SILVERSTONE, England — The Silverstone circuit in the English midlands may be considered "the home of motor sport." It may be the home race to the largest number of Formula One teams. But, on days like Friday, it is hard to imagine why or how.

Formula One

A view from the paddock with Brad Spurgeon.

The track finally updated its pit and paddock buildings last year, transforming itself into the modern, state-of-the-art track that it should be. But returning to Silverstone this year — where the British Grand Prix will take place on Sunday — reminded us all that no matter how hard the English try, Silverstone will always be Silverstone.

A very nearly full house of spectators on Friday were deprived of all but about half an hour of track action in the afternoon session, and not much of interest in the morning, thanks to both the horrendous English weather and a strange inability of this well-organized country to control traffic coming into the venue.

It took many fans hours to get into the track as traffic control seemed to sew chaos rather than lessen it. Personally, I have very little to complain about since as a member of the media there was a whole clear section of highway leading into the circuit. Still, it took me 45 minutes to travel the last two kilometers, as I merged with the rest of the traffic at the entry to the track area.

Fortunately, I brought plenty of reading material and there was also Radio Silverstone. But I pity the spectators who paid to go through that and then witness nothing but drivers sitting around while it rained.

Oh, there was eventually some track action, and if it races like this on Sunday, it will no doubt be another superbly unpredictable race with maybe the eighth different winner this year.

Romain Grosjean of the Lotus team was fastest in the morning session, and Lewis Hamilton of McLaren Mercedes was fastest in the afternoon session — but with Kamui Kobayashi in a Sauber and Michael Schumacher in a Mercedes both close behind the leader.

And the weather forecast is for rain throughout the weekend… That will give plenty of time for me to provide you with reading material in the form of my British Grand Prix preview. The race history story covers the tale of "the home of motor sport"; while the world champions profile series is now suitably up to Lewish Hamilton, the home star. I have done a Q&A with Mark Gillan of the Williams team, and the lead story is all about the role of luck — mostly bad luck — in racing. There could be lots of that this weekend.