After a three week break,
Formula One returns this weekend with the teams heading to Silverstone for the
British Grand Prix. With eight of the eleven teams based within two hours of
the famous circuit, it truly is a home race for the majority of those involved.
Having won last time out
in Canada, perhaps unsurprisingly it is Red Bull’s Sebastien Vettel who goes
into the weekend as the best priced 2/1 favourite with BetFred. With three race
wins under his belt so far this term, Vettel already has a commanding 36 point
lead at the top of the driver’s Championship over closest placed rival,
Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard is the second favourite to take the spoils at
11/4 following his two previous victories at Silverstone in 2006 and 2011.
Having announced his retirement on Thursday morning, Mark Webber will also be
looking to win the British Grand Prix for the third and final time as an F1
driver. The Australian has won two of the last three races here and sits at a
lengthy 10/1 with SportingBet to pick up his first win of the 2013 campaign.
British hopes however,
lie solely with Mercedes ace Lewis Hamilton. With Jenson Button’s faltering
McLaren a lowly 66/1 and Paul Di Resta at an unlikely 100/1, it falls to
Hamilton to carry the flag for the Brits. And even then Hamilton remains at
fairly generous odds, with StanJames offering a competitive 17/2 for Hamilton
to pick up his first race win of 2013. A better bet may be his Mercedes team
mate, Nico Rosberg who finished third at Silverstone in 2010 and is available
at an enticing 14/1. Kimi Raikkonen who won in Australia is also at 17/2 for
Lotus.
The safety bet of the
weekend however has to be who will take pole position on Saturday afternoon.
With Sebastien Vettel and Nico Rosberg sharing six of the seven poles so far
this season, they’re prime candidates for the front row at Silverstone. Rosberg
is available at 11/4 with multiple bookmakers whilst Vettel remains favourite,
with Boylesports offering 21/10 for the German to clinch his second pole in a
row. What could prove crucial once qualifying has finished however is that only
once in the last five years has the pole sitter gone on to win at the famous
old track.
The other key market is
the general outlook of who will finish on the podium. Aside from the obvious
three or four, Nico Rosberg is touted at 3/1 with BetVictor, whilst teammate
Lewis Hamilton who has finished 3rd on three occasions so far in
2013 is available at 15/8. Where outsiders are concerned, despite plenty of
value there is little chance any speculation will result in accumulation. Brit
Paul Di Resta who has finished outside the points just once this season is on
offer at 10/1 to make his first podium finish in F1, whilst Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez
who finished 2nd in Spain is the main outside challenger at an
extortionate 500/1.
Whatever the outcome,
with the weather looking fine for the remainder of the weekend, the British
Grand Prix should prove to be as scintillating a spectacle as ever.
Murphy's Value Bet: Winning Car,
Ferrari, 12/1 (888sport)
Racing cars are my only passion. This time Sebastien Vettel will surely win.
ReplyDelete