The action heads to the UK after the drama in Austria where the developing rivalry between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris got spicy in the race for the Drivers’ Championship.
2024 British Grand Prix
Sunday 7 July 2024 – 16h00
Silverstone Circuit
First placed Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen of Netherlands (L) talks to third placed McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain (R) after the Sprint race ahead of the Formula One Austrian Grand Prix, in on 29 June 2024 (Pic – EPA/Martin Divisek)
After the drama of Austria, the F1 field heads for Silverstone for the 2024 British Grand Prix.
The race is a favourite among both drivers and punters, and we should be in for another cracking weekend in the English East Midlands.
To Win Race Outright
- Max Verstappen 6/10
- Lando Norris 5/2
- Oscar Piastri 14/1
- George Russell 16/1
- Lewis Hamilton 18/1
- Charles LeClerc 25/1
- Carlos Sainz 33/1
- Sergio Perez 50/1
Previous Race – Austria
Things are certainly getting spicey between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris with the latter pushing the reigning world champ at the front of the field in recent races.
Their battle for dominance finally came to a head this past weekend with the duo colliding, which caused Max Verstappen to limp home to a fifth-place finish, while Norris was forced to retire from the race with just six laps remaining.
The collision opened up the door for the rest of the field to take full advantage and George Russell was the one to make the most of this as the ‘Brit secured Mercedes’s first victory of the season.
The Silver Arrows man was joined on the podium by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri while Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz claimed third.
Austria proved to be a very productive race when it came to points for Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton claiming fourth place, while the ‘top 6’ was rounded out by Nico Hulkenberg.
The Red Bull Ring proved not to be a happy hunting ground for out-of-form Red Bull man Sergio Perez as he could only muster up a seventh-place finish, bringing his car home ahead of Kevin Magnussen (eighth) and Daniel Ricciardo (ninth), while Pierre Gasly claimed the last points scoring berth.
Track – Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone, which functioned as Royal Air Force base at the close of the Second World War, has been a staple on the modern Formula 1 calendar since hosting its inaugural race – back in 1987.
It’s hallowed ground for British drivers, so the likes of Lando Norris, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton will be looking to put in a shift this weekend.
The total race distance for Sunday will be 306.332km with each of the 52 laps containing 18 turns. The corners that will provide the biggest challenge to drivers will be the amalgamation of Maggots, Becketts and Chapel.
The left-right-left-right-left combination will push the cars’ dexterity to their limits. The track’s two DRS zones are located at the Wellington Straight and the pit straight.
Max Verstappen finally broke his duck at the venue last season bringing his car home ahead of Lando Norris (second) and Lewis Hamilton third.
In terms of the weather for the weekend, the current local forecast is currently predicting drizzle during Friday’s practice session and Sunday’s main race.
Value Bet: Lewis Hamilton – Podium Finish – Yes 7/4
His record at his home track speaks for itself with the ‘Brit winning seven of the last ten races at Silverstone.
While the last two years have been rather lean ones for him when it comes to race wins, he still has delivered podium finishes claiming third place in both 2022 and 2023.
He’s also in decent enough form at the minute finishing fourth in Austria and Canada and third in Spain. He’s certainly worth a crack at this price.
To Win Race Outright: Max Verstappen 6/10
He broke his duck at Silverstone last year and I’m on the Dutch ace going back-to-back. He’ll still be peeved having crashed with Lando Norris, which cost him at least a podium berth in Australia.
Verstappen tends to bounce back in style from disappointment, and while I do think he will be pushed all the way by Norris this weekend, I think the Red Bull man will come out on top.
