches a mid-way point, rumours have unsurprisingly begun to surface in a number of quarters.
