Police hunt Silverstone F1 car steering wheel thief after 20 British GP arrests made

A steering wheel from an iconic classic Formula 1 car, valued at over £2,500, was stolen from a vintage motor on show at Silverstone during the British Grand Prix. It was one of several incidents reported to police after a spate of damage caused to vehicles on site at the Northamptonshire circuit.

The engineer in charge of the classic car, the Leyton House CG901 designed by Adrian Newey and raced in the 1990 F1 season, lamented the lax security, and said the theft had left a "sour taste in the mouth" regarding the event. The incident occurred at around 2.30pm on Friday as the team ate their lunch.

Race engineer Russell Sheppard spoke of how the 1990 Leyton House CG901 was scheduled for a track run and only managed to participate thanks to a replacement wheel found at the last minute. Sheppard, employed by Martin Stretton Racing, declared the stolen wheel irreplaceable.

"We'd just left the car for lunch, we came back and went to do some work on the car, and it's like, 'Where's the steering wheel?'" he told the Press Association. "It's very sad, because it's an original piece of the car, original piece of history for it."

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Northamptonshire Police have circulated a CCTV image of an individual they're keen to question in relation to the theft. Sheppard said he just wants to see the steering wheel returned to the car where it belongs.

He said: "It's bespoke to the car, because the 1990s cars, the cockpits are so small you have to have a small wheel with a very small grip on it. I've been speaking to the people who made it in Italy originally, and sadly, they don't produce them anymore. We've got to go down the road of getting one bespoke made. It's just the hassle, it's the cost, it's an unnecessary procedure you have to go through which we shouldn't have to be doing."

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Another historic F1 car exhibited by the team was treated "like a climbing frame" by attendees, Sheppard said, while an additional vehicle suffered damage worth thousands when someone attempted to clamber inside, according to police.

Sheppard said: "We had a Forti, another 1996 Formula 1 car on one of the other stands, and people were just using it like a climbing frame. We haven't seen any damage on that yet. We're just about going through it today.

"We're here to show off history and keep things moving and alive. People doing things like this, sadly, it puts a sour taste in your mouth. Hopefully next time, security will be even more. Sadly, the security guards aren't security people. They're just people that stand there. They're not being informed of what to do and how to do it."

The event drew a massive crowd, with around 500,000 people visiting the circuit over the weekend. On Sunday, 168,000 people witnessed Lando Norris clinch his first-ever British Grand Prix victory. During the event, police reported a total of 34 crimes, including theft, criminal damage, assault and drug possession, resulting in 20 arrests.

A classic Formula 1 car exhibited at Silverstone suffered "several thousands of pounds worth of damage", according to police. The damage was allegedly caused by an individual who "accessed the display stand and climbed into the vehicle".

Three men, aged 23, 25 and 27, were arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage but were subsequently released without any further action. One of them was popular YouTuber AngryGinge who said he spent 15 hours in a cell overnight and maintained he had done nothing wrong.