British Grand Prix – Rosberg To Rev It Up At Silverstone

After their slip in Canada, where Mercedes had to settle for just one podium place, Formula One returned to business as usual in Austria.

Despite neither driver being on the first row of the grid, both Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton fought their way to the front to finish first and second respectively and Rosberg now has a 29 point lead over his team mate in the Drivers’ Championship. Williams enjoyed a good race, but Red Bull had a shocker and now trail Mercedes by 158 points.

The Circuit
Silverstone’s sweeping curves and high speed corners make it one of the faster tracks on the racing circuit. Overtaking is a lot easier than at most circuits, so there isn’t quite the usual pressure on grid position. And then there’s the great British weather to bear in mind.

At the moment, rain is a possibility for both Saturday and Sunday, and unpredictable precipitation can play havoc with a Formula One team’s strategy.

In The Pits
In Austria, Red Bull were unable to build on the improvement they showed in Montreal, and I think they’ve missed their chance to put pressure on Mercedes, in what was effectively their home Grand Prix.

I can’t see Silverstone suiting their car, and the same goes for Ferrari. Both Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen looked way off the pace and neither appeal even at big odds this weekend.

Recommended Bets
Another Grand Prix, another Mercedes stitch-up at the top of the antepost betting and once again Lewis Hamilton is much shorter than his team-mate. Perhaps that price is down to the patriotic pound, but it makes no sense to lump on Hamilton at odds-on when Rosberg is leading the Drivers’ Championship and is the defending champion at Silverstone.

Back the German and get plenty of value for your money at 6/4.

The Williams team took the pre-race headlines in Austria, grabbing both spots on the front row of the grid and although neither Valtteri Bottas nor Felipe Massa could hold off the Mercedes drivers, they held on for third and fourth respectively, their best result of the season so far. Bottas has more points under his belt but the preference is for Massa who has finished in the top six at Silverstone four times in five years.

Lotus currently lie eighth in the Constructors’ Championship with a points tally in single figures, but this race offers them the chance to belatedly get their season into gear as the high-speed corners at Silverstone should suit their car much better than the last three circuits in Monaco, Canada and Austria.

Romain Grosjean has been outperforming his team-mate Pastor Maldonado, but the Colombian won at this track twice in the GP2 series and he’s preferred each way at hefty odds of 1500/1.