Can Anyone Knock off Red Bull at the British Grand Prix?
It’s starting to look like a Red Bull runaway. Ferrari’s recent reliability issues have allowed its rival to pull away in both the Formula 1 constructor’s and driver’s standings, with Red Bull winning the last six races.
Max Verstappen won five of those races with teammate Sergio Perez winning the other at Monaco. Verstappen leads Perez in the standings 175 to 129 with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc down in third at 126.
Now Formula 1 heads to what is essentially a home race for seven of the teams, with Silverstone a short drive away for them. The British Grand Prix has taken place every year since Formula 1’s debut in 1950.
Verstappen is the betting favorite over at FanDuel Sportsbook at –105, while Leclerc is second at +205. Here’s a betting breakdown of the British Grand Prix.
Mercedes to Contend?
Because of its recent dominance, Mercedes has won eight of the past 10 races at Silverstone. However, that form has been absent this year as the team has dealt with the porpoising issue that has resulted in a loss of top speed and plagued the team all season.
But progress was made when the team brought upgrades to Spain. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth, eighth, fourth and third in the following four races, while George Russell has gone third, fifth, third and fourth.
More upgrades are expected from Mercedes this weekend, with technical director Mike Elliott noting in a post-race analysis video that the team is “bringing new bits to Silverstone.”
Canada sportsbooks are buying into a Mercedes resurgence.
Both Lewis Hamilton (+1100) and George Russell (+1300) have their shortest odds to win at FanDuel Sportsbook since the early-season races. DraftKings has the pair at even shorter odds with Hamilton at +900 and Russell at +1200.
Depending on how the team looks in the early practice sessions, those odds could shift dramatically if the team displays some pace.
Best Bet
Max Verstappen to Win –105 DraftKings Sportsbook
Last year’s British Grand Prix was marred with controversy. Verstappen and Hamilton headed into Copse, battling for the lead on the first lap when the two collided and sent Verstappen spinning into the wall.
It was one of the flashpoints in what was a contentious championship battle and fired off one of the main talking points this weekend.
Former Formula 1 driver Nelson Piquet used a racial slur to blame Hamilton for the crash. Verstappen dates Piquet’s daughter, Kelly, so the entire drama has been a bit of a mess. It’s been reported Piquet has been banned indefinitely from the F1 paddock because of his comments and has been the main storyline leading up to Sunday’s race.
The crash and controversy could serve as a motivating factor for Verstappen and the team to bounce back from last year’s mishap. Because of Mercedes’ dominance, Verstappen has just one win at Silverstone in his career, coming in 2020 to break up the string of Mercedes’ victories.
It’s a chalky wager, but with Ferrari’s reliability issues and Red Bull having the straight-line speed advantage at this high-speed track, Verstappen remains the best winning bet to make this weekend.
Stroll Top 10 Bet has Value
Of the two Canadian drivers, only Lance Stroll presents any betting value. The only thing you can do with Nicholas Latifi is to take him to finish the race or not finish. He’s so far off the pace that any other type of bet is not in play. For instance, in three races at Silverstone, he has ended up getting lapped in two of them.
But Stroll has found success at Silverstone. In both races at the track in 2020 he qualified sixth and managed to finish ninth and sixth. Last year he started 14th and ended up eighth. Stroll also has some form after finishing 10th at the Canadian Grand Prix, working his way up through the field from his 17th starting position.
Stroll is currently +285 to finish in the top 10 at DraftKings Sportsbook. Given his track history, this bet is worth a flier.
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