British Grand Prix Preview: Lewis Hamilton could cause surprise on home soil

The famous Silverstone circuit will play host to round 10 of the Formula 1 season with the British Grand Prix this weekend and British spectators will be hoping that Lewis Hamilton can get the better of championship leader Max Verstappen. 

British Grand Prix – Sunday 15:00 GMT 

After nine rounds of action, Red Bull’s high-flying Max Verstappen is 81 points clear of his teammate Sergio Perez following victory in last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix and the Dutchman is 3/10 to collect a first win at Silverstone. 

Of the last nine renewals, Lewis Hamilton has topped the podium on seven occasions. Because of this, the seven-time world champion is 11/1 to give Mercedes their 13th victory in the converted contest with fellow Britons George Russell (25/1) and Lando Norris (80/1) also vying to capitalise on their home advantage.

If you fancy Lewis Hamilton to just come up short, then enhanced odds of 15/8 about him finishing in the top two might be the way to go.

In recent years, the twists and turns of the 3.6-mile track have been a disadvantage to the Red Bull car as Christian Horner’s team have failed to reach the top step of the podium since 2012.

Since then, Mercedes and Ferrari are the only teams to have achieved victory around the 18 turns of the Northamptonshire-based track, and they are 7/1 and 17/2 respectively to come away with another win. Last year’s winner, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz is a 25/1 chance to guide the famous red livery to back-to-back victories.

Can anyone stop Red Bull? 

Although statistics from recent years could make a case as to why another team may topple this season’s dominance of Red Bull, the apparent gap in class between the constructors’ championship leaders and the chasing pack looks almost unassailable, bar mishap from both drivers.

Since lap one of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Horner and his well-oiled machine looked to have this season’s title wrapped up, as demonstrated by a Red Bull 1-2 on the opening weekend.

On that raceday alone, the nearest pursuer to Sergio Perez in second was Fernando Alonso, yet he was still 38 seconds away from Verstappen at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Since then, three of the next four Grand Prix results ended with a 1-2 for the Milton Keynes-based team, yet there could be an argument to suggest the other nine teams are getting closer.

Having finished just five seconds behind Verstappen in Austria last weekend, Charles Leclerc is 14/1 to claim success in the British Grand Prix this Sunday, a race he was not disgraced in 12 months ago when finishing fourth.

The Monegasque driver has been a consistent figure in the fight for P1 at Silverstone over the last few years thanks to three podium finishes in his between 2019-2021.

The 25-year-old is 6/5 to achieve a fourth British Grand Prix podium in five years, however, for Leclerc to finish on the podium and Verstappen to win the race is a bigger price at 15/8.

Although the script looks to have Red Bull penciled in for a 10th-consecutive victory this season, there is sure to be a fierce test at the atmospheric Silverstone, something that could create a pivotal moment in the 2023 Formula 1 season.

Check out all the latest Formula 1 betting odds at William Hill