How to drive around Silverstone. Fast

Silverstone fascinating fact 1! If you were to line up every single sausage eaten over the Silverstone Grand Prix weekend, they would measure 1.08 miles. That's the equivalent of a lap around the ‘Stowe' circuit.

Silverstone fascinating fact 2! On Sunday alone, over 50,000 hot drinks will be purchased and 10,000 litres of tomato ketchup will be used.

Silverstone fascinating fact 3! Over 100,000 fans are expected to turn up on Sunday to watch 24 drivers race 3.66 miles. It's time for the 2012 British GP.

Clearly, Silverstone is a bit of a big deal on the Formula One calendar; Red Bull racing chiefs Christian Horner and Adrian Newey mark it out as a high point in the calendar, Fernando Alonso will be looking for another victory, and Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button will seek a ‘home' victory. It hosted its first GP in 1948, and was the venue for the first ever round of the Formula One world championship in 1950. This place has proper pedigree.

So, we enlisted the help of Cooper Tires British Formula 3 racer Harry Tincknell; a rising star in the F3 ranks who has been on the podium four times this season already. And don't forget, Formula 3 bred such stars as Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Emerson Fitipaldi, Rubens Barrichello and of course, Ayrton Senna.

We asked Harry to give us a quick tutelage in his company Carlin Motorsport F3 racer and, because most people don't own an F3 car, we also asked him to do it in something more affordable: a Caterham Seven Supersport. Now, pay attention at the back...

In an F3 car: Flat out! 125mph minimum speed, completely flat on the throttle with no brake. This feels seriously fast and is one of the quickest corners in British motorsport.

In a Caterham: Brake late, down one gear and get the car into the apex and then back on the power as soon as possible running right out to the exit kerb.

F3: Flat through Maggots, taking some kerb on the inside and holding the car as tight as possible to set yourself up for Becketts. 140mph

Caterham: Flat through Maggots and then a small brake and lift, taking as much of the kerb as possible to set yourself up for Becketts.

F3: A quick dab on the brakes and change down to 5th to slow the car. Take some kerb on the left and get back on the power as soon as you can. Then lift for the second part, but not all the way off to keep the speed up, then hard on the power using all the kerb on the left hand side of the track heading onto the back straight. 100mph

Caterham: Hard brake and down one gear for the first part of Becketts, using as much of the kerb as possible to keep the car to the left to set yourself up for the right. Then brake and down another gear before turning into the right, then hard on the power again using all the kerb on the exit.

F3: A tiny dab on the brake and down a gear, then come off the brake straight away to carry as much speed as you can into this corner. As soon as you come off the brakes you want to get back on the power, progressively picking it up throughout the corner and putting two wheels on the exit kerb. 110mph.

Caterham: Hard brake and down two gears on entry. Get right in tight to the inside kerb and use it a little bit with your inside wheels before getting back on the power and using all of the exit kerb.

F3. This should be nearly flat out, or with a small lift putting two wheels on the kerb on the inside and two wheels on the kerb on the outside. The kink onto the new finish straight is easy flat. 75mph.

Caterham: This will be a full lift for the Caterham but you need to get back on the power as soon as possible to carry the speed down the straight. Get as much of the car over the kerb as possible for the shortest possible line and two wheels on the exit kerb like the F3. Kink should be flat also.

F3: Braking at around 80m before the corner hit the brakes as hard as possible and shift down three gears quickly to third. Put two wheels on the inside kerb but then hold the car tight to the left to set yourself up for Abbey. 55mph

Caterham: Hard brake at about 100m before the corner and shift down two gears to 3rd. Use as much of the inside kerb as possible but stay far to the right to set yourself up for Abbey.

F3. Brake about 90m before the corner and shift down three gears to 3rd. Use all of the flat part of the kerb on the inside and get on the power early but only come out to the middle of the track as you need to come back to the right to set yourself up for the straight. 65mph.

Caterham: Brake about 105m before the corner and shift down to 3rd. Again use all the flat part of the kerb and set yourself up as best as you can for the straight.

F3: Braking at 60m before the corner, use a little bit of the kerb to open the corner up on entry. Brake diagonally into the corner, hugging the inside kerb the whole way round. This is 4th gear, 95mph.

Caterham: Braking at 80m again diagonally into the corner and down to 3rd. Use the inside kerb and get back on the power as soon as you can. The rear will want to step out here.

F3: Shift down to 3rd on the entry cutting the inside kerb and staying tight in the whole way around the corner, gradually picking the power up, then use all the exit kerb shifting to 4th. 65mph

Caterham: Stay in 3rd to help settle the rear, you can come out about a car width further than the F3 on entry and then cut back. This will allow you to get on the power earlier as the car will slide out on the rear too much if you take the F3 line as you don't have the grip.

The new Silverstone circuit