This year’s Silverstone Festival, which will take place from August 22-24, 2025, will celebrate 75 years of the Formula 1 World Championship with an unprecedented display of title-winning cars driven by all 34 of the sport’s World Champions. Fittingly, Silverstone was the venue for the opening round of the inaugural Formula 1 season on May 30, 1950.
Titled the World Champions’ Collection, this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition traces Formula 1 history right back to the very first World Championship in 1950. It showcases cars driven by legends such as Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton, all the way through to Max Verstappen’s title-winning 2024 Red Bull RB20.
“This collection has never been done before, and it’s a massive task – my list of Formula 1 cars to track down is just monstrous,” says Mark Constanduros, who was responsible for assembling the award-winning Senna exhibition at last year’s Silverstone Festival.
“I’ve been sourcing cars from around the world, and I would say that around half of them are confirmed, with the other half invited and close to joining us – so we’re heading in the right direction to achieve the goal of 34 cars.”
Adding to the significance, many of the cars confirmed for display will return to the very circuit where they triumphed in the British Grand Prix. Notably, nine of Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 cars have achieved this feat.
“The most challenging cars to find are those where a Champion has won just once. Take Jody Scheckter, for example – he owned his Championship-winning Ferrari until very recently – but, annoyingly, he’s now sold it. However, I know where it is and I am hoping the owner will respond to the invitation to join us,” Mark explains.
Another rare car is the Brawn BGP-001, of which only three chassis were made. Mercedes-AMG owns one, while Ross Brawn and 2009 World Champion Jenson Button each own the other two. However, Jenson’s car is set to be sold at the upcoming Miami Grand Prix Auction on May 3, 2025.
“The Brawn is coming,” Mark confirms. “It was actually one of the first cars to be confirmed. Generally, the more recent the car, the more likely it is to be owned by a team. In the early days, teams would sell off their old stock to finance the next season. But now, teams such as Red Bull Racing, McLaren, Williams, Renault/Alpine and Mercedes hold onto all their cars, so you have to go directly to them to get one.”
One of the most fascinating aspects of the 34-car World Champions Collection is how it charts the technological and sporting evolution of Formula 1. Visitors to the Silverstone Festival 2025 will have the unique opportunity to witness first-hand the seismic developments in engine placement, aerodynamic philosophies, safety, the rise of sponsorships and the significant increase in car size in recent years.
Excitingly, some of the cars from the collection will return to the Silverstone Circuit to perform demonstration laps for the thousands of passionate spectators in attendance. While Mark wouldn’t reveal who will be driving which cars, he teased that “announcements will be made closer to the event”.
The World Champions’ Collection is positioned as the headline attraction from a number of highlights being organised for the Silverstone Festival to mark F1’s 75th anniversary.
As usual, the Festival boasts a packed timetable of Historic motor sport, which includes races for both front and rear-engined Grand Prix cars, as well as a showdown for 1950s Formula 3 racers. Significantly, these iconic F3 cars raced as a prelude to the 1950 British Grand Prix, so making their return to the track in 2025 will be a fitting tribute for F1’s 75th anniversary.
Tickets and hospitality packages for the 2025 Silverstone Festival are available here.
