The British Grand Prix takes centre stage this weekend at Silverstone with packed grandstands to boot in a promising step towards normality for the sport and the country.

One of the most iconic events on the calendar, it'll be great to see supporters back around the circuit after a year away, with the race held behind closed doors back in 2020.

What questions need answering heading into the weekend, though? We take a look at five pressing issues here...

How will F1 Sprint work?

F1 Sprint makes its debut this weekend with a qualifying session moved to Friday night to set the grid for Saturday's sprint race.

That 100km charge around Silverstone will then set the grid for Sunday's Grand Prix, with points on offer for the top three drivers.

How will it work out and will it be an enjoyable new format? Time will tell...

Will Mercedes' update close the gap?

Mercedes are bringing an updated car to Silverstone with them currently on a streak of five races without a victory.

The Mercs are going to be hoping that that, combined with their historic strength and success around Silverstone is going to close the gap to Red Bull, who have been mighty in the last few weeks.

Can Red Bull loosen Mercedes' Silverstone grip?

Indeed, Red Bull will be looking to extend their leads in both championships and also the run of wins that they are on.

They've beaten Mercedes at other tracks where the Silver Arrows were expected to be on top - France is a good example - and if they can do so again as we reach the halfway point this weekend the signs will start to suggest that a changing of the guard is in motion.

How will the other Brits fare?

Of course, most of the spotlight is on Lewis Hamilton this weekend at Silverstone but both George Russell and Lando Norris will want to make a splash at their home Grand Prix too.

Russell has been flying of late with speculation continuing over his future whilst Norris will be eager to put last Sunday's events at Wembley where he was mugged behind him and get back to what he's been brilliant at this year; getting big results for McLaren.

How will Pirelli's tyres cope?

Warm conditions are being predicted for the entirety of the Grand Prix weekend and it'll be interesting to see how the Pirelli tyre deals with the strain.

They've already come under scrutiny for what happened in Baku and last year we saw baking weather end up destroying several cars' tyres, including one of Lewis Hamilton's as he limped home on three inflated wheels to take the victory.

A repeat needs to be avoided.