Sir Jackie Stewart, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill and Alain Prost - who between them have claimed 11 Formula One victories at Silverstone - will headline a list of 15 motor sport legends who will drive over the weekend, which also includes the recently retired four-time IndyCar champion and three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti.
They will be driving machinery spanning six decades of the sport, ranging from the late Sir Jack Brabham’s 1960 British Grand Prix-winning Cooper Climax T53 to the Red Bull RB8 in which Mark Webber triumphed at Silverstone in 2012.
Sir Jackie Stewart - Matra MS80
Charismatic, articulate and sensationally talented, Stewart set the benchmark in Formula One in the late 60s and early 70s, claiming three world championships and a then-record 27 Grand Prix wins. He triumphed on home soil twice, in 1969 and ’71, and this weekend will be piloting the Matra MS80 in which he took the first of those victories.
Alain Prost - Red Bull RB8
Nicknamed ‘the professor’ for his cerebral approach, Prost racked up a remarkable 51 Grand Prix victories over his career, including a record five British Grand Prix wins, the last coming in 1993. This weekend, however, Prost will be driving something altogether more contemporary - Mark Webber’s 2012 British Grand Prix-winning RB8.
Damon Hill - Lotus 49B
Hill’s heritage played a part in his ascent into Formula One, but it was his ability and fierce inner determination that delivered 22 Grand Prix wins, the 1996 world championship and victory in the 1994 British Grand Prix. His late father Graham never won his home race, but he did win two world titles, the final one in 1968 at the wheel of Lotus’ imperious 49B - the car Damon will drive this weekend.
Emerson Fittipaldi - McLaren M23
After a meteoric rise in his native Brazil, ‘Emmo’ travelled to the UK alone and unable to speak anything other than his native Portuguese. Success was instant, and within two years he made his Formula One debut. Within four, he was the youngest world champion in F1 history and a British Grand Prix winner. The Brazilian added a second title in 1974, and the following year took his second victory on British soil. This weekend at Silverstone he’ll be driving the car which delivered that latter triumph, the McLaren M23.
Johnny Herbert - Tyrrell 006
Herbert made a remarkable start to his Formula One career, scoring points on debut less than six months after smashing his feet and ankles in a horrifying F3000 crash. He went on to start 160 races, winning three times - most memorably on home soil at Silverstone in 1995, his first win in F1. However, Herbert will be driving a car from an earlier era this weekend - Sir Jackie Stewart’s 1973 world championship-winning Tyrrell 006.
David Coulthard - Red Bull RB8
Surrounded by motorsport from an early age, Coulthard would go on to become a formidable force in Formula One, winning 13 times and carrying the fight to Mika Hakkinen and Michael Schumacher over a 14-year career in the sport’s top flight. A winner at Silverstone in both 1999 and 2000, Coulthard will join the parade in the Red Bull RB8 that former team mate Mark Webber took to victory in Silverstone in 2012.
Rubens Barrichello - Williams FW07B
The most experienced driver in Formula One history, Barrichello started 322 races over a 19-year career, winning 11 times and twice - in 2002 and ’04 - finishing runner-up in the championship. The Brazilian, victor at Silverstone in 2003, will drive the Williams FW07B in tribute to Clay Regazzoni’s 1979 British Grand Prix-winning FW07 - Williams' first F1 winner.
Jackie Oliver - Lotus 33
Britain’s Jackie Oliver stepped up into Formula One in 1968 with Lotus and came close to winning his home race at the first attempt, leading until he suffered transmission failure at Brands Hatch. He went on to start 48 Grands Prix, claiming two podiums, and was also involved in the creation of the Shadow and Arrows F1 teams. He will pay tribute to five-time British Grand Prix winner Jim Clark, driving the Lotus 33 in which the Scotsman won the 1965 British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Derek Warwick - McLaren M29C
Now president of the Silverstone-based British Racing Drivers’ Club, Warwick’s tenacity and skill helped him progress through the ranks and ultimately led to 146 Grand Prix starts. He came close to winning on home soil, finishing second to Niki Lauda at Brands Hatch in 1984 - one of four podiums during his Formula One career. He will pilot the McLaren M29C driven by both Alain Prost and John Watson in the 1980 British Grand Prix.
Martin Brundle - McLaren M26
Few drivers can match the depth of Brundle’s experience in Formula One, with the Briton racking up more than 150 Grand Prix starts over a 13 year career. Nine podiums included a third place on home soil in 1992, secured ahead of his Benetton team mate Michael Schumacher. Brundle will drive another Silverstone winner - James Hunt’s 1977 British Grand Prix-winning McLaren M26.
Dario Franchitti - Lotus 25
Franchitti is one of the UK’s most successful motorsport exports, racking up an astonishing hat-trick of Indianapolis 500 victories alongside four IndyCar titles during 11 years in American single-seaters. The Scot is a renowned fan of double world champion Jim Clark and will drive his compatriot’s Lotus 25 at Silverstone this weekend, the car in which Clark triumphed in the 1963 British Grand Prix.
David Brabham - Cooper-Climax T53
A scion of one of motorsport’s most famous families, Brabham is one of the most successful and experienced drivers in sports car racing, counting the 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours crowns among a long list of achievements. In tribute to his late father, who passed away in May this year at the age of 88, David will drive Sir Jack’s 1960 British Grand Prix-winning Cooper-Climax T53.
Adrian Newey - March 711
One of the greatest and most innovative Formula One designers of all time, Newey’s creations have accounted for more than 100 Grand Prix victories and ten F1 world constructors’ crowns - the last four of which have come with the all-conquering Red Bull team. A keen amateur racer himself, Newey will join the parade in the iconic March 711, which finished second in the 1971 British Grand Prix at the hands of Ronnie Peterson.
Paul Stewart - Tyrrell 006
The son of three-time world champion Sir Jackie Stewart, Paul followed his father into motorsport and competed in Formula 3 and F3000 before opting to focus on a role as team manager, most notably with Stewart Grand Prix, the team he co-founded in 1996. Paul will drive his father’s 1973 world championship-winning Tyrrell 006 at Silverstone.
Nigel Mansell
Fiercely aggressive, spectacularly daring, Mansell could excite and enthral like few others in Formula One history - and he often saved his best performances for his adoring home crowd. A four-time British Grand Prix winner, Mansell will be making a special appearance at Silverstone this weekend, while the FW11B in which he won six times during the 1987 season - including memorably in Britain - will feature in a static display.
The 50th Grand Prix celebratory parades will take place on all three days over this year’s 2014 Formula 1 Santander British Grand Prix, at the following times: Friday July 4, 12.50-13.05; Saturday July 5, 12.05-12.20; Sunday July 6, 11.10-11.25.