F1 BETTING: Live on BBC1: Sun 12.45: British drivers lead a finely balanced F1 Championship and what better place to prove their title worth than at Silverstone. Red Bull will have something to say about that.
The F1 party comes to Silverstone for the British GP this weekend and all eyes inevitably fall to the British pair Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.
The 2 British drivers represent British outfit McClaren so great support can be expected, especially as British drivers and a British team top the respective Championships.
Lewis Hamilton, who won here in 2008, is 3/1 2nd fav with Sportingbet while Jenson Button is 5th fav, 8/1 at Boylesports. There has been wide speculation as to how the 2 McClaren men will ‘behave’ on the track and whether there will be any similar scenes to that of the Red Bulls, Webber and Vettel, which saw them clash together in Turkey. Damon Hill has already said that he thinks things may “boil over” but the drivers, who share a friendly competitiveness, have moved quickly to dissipate those fears.
Of the two, Lewis Hamilton would probably be the more prudent choice. Despite 10 previous seasons around this course, Button can only boast a best of 4th (2004) and has actually failed to finish for 2 of the last 4 years. Hamilton has a win and a podium to his name in his 3 previous tries and Betfred’s 8/13 about Hamilton getting on the podium looks very nice.
Red Bull will certainly be eager for a few fireworks in the McClaren team considering Sebastien Vettel is going for back to back wins at Silverstone, Coral saying he is 9/4 to do just that. Back to back wins have not been achieved at Silverstone since Coulthard’s double in 1999 and 2000 but Vettel did get back to winning ways last weekend in Spain.
Vettel’s team mate, Mark Webber, is keen to get his first Silverstone win at F1 level after winning at most other grades; he is Blue Square’s 5/1 3rd fav, just ahead of Fernando Alonso (15/2 Betdaq). Webber has recovered well from his spectacular crash last week but faces awesome competition. He and Vettel can be confident in the Red Bull car on the long, fast corners of Silverstone and Ladbrokes’ 11/10 that a Red Bull wins the race is tempting to say the least. It is more than likely a Red Bull will sit on pole as well; 4/6 at Paddy Power. Given that Silverstone has, in the past few years, been those who qualify well ending up on the podium, this could be Red Bull’s week.
Another to watch is the improving Robert Kubica. The podium (11/2 Totesport) may be too much for him, considering the oppostiton and the quality of the cars they drive, but a top 6 is certainly viable, 4/7 at Ladbrokes.
Lastly, he may not have set the F1 world alight this time around but Michael Schumacher’s record at Silverstone was magnificent during his initial F1 career. Rarely did he finish outside of the podium (when he actually crossed the line) in that 15 year stint and his knowledge of the course is huge. At 12/1 (Bet365) the podium will be beyond his this time, but Paddy Power’s 15/8 about him to get a top 6 is worth keeping an eye on.
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