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"Formula 1 returns to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix following a three-week hiatus. Silverstone, along with Monza and Monaco, represents a core tradition of the sport. The very first Formula 1 race was held on the British circuit in 1951 and won by a Ferrari at the hands of Froilan Gonzales. Last year, Fernando Alonso led most of the race for Scuderia Ferrari. With his tires worn out and only three laps remaining, he was passed by Red Bull&amp;#039;s Mark Webber. Even then, second place was a great result for Alonso, leading the championship in a car widely considered inferior to the machines of Red Bull and Mclaren. Qualifying In 2013, the championship-points tally looks quite different. Despite two wins and a Ferrari F138 showing great race pace, Alonso finds himself with a large 36-point deficit to leader Sebastian Vettel. A DNF in Malaysia and mediocre results in Bahrain and Monaco have hurt the Spaniard, but most detrimental to the hunt for championship points has been Ferrari&amp;#039;s lackluster qualifying (never better than third this season). Alonso needs a better performance on Saturday to have a chance at beating Vettel and making up ground in the championship.  Tires &amp;amp;amp; Development With the tire-test saga behind them, at least legally, Silverstone will give the first real indication of any performance advantage Mercedes might have gained with its illegal tire test with Pirelli. Monaco and Montreal are outliers as circuits: Monaco is a relatively slow street track, and Montreal lacks any true high-speed turns. Silverstone is a totally different beast\u2014one that puts extreme side loads on tires and a premium on aerodynamic grip as the cars rocket through the Maggots-Becketts turn complex at speeds which seem to defy logic. If Mercedes has gained reliability and race pace, there will be much grumbling in the paddock and among fans. The performance of the Lotus team has been disappointing, as the last two circuits are not conducive to their car&amp;#039;s greatest strengths\u2014low tire wear and high top speed, which is key for a race with two DRS passing zones. Lewis Hamilton Not grumbling a bit about any performance gains from Mercedes will be British fans of Lewis Hamilton, who won this\u2014his home race\u2014in 2008. Hamilton is returning to Silverstone, and for the first time, driving something other than a McLaren and is accompanied by his new pet, British bulldog Roscoe. Silverstone has laid out the red carpet...at least for Roscoe. Weather British summers are notoriously unpredictable, and while rain is not expected for Sunday, a damp or wet qualifying could wreak havoc with everyone&amp;#039;s plans. It&amp;#039;ll be a good one folks. Stay tuned! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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