"Something Northamptonshire should be proud of": Take a look inside Silverstone Museum as it marks 75 years of F1 with new exhibition

Silverstone Museum today (Tuesday, May 13) opened a special exhibition to mark the 75th anniversary of the Formula One Drivers’ World Championship (F1).

Phil Lawrie, CEO of Silverstone Museum, explained what visitors can expect from the new displays.

He said: “Everything you see up here is, 90 per cent is mostly here all of the time. What we've done is, anywhere you see exhibits with the 75th anniversary at Silverstone, that speaks to the 75th anniversary exhibition, which you see permeating through the whole collection.”

Mr Lawrie said the anniversary is a chance to show how Silverstone has become a central part of the sport.

He said: “The importance of the 75th anniversary of the World Drivers' Championship, or the Formula One World Championship, is that without that, and the exponential growth in Formula One that followed, we wouldn't have this museum here today. We wouldn't have this phenomenon that is Silverstone and the British Grand Prix.”

He continued: “Silverstone is a legendary sporting venue, but we also tell the story of British motor racing in general.

“Britain is to motor racing what Brazil is to football. We have more drivers’ world champions than any other country. We have 30 titles. The second best is Germany on 12. We have more teams’ world champions in the history of Formula One. It's something we should be really proud of.”

The exhibition features cars, bikes, karts and interactive elements like Scalextric and simulators, as well as access to the Luffield Terrace where visitors can see live action on the track.

Mr Lawrie said it’s designed for all kinds of fans looking for a good day out.

He said: “If you're an aficionado of the sport, if you're an absolute petrolhead, or if you're just a casual motor racing fan who likes to sit down on a Sunday afternoon and watch the race, this is for you."

He added: “It’s something that Northamptonshire should be really proud of, because it is a world-class sport and a world-class industry.

“Eight of the eleven Formula One teams from 2026 onwards, once Cadillac move in, are based within an hour and a half of Silverstone. We are the global hub of a global industry.”

Mr Lawrie said the museum’s job is to keep telling that story.

He said: “We’re telling the story of Silverstone and British motor racing. Museums are all about storytelling.”

The exhibition covers both floors of the museum and includes rare items from the sport’s history, marked with anniversary stickers. It begins with the very first Formula One race in 1950, held at Silverstone and attended by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

Tickets cost £23.50 per person when booked online. Child tickets (ages 5–15) are £19.50 on the day, and under-5s go free. Pay for a day and enjoy free return visits for 12 months.

The 2025 Formula 1 British Grand Prix will take place at Silverstone from Friday, July 4 to Sunday, July 6. General Admission tickets start at £70 for a single day and £269 for the full weekend.

Click through our gallery to see a sneak peek of the museum.