Even self-confident TV chef Gordon Ramsay will acknowledge he was outdone in the celebrity stakes.
Ramsay, a keen race fan who once approached Stirling Moss only for the legendary driver to not know who he was, was back at Silverstone but caused less of a stir than Matrix actor Keanu Reeves who turned heads when he visited the Aston Martin garage.
Former Manchester United star Michael Carrick was also in the paddock and dealt with questions about his old club with his usual diplomacy.
TV Chef Gordon Ramsay is a famous racing fan and was in the paddock at Silverstone
Carrick, who stepped in as interim manager following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, smiled politely when told by admirers they should never have got rid of him for Ralf Rangnick.
Queues for today’s Grand Prix are expected to build from 7am — with 140,000 spectators expected — as Britain’s biggest sporting event has the added complication of potential disturbances by campaigners from Extinction Rebellion.
Climate activists see the F1 showpiece as an ideal opportunity to gain more publicity for their cause.
Keanu Reeves turned heads after his visit to the Aston Martin garages in the paddock
The British Grand Prix was also notable for the booing of Max Verstappen, which prompted Lewis Hamilton to leap to his defence.
Verstappen received a hostile reception while fulfilling media duties after qualifying second for Sunday’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
The Mercedes driver and Verstappen are fierce rivals after they battled for the drivers’ championship last season with the Red Bull man just edging out Hamilton on the final race – and lap – of the season.
Verstappen and Hamilton collided at the British Grand Prix in a controversy packed 2021
Verstappen qualified in P2 for the race behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc on pole position
Speaking after qualifying fifth for Sunday’s race, Hamilton said: ‘I think we’re better than that. I would say we don’t need to do the booing.
‘We have such great fans, our sporting fans feel emotions up and down, but I definitely don’t agree with booing. I don’t think we need to do that.’
‘I think we should be here pushing everybody. It doesn’t make any difference when you boo someone, they’ve already made the mistake, or whatever it is,’ he added.
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