• British Grand Prix

Bumpy Silverstone gets mixed reaction

ESPNF1 Staff
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Michael Schumacher recovers from a spin at the new Village corner © Getty Images
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Silverstone's new arena layout has been met by mixed reaction from the drivers after the first day of practice for the British Grand Prix.

The main sticking point appears to be a sizable bump on the entry to the flat-out (for some) Abbey corner. Rubens Barrichello was one of the most critical and said it had taken away some of the appeal of the circuit.

"I was very surprised by Silverstone today," he said. "I really love this circuit, it is one of my favourites, but it's really, really bumpy. It's quite odd and I'm sorry to say this because I'm usually such a fan. We weren't anticipating such a bumpy track, so we had to make a lot of unexpected set-up changes in response."

Kovalainen agreed and said he preferred the old-style Silverstone.

"The new layout is nothing like the old circuit - now it feels like it's pretty straightforward," he said. "It's quite bumpy, and the corners are pretty simple, not like the old circuit where you got on the throttle and could find a really good line through the corners. I have no problem with the circuit, I just preferred the old one. "

Michael Schumacher said the new layout would not achieve its goal of improving overtaking and said the bump would have to be discussed.

"The new part of the circuit is certainly interesting. It's very fluid and fast but there is no overtaking possibility which is a bit of pity for me. The bump at Abbey is tricky, a lot of the drivers had to really work their steering wheel, so it is likely that this will be discussed more deeply in the drivers briefing today."

However, Lewis Hamilton thinks the uneven surface only adds to the excitement of driving one of the fastest circuits on the calendar.

"It was fun to try the new track configuration for the first time," he said. "The new section is very fast and flowing, and I don't think it interrupts your rhythm too much. It still feels a little weird turning right at Abbey rather than left, and there's a big bump there too, but that just makes it more exciting." Vettel agreed that Silverstone was still one of the best tracks F1 visits.

"The new section of the track is quite low speed, but it's not as slow as we expected and doesn't kill the rhythm. It adds something new and makes if more of a challenge. The track here is magnificent; it's good fun, so I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

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