Silverstone plays host to this weekend's British Grand Prix - a race it first hosted in 1948 and its permanent home since 1986.
Built on the site of a World War II Royal Air Force bomber station, Silverstone is among the most iconic venues on the Formula One calendar.
Here, Britain's former F1 driver and three-times Le Mans winner Allan McNish takes Press Association Sport on a lap of the world-famous circuit.
I have driven nearly every version of Silverstone other than when God was a boy and Sir Stirling Moss was doing his stuff.
I first went there in 1987 and it has always had a high-speed nature to it. Even though it has changed dramatically - it now has a much slower in-field - it still provides one of the highest, most gut-wrenching and fantastic senses for a driver at any circuit in the world.
Abbey and Farm Curve
The new turn one at Abbey is flat out. It's got that little edge where we have to throw the front in and then just have to hang on to the car because we immediately go into turn two - the Farm Curve. There is also a bit of a bump in there, so if we are too aggressive we can then de-stabilise the car.
Village and The Loop
We then head into the new, slow-speed section which actually gets better and better the more it is used. We slam on the brakes on the entry to Village, which provides an overtaking opportunity, albeit not an easy one by any stretch of the imagination. It is very easy to lock the front-right tyre which compromises our line into the left-hander, also known as The Loop.
I think you will see some of the younger drivers, who have competed in Formula Three, trying to overtake into that hairpin on Sunday. I'm thinking of 17-year-old Toro Rosso rookie Max Verstappen here. He races a Formula One car in the same fashion as a Formula Three car because they are his only single-seater experiences. He looks to overtake in places where a seasoned campaigner would never consider.
Aintree and the Wellington Straight
The kink at Aintree on to the back straight is flat out unless it is wet. In damp conditions a little river runs across the track and we have seen drivers spinning into the barrier on the left-hand side in previous races.
Brooklands
We then head into the old part of the circuit driving at speeds in excess of 200mph before we approach Brooklands. Here we brake and shift down the gears.
We're trying to turn the car in so the load is always on that right-front, but the rear of the car is also dancing around behind us. If you choose to stabilise the rear however, the car understeers at the front, so you have got to find a real delicate balance of either making the front work or keeping the rear of the car stable as you approach the apex.
Luffield and Woodcote
Luffield, the ensuing right-hander, is endless and is the most frustrating corner on the track. We turn in and want to jump on the throttle, but we have to be patient, we have to wait as we battle with understeer.
There are various lines you can take into Luffield and if you look at the British drivers who have risen through the junior categories, they tend to know a trick or two.
Pit Straight and Copse Corner
We then come to what can only be described as the "hairy chest, big-balls" corner, which is Copse. The apex comes up to you so late because it is at the end of the old pit-wall. We're doing speeds of 190mph so if we miss the apex we'll never make the corner and we will be forced to use the run-off area on the exit.
Maggots, Becketts and Chapel Curve
If you are a motor-racing fan then you have to watch a Formula One car go through Maggots and Becketts. It is incredible how the G-forces throw the driver around in the car. The pure speed is fantastic.
The first left at Maggots is a small flick, but at the next right-hander, it is important to carry speed to the point that you use three-quarters of the track. If you use all of the asphalt, it is difficult to get back on line for the next left at Becketts. If you are a little bit wide on the first part it just multiplies the problem through the remaining series of corners. Chapel Curve builds up so much grip through the course of the race which makes it very enjoyable to drive.
Hangar Straight and Stowe
We exit Chapel Curve and head on to the Hangar Straight at speeds reaching 200mph before we arrive at Stowe. The trick during Sunday's race will be to keep close enough to your opponent through Chapel Curve to be able to deploy DRS to your advantage down the Hangar Straight and make the move stick into Stowe.
Stowe is a funny one. On TV it looks flat, but you head downhill across a few bumps before going uphill. In contrast to the Maggots-Becketts complex, the track at Stowe is very wide. It's vital to hit the apex. If you don't, the front of the car washes out and you end up on the astroturf on the exit. If it is wet, you have to be very, very careful because that astroturf stays wet and a few F1 drivers have been caught out there before.
Vale and Club Corner
We dip down on to Vale and then rise up just after the pit entry. At the top of that rise we get back on the brakes, but you can't attack it with the same aggression as you would want to if it was a completely flat track surface. It sounds daft, but the key is not to be too quick on the entry to Vale. If we run wide on the exit, we are compromised as we head into Club Corner, the right-hander, which takes us on to the start-finish straight.
Make sure the rear of the car is nice and stable. Shortshift if necessary and use the torque of the engine to pull you through the final corner and then up and across the start-finish line to complete a lap of this brilliant Silverstone Circuit.
Source: PA
