Silverstone confirmed on Saturday (7 July) that British Grand Prix fans have re-written the record books as Lewis mania officially hit the Northamptonshire circuit.
Shortly after Britain’s Lewis Hamilton wowed the home crowd by qualifying on PolePosition for Sunday’s British Grand Prix, circuit bosses announced a record Saturdaycrowd of 80,000, which is incredibly 2,000 higher than the race day crowd in 2006.78,000 fans enjoyed the Sunday of the British Grand Prix in 2006, but the draw ofchampionship leader Hamilton has had a dramatic impact on the sport’s passionate fans.
Richard Phillips, Managing Director of Silverstone Circuits Limited, commented: “Thecrowd for today’s qualifying was higher than last year’s race day – it’s unbelievable. Weexpected the Hamilton effect to have an impact on this year’s crowd, but to get theequivalent of a race day crowd on a Saturday is unprecedented for the British GrandPrix.
“The sun was shining, the grandstands were full and Lewis treated everyone watching toa spectacular qualifying session. The reaction from the fans as he crossed the line was fantastic – I’ve never seen anything like it. If he, and the three other British drivers, areable to produce anything like that again tomorrow, the crowd is in for a real treat. ”Phillips was also keen to reiterate the circuit’s advice to fans travelling to the BritishGrand Prix on Sunday, ”A combination of the volume of fans, increased securitymeasures and wet weather contingency plans resulted in some delays for fans gettinginto the circuit today (Saturday). We have managed to keep the traffic moving and wouldlike to thank the fans, once again, for their patience and understanding. ”
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