With record crowds, title contenders & top talents, British F1 is in a golden era

[p]Outside Milton Keynes train station, where shuttle buses to Silverstone leave from, there are five flags, one for each of the British drivers on the current Formula 1 grid.[/p][p]Below those flags flows a steady stream of fans in their thousands heading to the track, many of whom are clad in the orange of McLaren.[/p][p]It's a scene that perfectly encapsulates what is obvious everywhere you look at the 2026 British Grand Prix: that the nation is in a very good place in the world of Formula 1.[/p][p]In fact, this might just be a new golden era.[/p][h2]Record crowds[/h2][p]One of the simplest ways to measure a nation's interest in F1 is to look at the number of fans that attend the race weekend in said nation, and things have never been better in this regard.[/p][p]175,000 tickets have been sold for the race on Sunday, which is a record for the event, but that's not the most impressive number.[/p][p][b]Over the course of the weekend, just over half a million spectators - 565,000, to be precise - are expected to come and go, which will make it the most-attended event in the history of Formula 1.[/b][/p][embed guid="b2f3138b-9855-452e-b0b7-9fc173786388" url="https://x.com/SilverstoneUK/status/2072802493994569899" social-type="twitter" /][p]That's a meteoric rise when you consider that, just eight years ago, the attendance was 340,000 and had been steadily dropping for a number of years.[/p][p]F1 has grown enormously since then, thanks in large part to Netflix's Drive to Survive and a mastery of social media, and the demographics of the 2026 crowd at Silverstone make it clear that a large number of those new fans are from Great Britain. F1 used to stereotypically be something for old men, but there are more young than old at the circuit and as many women as men. [/p][p]Of course, not all of those fans are British, with many a language being spoken at a venue that feels more like a music festival than a sporting event these days, such is the scale of it. However, even the majority of those who have come from further afield are cheering for British success for one reason or another.[/p][h2]Leading the pack[/h2][p]Just how many people are supporting McLaren is nothing short of remarkable when you consider that they were one of the worst-performing teams on the grid less than a decade ago. Now, they're the constructors' champions, arguably the most popular team, and are such a powerhouse that [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/verstappen-max/UV3mgeXB/"]Max Verstappen[/a] is reportedly keen on joining them.[/p][p]"There are quite a few others that I know want to come as well," said McLaren driver [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/norris-lando/WSVABbVF/"]Lando Norris[/a] at Silverstone. "It's a good thing (for the team) that a four-time world champion wants to come on board."[/p][image alt="Lando Norris greets fans at the 2026 British Grand Prix" id="d7eb6183-fb62-463c-914c-e4d1f1bf7199" credit-line="Every Second Media / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia" guid="ba7974c5-9bb6-4692-9752-f150107110b8" original-width="1400" original-height="933" /][p][b]Norris himself is also enjoying immense popularity and on-track success in equal measure. The fluorescent colours of his official clothing brand can be seen all over Silverstone, the Landostand - a purpose-built stand for his supporters - is sold out for the second year in a row, and he is of course the reigning world champion.[/b][/p][p]He might not be in contention to defend his title this year, but there are two other British drivers in with a shot of winning it, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/russell-george/xxF56RaN/"]George Russell[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hamilton-lewis/tI5Vpe1h/"]Lewis Hamilton[/a] currently second and third in the standings.[/p][p]Over the last few years, British F1 has seemed set to lose the jewel in its crown with Hamilton looking past his best, but his resurgence this season now has the nation once again dreaming of having the outright greatest driver in the history of F1, in terms of championships won.[/p][p]If he fails to win his eighth title this season, there's a good chance that compatriot Russell will win it instead, and there's also a good chance that three Brits will finish inside the top five of the standings regardless, which hasn't happened since the golden age of the 1960s, headed up by Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill, Jim Clark and John Surtees.[/p][h2]A bright future[/h2][embed guid="782401b2-9fc0-4b2f-ab61-f57c575d4b05" url="https://x.com/MercedesAMGF1/status/2072769471505142000" social-type="twitter" /][p]Another positive for the nation's F1 prospects is that Norris and Russell are only 26 and 28 respectively, and will therefore probably be around for years to come.[/p][p]What's more, while it's surely inevitable that 41-year-old Hamilton will call it a day before the end of the 2020s, there's another Brit ready to replace him in the form of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bearman-oliver/tMI3u5xo/"]Ollie Bearman[/a].[/p][p]The 21-year-old has been hugely impressive for Haas, establishing himself not just as one of the biggest talents on the grid but as one of the best drivers. With how well he's performing and the fact that he's a product of the Ferrari academy, he currently seems the most likely replacement when Hamilton's spot at the Italian team opens up.[/p][p]That would mean there would still be British drivers at three of the four biggest teams on the grid, assuming Norris and Russell stay put, and there could even be one heading to the fourth of those teams before long if [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lindblad-arvid/bgk1rl5a/"]Arvid Lindblad[/a] continues to develop.[/p][p][b]Just how young the rookie is was put firmly into perspective at the press conference on Friday when he shared his memories of attending the 2013 British Grand Prix as a five-year-old[/b], and that makes the fact that he's scored points in four of his first eight F1 races all the more impressive. If he keeps going like this, it won't be long before the Racing Bulls driver gets promoted to senior team Red Bull.[/p][p]Whether seeing him and his four compatriots walk through the Silverstone paddock or seeing the thousands of fans in the grounds and stands, it's impossible not to take notice of just how good a time this is for Great Britain when it comes to F1.[/p][infobox id="68274eb9-a292-466f-8d1c-279fe1b5c54c" /]