Another new face will make his GP2 Series debut this weekend, as Ernesto Viso - himself a returnee at Magny-Cours - is forced to sit out following his high-speed accident in France. The Venezuelan's #15 Racing Engineering car will thus be entrusted to Filipe Albuquerque, who currently sits third in the World Series Renault standings, and has prior experience of competing with the team from Spanish F3, where he partnered team-mate Villa in 2005.
Silverstone remains one of the drivers’ favourite circuits, with its incredibly fast and demanding opening section providing a true test of nerve. From Becketts - the scene of Hamilton's 'move of the season' on Piquet Jr and Clivio Piccione - the track winds through an often gusty section through Stowe, Club and Abbey, before plunging down through Bridge and into the tight final 'stadium' section. With such variation, a compromise must be reached between optimising straight-line speed and maintaining traction and downforce for the slower corners - and it will be interesting to see which driver/team combination gets it right.
Typically, the British summer has produced a tropical mêlée of glorious sunshine and flood-inducing torrential rain in the two weeks leading up to the British Grand Prix meeting, with the forecast showing that the conditions have no intention of abating this weekend. As a result, the outcome could be determined by which man has the best wet-weather skills.
