How memories of a sodden Silverstone 25 years ago show the British climate's unpredictability

Look (as a certain Sky F1 presenter and politicians say when attempting to sound convincing), forecasting British weather can be tricky. But look, I can confidently say that, even if it tips down at Silverstone this weekend, conditions will be a huge improvement over the British Grand Prix of 25 years ago.

If you’ve paid handsomely to get soaked this year, just remember it could be worse. Like, mud-up-to-your-back-axle worse.

Even allowing for Britain’s round of the 2000 Formula 1 World Championship being staged in April, nature combined forces with F1’s Chuckle Brothers, Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley, to turn Silverstone into the Home of British Mud Wrestling.

Spectators weren’t allowed through the gate to watch qualifying on Saturday because the car parks had been transformed into a quagmire on the first day.

On the Sunday, many of those who had parted with £90 (worth approximately twice that today) for admission tickets chose to abandon static queues and walk several miles to the track.

They were the lucky ones. On arrival, stubborn motorists were eventually towed into a glutinous mess (referred to by Silverstone in a moment of enthusiasm as ‘car parks’) and later waited, in some cases for six hours, to be towed back out.

In between, David Coulthard won the grand prix. No disrespect to DC or McLaren, but this excellent victory was tainted in the same way as stepping in dog poo might affect your visit to the pub. It was the biggest fiasco in the 75-year history of our home grand prix. 

How had this come about? Well, three weeks of relentless rain beforehand had given Silverstone a soggy clue that life as a host to 40,000 cars in the surrounding fields might be problematic.

The BRDC’s shiny new clubhouse attracted a ‘cheap jibe’

Photo by: Sutton Images

There was clearly a sense of mounting anxiety when the British Racing Drivers’ Club (owner of Silverstone) sent a patronising letter to BRDC members urging them to ‘stamp out any suggestions, from any quarters [sic], that Silverstone didn’t do everything within its power to make this year’s grand prix a success’.

Silverstone did take preventive action but, come the start of the weekend, it was immediately apparent that they were already a day late and a few thousand metres of hardcore short. 

That’s when the blame game began in earnest. Much of the finger pointing was directed at F1’s de facto boss Ecclestone, who had arranged this date on a calendar rubber-stamped by the FIA, the governing body being conveniently presided over by Bernie’s mate, Mosley.

All manner of reasons (each doubtless prefaced by ‘Look’) were advanced for the switch from July to April. We were told that Pentecost (which rules the Monaco date) was late; that the Spanish couldn’t shift their race because of a more pressing engagement; that the French wouldn’t contemplate a move at any price.

Ecclestone’s view was that the BRDC was run by a load of toffs who wouldn’t know the cost of a torque wrench from a cheese and chutney sandwich

An alleged remark that the BRDC might have been better off spending its money on car parks rather than an elaborate clubhouse was seen as a cheap jibe.

The truth probably lay closer to this shining infrastructure on the inside of Woodcote having been grandly opened the previous July by His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent KG, thus perpetuating Ecclestone’s view that the BRDC was run by a load of toffs who wouldn’t know the cost of a torque wrench from a cheese and chutney sandwich.

Even more telling was an ongoing game of political chess as Ecclestone played off a change of ownership at Brands Hatch with the promise of returning the grand prix to the Kent circuit for the first time since 1986.

By moving the 2000 date to April, there was every chance that Silverstone’s shortcomings – and there were a few – might be cruelly exposed, strengthening Ecclestone’s negotiating hand.

Silverstone’s travails tainted what was a fine win for Coulthard

Photo by: Sutton Images

If that was the intent (strenuously denied by Ecclestone and Mosley), the result quickly became evident on the Friday. Not only were spectators facing the prospect of diminishing ride heights when they later tried to retrieve parked cars, but Coulthard became stuck when he pulled off the track with a mechanical problem.

The practice session had to be red flagged when a Land Rover, attempting to tow the McLaren MP4-15, suffered the indignity of becoming bogged down on what should have been a beautifully manicured grass verge.

Everyone was affected. Paddock Club guests completing their pitlane walkabout on race day were herded through a gate and along a short – but extremely muddy – stretch of concrete. This did not go down well with well-heeled ladies who, understandably, had left their Hunter wellies at home.

No one was immune. At one point, while trudging through the paddock on Saturday, we happened to be passing Ecclestone’s motorhome. Mr E emerged with a couple of acolytes. Deep in discussion and walking briskly to duck the rain, he failed to notice a nasty puddle until the water line was exceeded on his expensive Italian footwear.

An instant look of outrage was quickly followed by a furtive check to see whether anyone had noticed. We anxiously looked the other way, pretending it hadn’t happened. The BRDC’s directors probably wished they could have done the same when the derogatory media reports flooded in on Monday morning.

Look, it can’t possibly be that bad this year.

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Rain during Friday and Saturday practice sessions meant conditions were challenging

Photo by: Gavin Lawrence / Motorsport Images