BARRETTO: How a flying lap of Silverstone feels alongside race-winner Esteban Ocon

Silverstone is quick. It’s flowing. It’s a racing driver’s dream. And ahead of the British Grand Prix, I was very fortunate to experience that sensation from a passenger’s perspective when Esteban Ocon took me for a spin in Alpine’s sportscar, the A110.

There’s something special about Silverstone – and not just because it played host to the first World Championship race in 1950, or because it’s the first track where I witnessed F1 cars in anger back in 1997 as an 11-year-old. It’s just a mega track.

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It’s gone through a flurry of configuration changes, most recently in 2011 when the pit straight moved to make Abbey – rather than Copse – the first corner.

Ocon wastes little time getting to that first turn, the tyres squealing as he blasts away from our grid slot in the slinky silver Alpine two-seater, before swinging wide to the left of the track to open up the first turn.

With very little steering movement Ocon chucks the A110 in hard on turn in, kissing the apex and then drifting out wide to collect all of the kerb.

He obviously won’t do that in the race as it’ll cost him lap time, but for the entertainment value of watching me squirm as we bounce across the rumble strips – you can tell from his face it was worth it.