After two disappointing races in France and Canada, there’s surely nothing that Lewis Hamilton would like better than win the British GP for the first time in his short career on Sunday. The 23-year-old seems encouraged by the changes made to his McLaren Mercedes car and is the 5/2 (Ladbrokes) second favourite to win his third Grand Prix of the season.
Backers will be encouraged by some of the quick lap times that the Brit has been recording, although he was on pole in Montreal before crashing into Kimi Raikkonen during a pit stop and subsequently retiring from the race. The bookmakers make the Finn the likeliest driver to win at Silverstone, with Blue Square offering a best price 11/8 about the champion. However, it should be noted that the Ferrari driver has failed to win any of the last four Grand Prix, despite recording the fastest lap on the past five occasions.
Indeed, rather than backing Raikkonen to win the British GP, many might argue that the 5/4 (bet365) about him recording the fastest race lap is outstanding on the above basis. The fact that the Finn has managed this feat on a variety of tracks makes him more of a compelling proposition.
The driver currently leading the Drivers Championship is Felipe Massa, and there’s every reason to believe that he’s better value at 3/1 (Ladbrokes) than his Ferrari team-mate when it comes to race winner. In addition to victory in the French GP last time out, the Brazilian has scooped up ten points in Bahrain and Turkey, although he’s never been on the podium in the UK. Robert Kubica should also be considered at 14/1 (William Hill), especially as the Pole won so impressively in Canada.