Silverstone COULD host second F1 Grand Prix in 2026 - even in winter months, reveals expert Jarno Zaffelli
Exclusive: Formula 1 circuit designer Jarno Zaffelli, who led the resurfacing of Silverstone in 2019, reveals a second British Grand Prix could well be possible in 2026.
Last week, Silverstone Circuit CEO Stuart Pringle confirmed that the home of British motorsport has volunteered to host a second race this season, in case F1 needs to cancel any more Grands Prix in the Middle East.
The events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were cancelled amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. The Qatar and Abu Dhabi races in November and December could follow suit if safety concerns persist.
The initial reaction from many - whether that be F1 fans, locals or otherwise - was that surely, surely Silverstone wouldn’t be suitable to host a Grand Prix in the late autumn or winter. I thought the same.
Consider that theory debunked.
Jarno Zaffelli, the founder of Dromo, a renowned Italian circuit design and asphalt engineering company, tells this newspaper that Silverstone is more than capable of hosting all forms of motorsport in every season.
Zaffelli redesigned the iconic Circuit Zandvoort in the Netherlands for its F1 return in 2021, and he was involved in the 2021 renovation of the Eau Rouge-Radillon section in Spa-Francorchamps.
Meanwhile, Zaffelli and his Dromo crew recently curated the new-for-2026 Madring from scratch, set to host its first F1 race later this year.
So, it’s safe to say he knows a thing or two about race tracks.
“The asphalt that Dromo designed and engineered for Silverstone that was paved in 2019 has a performance window that includes the track being used in winter conditions,” Zaffelli revealed.
“Silverstone is a whole-year venue, therefore the asphalt was designed to work in those conditions. And for a variety of race series, cars and motorbikes.
“The main track was redesigned by Dromo during 2019 in terms of the geometry of the surface between the track boundary lines.
“The use of our proprietary software - DroCas and WhatsOn - allowed us to engineer and visualise the surface topology revisions, prior to execution.
“This has allowed the surface water to move faster and the dry line to develop much faster, allowing for exciting racing, once the rain stops.”
Silverstone, due to host its next F1 Grand Prix on the weekend of July 3-5, welcomed a double-header to the calendar back in August 2020, as part of a revised schedule in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
If there were to be a second British race this season, it wouldn’t be a first. But it’s still a challenge, both logistically and due to the increased risk of severe weather.
Nonetheless, Zaffelli insists Silverstone’s track surface is perfectly capable and was designed with colder and wetter conditions firmly in mind.
Zaffelli added: “The temperatures around November can be reasonable during the day and one has to note that they vary year to year. They are not far off the Las Vegas event temperatures.
“The UK teams do filming prior to launches of new F1 cars in January and February, which typically can be the colder months. These are filming days, with special tyres.
“For a F1 race, the operational and logistics side are within the capability of the Silverstone leadership team.
“The fans would be interested and dress accordingly and the hardcore fans know the variable weather around Silverstone.
“The key would be the working temperatures of the tyres, whether the air and ground temperatures would be in the right range to allow heat to build up in the tyres.
“That’s the key topic for an F1 race at Silverstone later in the season, which would be a function of the target date, if that situation arose and then assessing the viability technically.”