Welcome to British Isles Friday! British Isles Friday is a weekly event for sharing all things British and Irish — reviews, photos, opinions, trip reports, guides, links, resources, personal stories, interviews, and research posts. Join us each Friday to link your British and Irish themed content and to see what others have to share. The link list is at the bottom of this post. Pour a cup of tea or lift a pint and join our link party!

Last week, I shared news about Call the Midwife, after watching the most recent season.

The British Grand Prix is this weekend! The British Grand Prix has been part of the Formula 1 racing season since 1950. The British Grand Prix is the oldest race in the circuit, by a few months. The British and Italian Grand Prix races are the only ones that have been part of every Formula 1 racing season. There were Grand Prix races before Formula 1 – the first British one was in 1926.

Currently, the British Grand Prix is run at the Silverstone Circuit near the villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury in Northamptonshire. This maps shows Silverstone as well as the locations of other Grand Prix races.

By Hmdwgf – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

The British have high hopes for this race. Just three weeks ago, at the race in Barcelona, all three drivers on the podium were British. British drivers haven’t claimed the top three slots in a Formula 1 race since 1968.

Lewis Hamilton in front of Number 10 Downing Street – https://www.flickr.com/photos/number10gov/54566928382/, OGL 3, Link

Lewis Hamilton won at Barcelona. That was his first race victory in a couple of years and the first since he switched teams from Mercedes to Ferrari. He is the record holder for most wins of the British Grand Prix with nine — he would love to make it ten this year.

George Russell is now the senior driver for Mercedes. He took second place at Barcelona. He was heavily favored to dominate the 2026 season of Formula 1. He started off well, winning the first race of the season in Melbourne. But then things took a surprising turn.

The junior driver for Mercedes won the next five races and became the driver to beat. Kimi Antonelli is only 19. He broke several “youngest” records in that five-race streak. Lewis Hamilton ended Antonelli’s winning streak at the Barcelona race and George Russell got a place on the podium while Antonelli’s car left him stranded late in the race.

The third British driver on the podium at Barcelona was Lando Norris. He drives for McLaren, a British racing team based in Woking in Surrey. Last year, Norris won the Formula 1 Championship. McLaren hasn’t been as competitive in 2026, but they are gradually improving.

I’m looking forward to seeing a race in England and to watching how these British drivers perform in that race.