FOM addresses Silverstone pit-lane concerns

British Grand Prix fans will be able to see the leading teams making their pit-stops during this year's race by ditching its usual pit-lane protocol

The new Silverstone Wing and its pit-lane may cast an impressive shadow over the reworked Northamptonshire circuit, but the topography of the layout at that point has created a unique 'problem' for organisers and race fans, with the garages typically used by the front-running teams hidden by the wall as the pit-lane drops out of sight.

In an effort to address the issue, Formula One Management has broken with tradition and announced that the biggest names will have their garages in the middle of the order, rather than appearing at either the start or end of the pit-lane as usually dictated by championship positions.

"The pit lane is a little bit unusual," McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh told F1 journalist Adam Cooper, "Last year, some of us enjoyed no view of the stands, and consequently presumably they enjoyed no view of us. It's easy after the event to be critical of that but, this year, we will have a different garage allocation, and we'll see a bit of sun in our garage. We're more or less in the middle [of the pit-lane]. No-one's explained exactly why, [but] I imagine the desire is to put us in front of the grandstand, which is a good thing."