What to watch for: British Grand Prix (7:30am ET on CNBC and Live Extra) - MotorSportsTalk

In a time of dwindling track attendances and widespread negativity in Formula 1, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone is the exception to the rule.

After over 100,000 people came out for qualifying on Saturday, the figure is expected to tip over 140,000 on race day as the track becomes a swathe of red, white and blue.

A good chunk of the fans will be cheering on defending world champion Lewis Hamilton, who goes in search of his third British Grand Prix victory on Sunday from pole position.

The Briton edged out Mercedes teammate and title rival Nico Rosberg for P1 on Saturday, but with the German alongside him on the front row, the stage is set for a thrilling battle.

Here are a few storylines to keep an eye out for on Sunday.

HAMILTON’S HISTORY HUNT

Few drivers have captured the British audience like Lewis Hamilton has. With two wins at Silverstone under his belt, he now has a chance to win a third on Sunday and draw level with Jim Clark and Nigel Mansell for the most home victories at Silverstone.

The debate about the greatest British driver in F1 history is already one most deem to be over. Only Clark and Jackie Stewart can really compare with Hamilton. A third win for Lewis today would only further his argument to be known as Britain’s best.

Also note that his previous Silverstone wins came in 2008 and 2014 – the same years he went on to become world champion.

ROSBERG CHASES AUSTRIA REPEAT

Heading into qualifying on Saturday, Hamilton appeared to lack the rhythm required to score pole position. All eyes were on Rosberg to see if he could upset the home favorite. Ultimately, he fell a tenth short.

It was the same story in Austria, though. Rosberg dominated practice, Hamilton took pole, only for Nico to then seize the lead at turn one and dominate the race.

This time around, it may be a bigger challenge. Hamilton has reverted back to his old clutch setting that was causing him gripe, and the opening complex of corners at Silverstone would allow their fight to rage on throughout the first lap. It’s a mouth-watering prospect.

FERRARI THIRD BEST?

We’re still waiting on Ferrari’s big step forward, it seems. The engine upgrade introduced in Canada is yet to bear fruit, and at Silverstone on Saturday, Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel ailed to P5 and P6 on the grid behind both Williams drivers.

Both drivers are confident that no ground has been lost to Mercedes and that they’ll be able to recover the positions in the race, but if Williams plays tactical, it could use either Felipe Massa or Valtteri Bottas as a rear gunner.

Perhaps the more intriguing fight would be between the two Finns, Raikkonen and Bottas. Ferrari is rumored to be lining up the latter as Kimi’s replacement, with reports in Italy suggesting that the Iceman has until the end of July to save his seat. Game on.

DAMAGE LIMITATION FOR RED BULL

After struggling at its home grand prix, Red Bull has shown a few more signs of life at Silverstone this weekend. Daniil Kvyat nearly beat the Ferrari drivers in qualifying, whilst Daniel Ricciardo would have been higher than P10 on the grid had his times not been deleted.

Once again though, it appears that Sunday will be a question of damage limitation. With Force India and Toro Rosso looking quick, the team will need to pick up what points it can.

As a final curveball, rumors of a possible tie-in with Aston Martin Racing emerged last night. Expect team principal Christian Horner to face a few questions on Sunday.

WHAT OF McLAREN?

At the beginning of the season, McLaren’s struggles were tolerated. “The team is still getting to grips with Honda,” we said. “It’ll get back to the top.”

We’re almost at the halfway point of the season, and still we’re saying the same thing. The novelty has worn off. The positivity from the teams appears to be more feigned than ever.

To qualify 17th and 18th at its home grand prix was nothing short of embarrassing for McLaren. Let’s see what the race brings on Sunday. Frankly, getting both cars to the finish would be an achievement.

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STARTING GRID FOR THE 2015 BRITISH GRAND PRIX

1. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2. Nico Rosberg Mercedes
3. Felipe Massa Williams
4. Valtteri Bottas Williams
5. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari
6. Sebastian Vettel Ferrari
7. Daniil Kvyat Red Bull
8. Carlos Sainz Jr Toro Rosso
9. Nico Hulkenberg Force India
10. Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull
11. Sergio Perez Force India
12. Romain Grosjean Lotus
13. Max Verstappen Toro Rosso
14. Pastor Maldonado Lotus
15. Marcus Ericsson Sauber
16. Felipe Nasr Sauber
17. Fernando Alonso McLaren
18. Jenson Button McLaren
19. Will Stevens Manor
20. Roberto Merhi Manor

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The British Grand Prix is live on CNBC and Live Extra from 7:30am ET on Sunday. Lights out is at 8am.

