The Silverstone Festival 2025, which took place on August 22–24, saw the celebrated Historic racing event call it a day after 35 years – and what a way to celebrate, with three days of racing action accompanied by a multitude of car clubs, music and much, much more.
The event began life as Christie’s BRDC Historic Festival, one of the first such Historic motor sports meetings, and over the years it has swelled into one of the biggest events of its type in the world. Next year the Festival will be replaced with the re-sited CarFest – although there are plans for another Historic racing event at Silverstone. More on that soon…
2025 was a fittingly epic way to say goodbye to the Silverstone Festival, with a true highlight being the tribute to 75 years of Formula 1 at the very circuit where the World Championship began. Cars linked to each of the 34 World Champions were on display – well over half were the very machines that clinched titles, while the remainder were chosen to reflect pivotal moments in their drivers’ careers. The display stretched from Giuseppe Farina’s Alfa Romeo 158, victor of the inaugural 1950 Championship, through to Max Verstappen’s Red Bull RB18 from 2022, the car that secured his second world title.
Racing began on Saturday with more than 50 Formula Juniors. Sam Wilson won Saturday’s opener in his 1962 Cooper T59 after Alex Ames, driving a 1963 Brabham BT6, pushed him close. The early leader Horatio Fitz-Simon, also in a 1963 Brabham BT6, lost his chance when delayed while lapping a slower car.
The Group C prototypes race was won by Andy Soucek, in the Martini-liveried 1982 Lancia LC2, who overtook the 1992 Spice SE92 shared by Michael Campagne and Allard Kalff to take victory.
The Stirling Moss Trophy was decided late on when a misfire forced Johnny Mowlem to retire the ex-Graham Hill 1959 Lotus XV; Andrew Smith went on to take the win in a 1960 Cooper Monaco. The Royal Automobile Club Woodcote Trophy went to Gary and John Pearson in their 1955 Jaguar D-type, while Michael Lyons claimed the first of the Derek Bell Trophy races in his 1975 Lola T400, with the F5000 proving far too strong for its Formula 2 opposition.
In the MRL GT3 Legends race, Rob Huff’s 2012 BMW Z4 led early but a pitstop handicap dropped him back. Danny Winstanley moved through to win in his Audi R8 LMS from the same year. The first Masters Racing Legends race for Formula 1 cars from 1966 to 1985 was taken by Tom Bradshaw in a 1982 McLaren MP4/1.
Max Chilton led the Masters Endurance Legends contest in a 2008 Zytek 04S until Steve Brooks passed him in a 2011 Peugeot 90X, and the Transatlantic Touring Car Trophy ended with less than a second separating three Ford Mustangs. Matt Johnson, Sam Tordoff and Jake Hill crossed the line together after 45 minutes of close racing.
Will Nuthall secured the first HGPCA Pre-1966 Grand Prix race in his 1960 Cooper T53. Julian Thomas then won the International Trophy for Classic GT Cars with a 1965 Shelby American Cobra Daytona. Olivier Hart, who had been in contention with another Cobra, was penalised for contact with Sir Chris Hoy’s 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray during a pitstop.
A slipstreaming Formula Junior race opened the final day of the last Silverstone Festival. Fitz-Simon took victory, with Wilson second, securing the Howden Ganley Trophy on aggregate. The Royal Automobile Club Historic Tourist Trophy provided a close contest between American driver Michael Gans in a 1963 Lotus Elite and the 1961 Jaguar E-type of the Pearson brothers. The Elite crossed the line first but, entered in an invitational class, it could not take the win. The Historic Tourist Trophy was awarded to the Pearson brothers, who resisted a late challenge from Davide Hart in his 1960 Ferrari 250 SWB. Richard Hammond also took part, driving a 1961 Austin-Healey Mk3. Meanwhile, the Masters GT Trophy delivered a one-two finish for a brace of Lamborghini Gallardo GT3s.
The afternoon programme continued with repeat encounters from Saturday’s F1 races. Despite starting from a reverse grid, Tom Bradshaw secured a second victory in his McLaren, as did Will Nuthall in his Cooper. Steve Brooks also won again in the second Masters Endurance Legends. Appropriately, the MRL Historic Touring Car Challenge race held in honour of four-time BTCC champion Andy Rouse was won by the Kaliber-liveried 1989 Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500, originally prepared by Andy Rouse Engineering and driven by Julian Thomas. The final race of the day was won by the 1970 Lola T70 shared by Alex Brundle and Gary Pearson.
Iconic Auctioneers’ huge Silverstone Festival 2025 sale – with three different auctions over three days – brought some notable results, including the world record for a Range Rover Autobiography, at £175k – it did, however, have the late Queen Elizabeth II on the logbook. Other results of interest included a £393,750 1955 Porsche 356 Pre-A 1500 Speedster (est £350k-£400k) and a 1958 AC Ace Bristol that made £141,188 against a £100k-£140k estimate.
The Silverstone Festival 2025 closed to a display by the British Army’s Red Devils Parachute Display Team, while Ministry of Sound Classical’s live show brought the curtain down on proceedings. As Magneto‘s publishing director Geoff Love summed up: “The racing was excellent – a great variety of grids and some good racing. The auction was huge and there were some bargains to be had.”
Reflecting on 17 years at the helm, event director Nick Wigley said: “Without a doubt, this has been another fantastic weekend – one of the very best. The racing was absolutely brilliant, the family entertainment was incredible and even the British Bank Holiday weather played its part. I couldn’t be happier that we’ve signed off on such a massive high.”
More details on Silverstone events are available here.
