Do you know your way round Silverstone? The legendary corners at the British Grand Prix

Most modern Formula 1 circuits, such as Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) or Las Vegas, stand out for their lack of imagination when it comes to naming their corners – they’re simply numbered in sequence; how boring!

Silverstone is quite different: on the very first of all Formula 1 World Championship circuits (GP debut on 13 May 1950), we stumble from one historic name to the next.

What’s astonishing is that, for 70 years, not a single section of the GP circuit was named after a great British racing driver! And yet there are more than enough of them – Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, Hill the Elder (Graham), John Surtees, Jackie Stewart, James Hunt, Hill the Younger (Damon), Jenson Button. And then, at last, this was rectified.

The start/finish straight on the very first of all Formula 1 World Championship circuits was christened the ‘Hamilton Straight’ in honour of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

The Hamilton Straight is the only section of the British Grand Prix circuit named after a racing driver, and only the second to be named after a person, alongside Becketts, named after Saint Thomas Becket (Archbishop of Canterbury). Part of Silverstone’s Club Circuit is also named after the Scot Innes Ireland, Lotus’s first Grand Prix winner.

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So here’s a quick refresher on the names of the corners at Silverstone.

Silverstone – The circuit itself is named after the small village nearby (population 2,000); the word does not mean ‘silver stone’, but rather, based on Old English, ‘wooded area’.

Abbey – The name of the first corner after Hamilton Straight refers to the site of the former Luffield Abbey.

Farm – This gentle left-hand bend is so named because of the nearby farm.

Village – Refers to the village of Silverstone.

The Loop – This section is called ‘The Loop’ because of its shape.

Aintree – A reminder of the venue for the British Grand Prix in 1955, 1957, 1959, 1961 and 1962.

Wellington – This straight is one of the former starting straights. It is named after the Vickers Wellington fighter aircraft, which were primarily stationed here during the Second World War.

Brooklands – A tribute to one of the world’s oldest race circuits, which opened as early as 1907. The British Grand Prix was held at Brooklands in 1926 and 1927.

Luffield – Named after the village of Luffield, which used to stand here, right on the border between the two counties of Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire.

Woodcote – Named after a clubhouse of the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) in Surrey, Woodcote Park.

Copse – Literally means ‘thicket’ or ‘scrub’, as there used to be a small area of undergrowth here.

Maggotts – Has nothing to do with a maggot (which is spelled with a ‘t’ in English), but with Maggotts Moor.

Becketts and Chapel – Both are named after the chapel of St Thomas Becket (Archbishop of Canterbury). The remains of the 13th-century chapel can still be seen today.

Hangar – During the war, there were two aircraft hangars on this straight stretch of track.

Stowe – Named after the school of the same name south of the racecourse.

Vale – So called because of the shape of the track – there is a gentle dip here.

Club – Named after the RAC clubhouse in London.