Check out the F1 British Grand Prix odds for the race on Sunday, July 7, with Jono Rose's predictions and picks.
The F1 British Grand Prix is one of the most anticipated races annually on the F1 calendar. With 11 races in the books heading into this weekend, Round 12 on English soil will wrap up the first half of the season where it all began for the Formula 1 World Championship back in 1950.
Today's F1 British Grand Prix (10 a.m. ET, ESPN2 & ESPN+) is a homecoming of sorts for more than half of the grid. Six of the 10 teams are headquartered in the U.K., and most are within a 45-mile radius of the circuit (McLaren, headquartered in Woking outside of London, being the exception).
The Silverstone Circuit, located on a former airstrip, will play host to its 58th British Grand Prix on Sunday. Sir Lewis Hamilton holds the circuit record for career wins (eight) while Ferrari leads the number of Constructors victories with 15.
Silverstone is traditionally one of the fastest circuits on the calendar, and it features 18 corners and two DRS zones during one lap. The circuit requires a lot of downforce to run through the flowing corners and maintain speed; roughly 70% of the lap is spent at full throttle for the drivers.
Qualifying on Saturday afternoon started out under damp track conditions for Q1, continuing to dry out and ramp up through each session. For the first time in Grand Prix history, three British drivers will start up front; Russell and Hamilton are on the front row for Mercedes, and Lando Norris is behind starting in P3.
The Ferraris did not seem to have the pace at Silverstone with Charles Leclerc missing out on Q3 and Carlos Sainz qualifying only P7. Max Verstappen ran off the track early in Q1, scraping up the underside of his Red Bull, but he was able to salvage the session and will start up in P4. Oscar Piastri and Nico Hulkenberg will start on the third row in P5 and P6, respectively.
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F1 British Grand Prix: Odds, Picks & Predictions
Lewis Hamilton Podium Streak to Continue
Ever since the media put out a story intimating that Mercedes was favoring George Russell’s car over Lewis Hamilton’s – due to his departure from the team next season – the seven-time world champion has shown drastic improvement. Hamilton has finished P3 and P4 over the past two race weekends, improving drastically from the start of the season.
There is little doubt that Hamilton has felt right at home every year the grid comes to Silverstone. Hamilton currently holds a 10-year consecutive podium streak at his home grand prix, and he put himself back into position to grab yet another podium finish.
Starting on the front row, right next to his teammate George Russell, will allow the two Mercedes drivers to potentially assist each other in staying ahead of Norris and Verstappen. I like the value here of the veteran to drive right on the limits and secure another podium finish.
Looking at lap times, in FP3, Russell and Hamilton were the top two drivers during the wet session. In Q1, Hamilton posted the fastest lap time of the session with a 1:29.547. On a dry track at the end of Q3, Hamilton finished only 0.171 seconds behind Russell for pole position.
Let's bet on him to finish in the top three and earn a spot on the podium.
The Pick: Lewis Hamilton – Podium Finish (1 unit, -120 on BetMGM)
Norris to Outshine Verstappen
Lando Norris and Max Verstappen may be friends off the track, but they are now bona fide rivals on track. This was cemented last week in Austria. On Lap 64 and during Norris’ fourth attempt to pass Verstappen, the Red Bull veered left and went into the corner and caused a collision between the two.
Due to McLaren’s high downforce car, its ability to run longer stints than the competition on the medium and hard tires for the race, and being at Silverstone all play into Norris’ favor. While the extra motivation for Norris will be there to best Verstappen, I believe the track and times thus far this weekend push Norris over the edge.
Norris has been quicker than Verstappen in five of the six sessions. He was top of the grid in FP1 and FP2, posting lap times of 1:27.42 and 1:26.55. Then in qualifying, Max went quicker in Q1, but Norris was 0.237 seconds faster in Q2 and 0.173 seconds ahead in Q3.
On a track that suits McLaren over Red Bull, even if the rain comes in during the race, I give the edge to Norris. I am also taking Norris to have the fastest lap during the race. I like the fact that he was top of the grid in two of the practice sessions, as well as the fastest car in Q2 with a 1:26.56. There is a good chance at the end of the race, when the cars are low on fuel, Norris and the McLaren have the freshest tires to put in a fastest lap time.
We'll take both bets – Norris in the matchup with Verstappen, as well as Norris to score the fastest lap of the race.
The Picks: Lando Norris – Head-to-Head vs Max Verstappen (1.25 units, -125 on BetMGM) | Norris – Fastest Lap (1 unit, +250 on ESPN Bet)
