A qualifying lap of Silverstone
with Johnny Herbert

Jaguar-Racing Press Release, 17th April 2000

This circuit has a massive amount of character to it. It’s got a lot of big corners so you have to keep everything on the line to get the best out of the lap. To start a qualifying lap, you come out of Woodcote, really getting on the power as early as you possibly can to get as much speed as you can to start the lap. You go into Copse - probably my favourite and one of the most demanding corners on the Grand Prix circuit as you can’t see the apex of the track - really fast, you leave the Car in 5th gear, turn in, 6th gear, little bit of a left foot brake, still can’t see the apex. With all the testing we do here you get to anticipate where the apex is. The adrenaline you get going through Copse is a big kick which gives you an Incentive for the rest of the lap because if you start off well you can attack the rest of the lap with a lot more confidence.

You exit Copse very hard, straight on the throttle very hard, using all of the track, using the kerb on the exit which makes the car a little bit nervous but that just adds to the excitement of the lap. Entering the left turn at Maggotts, still in top gear, it’s a quick flick to the right into Becketts. The important thing here is to keep the car flowing through this left, right, left, right, left section as you need all your speed as you go onto the straight. Becketts is a difficult part as you get a lot of understeer so you nave to concentrate hard in order to get the right line as you come out onto the Hangar Straight. You exit out of Becketts, really running wide, using all the kerb, keeping all that pace to go down the Hangar Straight. You can have a bit of a look around here but not for long as you’re all pumped up now, ready to go into Stowe really deep.

It’s a high speed entry into Stowe and you brake very deep going into the corner. The car is getting lighter, with a little bit of movement normally from the back, and as you come into the apex the front starts to wash away and that makes it a lot more difficult. You’ll use a lot of kerb on the exit and you may see some people actually drop a wheel onto the dirt which makes it a bit more spectacular as you come out of there. As you enter Vale you’re on a real high. It’s probably one of the most difficult parts of the track. It’s very slow into the left-hander, you brake and the front always locks up a lot because you’ve come over a little crest and you have to be very careful not to run wide and lose all your pace for Club and Abbey.

Club itself is not very difficult except the circuit is off-camber. Once the car settles, you exit using the whole track, using the kerb. Abbey is a good corner. you don’t take much speed in but still have to brake really hard. The front gets a little bit loose, you turn in and you’ll be fighting the car to keep it on the line, using lots of kerb, but not too much or it’ll push you off the line and unsettle the car. Now you have so be really careful about how you get out of the corner because if you get on the power too early you get a lot of wheelspin and on the right hand kink you get a big flick and you have to come off. You lose a lot of speed, a lot of time and you just don’t need that! So, that is a really tricky part of the circuit where it is hard to get the speed you need coming out of it.

Through Farm now and into Bridge which has got a bit of a compression so you get a lot more grip, which is very exhilarating, very exciting because the car is loose as well. It’s a bit bumpy here which makes the car jump and move around a little bit. Into Priory, which is one of the most difficult parts Of the track, off-camber like Club, so as soon as you turn, the front understeers and you’re playing around with the throttle and the brake, trying to get the thing to hang in there. It’s very easy to run wide.

Probably the worst part of the track is Brooklands - you brake very deep and it’s very easy to lock up. The corner has a very, very slow pace and you have to just try to get out of it as smoothly as you can. You don’t want any wheelspin or flicking as it’s important to not be fighting the car there as you’ll be losing time. Into Luffield, again very difficult, as it’s basically a long hairpin. You get a lot of understeer going in and because of that understeer you get a bit of a slide at the rear and the car moves around a hell of a lot and is on edge all the way round! Traction on the exit is not really a problem but you have to get on the power as early as you can to go hard through Woodcote to complete the lap and pray you got the time you wanted!

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Article put online 18th April 2000.