To borrow a phrase that is doing the rounds at the moment, Formula 1 is coming home. This weekend’s British Grand Prix returns the sport to the scene of its first ever race, Silverstone, where fans of English sporting heroes beating the rest of the world can anticipate a fifth successive home victory for Lewis Hamilton. But matters on the track tend to become secondary at this time of year. Silly season, the annual festival of rumour and hearsay, is in full swing right now. The title battle may be developing nicely, but you’re more likely to hear talk of contract extensions, break clauses, and potential salaries. In a sport as conservative as F1, silly season has a tendency to disappoint, but this year might just produce a headline move. Looking at the world championship table, four of the current top-six drivers have no contract for next season. That raises the prospect of a significant shake-up among the front-runners, which could define the next few seasons of racing. Perhaps that explains why silly season is taken so seriously. On the other hand, it may simply be that people enjoy gossip.

FERRARI: A CHANGING OF THE GUARD?

The storyline attracting the most attention is the identity of Sebastian Vettel’s teammate at Ferrari for 2019 and beyond. Kimi Raikkonen currently occupies the seat, but the Finn has largely underperformed since re-joining the Scuderia in 2014 and is approaching his 39th birthday. Should Ferrari elect to replace him, it will be with rookie Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver is a long-term member of Ferrari’s junior programme and blazed a trail to F1 by winning back-to-back titles in GP3 and Formula 2. His debut season with Sauber has been impressive. Leclerc has had the better of experienced teammate Marcus Ericsson and scored points in five of the past six races. This has confirmed what most people already believed: Leclerc is the real deal. It is said that a contract has been prepared, though it remains unsigned. Kimi holds no cards, having done little during the past three seasons to suggest that he is capable of matching Vettel. The Finn’s salary is considerably more than Leclerc would require, leaving him vulnerable on all fronts. Should the switch happen, the dynamic at Ferrari would be fascinating. Leclerc will not want to hang around and play number two to Vettel, even if he says differently in public. Seb is a phenomenal driver but he has been rattled by teammates in the past and clearly prefers to be de facto number one. There would be potential for fireworks if the established star went up against the young pretender. Should Ferrari decide to dispense with Raikkonen’s services, his F1 career may well be over. Some will mourn his departure, though others believe it to be a few years overdue.