Follow @LukeSmithF1

Vicki Golden has earned a career worthy of a thousand stories and 805 Beer tells at least one of them, as “Inverted Perspective” premiered March 30 on the company’s website and YouTube channel.

Golden did more to break the glass ceiling in SuperMotocross than she ever thought possible. She knows this because riders have never felt the need to explain any of her accomplishments with the disclaimer, “for a girl”.

At this point in Golden’s career, she’s been the first woman to finish top 10 in AMA Arenacross Lites, the first woman to qualify in the Fast 40 in Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the first woman to compete in freestyle Moto X competition, earning a bronze medal by doing so.

Her love for moto came from childhood while she watched her dad and brother ride. By seven she was on her bike and making waves throughout Southern California.

Golden, 30, is still madly in love with the sport and has no plans on moving away but her career is already one to talk about. 805 Beer’s film series wanted to do exactly that.

“I’m taken aback by it all,” Golden told NBC Sports about the documentary. “It’s just crazy to see your story, it’s one thing to live your life and battle everything that comes about but it’s another to just sit there and talk about it.”

805 approached Golden about the feature by asking, “Do you even realize that what you do, and your story is special?”

Golden took the question as a blank canvas to map out the highs and lows of her career and life.

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The title “Inverted Perspective” came from a brainstorming session with Dominick Russo and it highlights Golden’s outlook on the sport of SuperMotocross and her life in general.

“My whole life, my whole career was thinking differently and looking at things that shouldn’t be done and aren’t there, while being able to make a place for myself, where no one thought there should be a place,” Golden said. “It’s inspiring someone to think in different ways. It sums up my life.”

*Vicki Golden is not “fast for a girl”; she’s just fast. – 805 Beer*

While Golden is no stranger to the spotlight, this was the first time she’s been fully involved with the storytelling and creation of a feature about herself.

“It’s not like a full new experience,” Golden said. “Obviously, you get your standard questions about your upbringing and accomplishments, but I’ve never really put into perspective things that happened in my past with my dad and putting that to light. Also, certain other things that maybe got overlooked in previous interviews or films. I wanted to touch on these and Dom wanted to create a story. It’s just cool to see it come to light, it’s a nearly impossible thing to tell somebody’s life story in 40 minutes.”

Golden’s father was left paralyzed after an ATV accident, robbing him the opportunity to ride again. This happened a few months before the father-daughter duo was set to compete in the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Nationals when Vicki was 12. While she might have been unable to grasp the severity at the time, it’s something she carries with her. Golden continues to ride in his honor.

Years later, an accident in 2018 nearly sidelined the then 25-year-old Vicki when a freestyle accident almost resulted in the amputation of her lower leg.

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Golden 805 Beer — *Vicki Golden has ridden a variety of disciplines in SuperMotocross, which gives her a unique perspective. – 805 Beer*

“Inverted Perspective” highlights her father’s diligence in helping Vicki continue with her career and the kindness and strength he carried while fighting his own battle.

“My dad was the entire reason that I started riding in the first place,” Golden said. “So, to honor his memory and to honor what we went through and how hard he pushed to keep our dream alive and keep everything going – in that sense then, it was really special to be able to honor him and talk about him.”

The 40-minute feature was filmed entirely in black and white, a stark contrast from the oversaturated world of motocross where the brighter the suit the easier it is for fans to find their rider and follow him in the race. By filming in monochrome Russo and Golden had the chance to focus on the race and track from a different perspective.

“It was cool to be able to film it differently,” Golden said. “It created a challenge in the sense of what was going to be more visually impactful for the film.

“I couldn’t be here without the companies that back me but at the same time, it’s not like the logos or colors disappeared, it’s just different lights shed on different spots. It’s just a cool way to do it and to take color away and still be impactful. When you think of black and white, you think of old school, the OG way of doing things.”

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