Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri participated in a fun activity recently and got to know that fans don’t rate the Silverstone circuit as highly as they do. The McLaren drivers learned that the British GP circuit was ranked lower than Zandvoort and the Marina Bay Circuit.
In a promotional video for Salesforce titled ‘What takes pole?’, Norris and Piastri had to correctly guess the ranks of five circuits, based on how popular they were among fans. Other than Silverstone, Zandvoort (Netherlands), and Marina Bay Circuit (Singapore), the two other tracks on the list were Interlagos (Brazil) and Las Vegas.
Both Norris and Piastri were sure that Silverstone would rank number one. The latter said, “Silverstone is going to take pole. It’s my favorite of those five.”
Make it another podium visit, @LandoNorris!
P3 at Silverstone! #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/eyf4ch3xkk
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) July 7, 2024
Norris agreed, and they spent the rest of the time ranking the other circuits. When the results were revealed, Norris was shocked. Looking at the list, he said, “I think it’s upside down.”
The final rankings placed Singapore at the top, followed by Las Vegas, Zandvoort, Brazil, and finally Silverstone.
“I don’t know what their criteria is for their favorite track. But it’s not the same as mine,” Piastri added.
The choices made by the fans who voted for these tracks could be reflective of a changing mindset in the community. Since Liberty Media took over, the sport has focused a lot on entertainment. Singapore and Vegas are two races, that exhibit glamor on a very large scale, which newer fans seem to prefer over historic circuits.
Classic F1 circuits under threat
In recent years, the entertainment aspect of F1 has often taken priority over the sporting side. While good racing action remains a key focus, many of the tracks added to the calendar lately do not deliver on that promise.
The introduction of street circuits, in particular, has contributed to the decline in the popularity of traditional race tracks that offered drivers better racing opportunities.
At times, even classic venues are tipped to be sacrificed to cater to entertainment demands. Historic circuits like Spa-Francorchamps have faced nervy moments in recent years, as they were under threat of being replaced by newer races.
Recently, there have also been reports of races at Spa and Zandvoort taking place every alternate year to accommodate newer venues like Rwanda in Africa. The main reason is money. Although these Grand Prix events are iconic, they do not generate as much revenue as races like the Las Vegas GP or Singapore GP.
