It’s official! Lewis Hamilton will be at this year’s Brooklands Festival on June 28 and 29 – accompanied by team-mate Heikki Kovalainen and this year’s race car, the McLaren MP4-23.
For more information about the festival and how to attend, visit its website >>
The pair will be driving the car in what McLaren describes as “a number of appearances during the weekend as they take to the handling circuits and thrill the crowds.”
Hamilton is looking forward to the appearance: “The festival will be a great chance to see Heikki and I perform in a relaxed environment before the British Grand Prix the following weekend.
“It’s a fantastic warm-up to the race there really is nothing like the support of your home crowd to get you in the right frame of mind.”
Kovalainen adds: “We are both looking forward to driving at Brooklands, the birthplace of motor-racing. It is the opportunity of a lifetime to follow in the footsteps of many racing legends where so many records were made and broken.”
Sir Stirling Moss will also be attending the festival and is expected to make a driving appearance of his own.
Other highlights will include The Double Twelve, which harks back to the time when Brooklands was forbidden from running 24-hour racing events, and got round the restriction with 12-hour races on consecutive days.
Competitors will perform a series of driving tests and have their vehicles judged against the exacting criteria of a Concours d’Elegance by a panel of experts.
Points awarded for both car and test will be added to give an overall score, ensuring that the winner will be the best driver using the best-kept vehicle.
Also slated to appear are the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows Display Team and a Blue Eagles helicopter display.
• Lewis Hamilton visited the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking on Wednesday for engineering meetings and simulation work in preparation for the race in Canada. Heikki Kovalainen is also due to visit for Canadian Grand Prix preparations before leaving for Montreal.
During the day Lewis also thanked staff for all their efforts so far this season and each staff member was presented with one of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes’ rocket red victory shirts.
Now, these shirts are not quite as exclusive as this might suggest, because McLaren sells them as part of its official merchandise. So if you want one…
View McLaren Rocket Red range at Grand Prix Legends >>