LONDON: Nigel Mansell seemed to own the place, Damon Hill has been going there since he was a baby and Britain's latest champion Lewis Hamilton says it simply feels like home.

Silverstone, the windswept former World War Two airfield that hosted Formula One's first championship grand prix in 1950, is loved by drivers but this weekend must reluctantly say farewell to the sport.

The British Grand Prix is due to move north to Donington Park next year, although many paddock sceptics continue to question whether that track will be ready in time and whether Silverstone has really reached the end of the road.