Legendary F1 team to make Silverstone return

Hill with the Lotus 49B, the first F1 car with wings — Photo: © IMAGO

Silverstone

Legendary F1 team to make Silverstone return

A never seen before showcase will take place at Silverstone

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Saturday 9 August 2025 14:57

A legendary F1 team will return to the track for a ‘never attempted before’ event at Silverstone later this month.

As F1 enjoys their summer break, the roar of classic engines will fill the air from August 22-24 at the iconic Silverstone circuit for the 2025 Silverstone Festival.

The classic motorsport weekend – that used to be known as The Silverstone Classic – returns to mark the 75th anniversary of the sport, alongside a never seen before attempt to showcase all cars raced by the 34 F1 champions.

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It has been confirmed that a legendary F1 team will return to Silverstone, with four cars from Team Lotus part of the display across the bank holiday weekend.

The Norfolk-based team have a long and prestigious history in F1; first founded in 1958 by Colin Chapman, and the team went on to win six drivers’ titles and seven constructors’ titles. Lotus’ championship winning drivers include Jim Clark (1963, 1965), Graham Hill (1968), Jochen Rindt (1970), Emerson Fittipaldi (1972) and Mario Andretti (1978).

Nick Wigley, the event's director, revealed that the display of cars was an: "Ambitious challenge that no one has ever attempted before."

“Now, the star-studded collection is not only nearly complete, but it also features an incredible number of title-winning cars.”

F1 teams gather for Silverstone Festival

The Silverstone Festival will also showcase the largest collection of race cars driven by Ayrton Senna and will feature more than 25 exhibits spanning the Brazilian champion's entire career.

On social media, the festival has drip-fed the classic cars that will be in attendance at Silverstone this year, with cars driven by Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso all promised ahead of the event.

Alonso’s 2005 championship-winning Renault R25 will be at the festival, while Red Bull will bring title-winning cars from both Sebastian Vettel and Verstappen’s career - the RB8 & RB18.

A full range of F1 machinery over the past 75 years will be on show, with the first ever championship winning car, the Alfa Romeo 158 driven by Giuseppe 'Nino' Farina in 1950, also part of the weekend.

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