British Grand Prix
July is a busy month for many SBOBET fans as there are a lot of sporting events that are happening throughout the globe.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup, filled with a lot of incredible upsets and world-class football, is quickly approaching the much-awaited climax. This year’s Wimbledon also brings exciting odds for the enthusiastic tennis fan.
However, today’s piece is all for the petrol head hiding in all of us. It’s rare to have the loud Formula 1 be this quiet, but the British Grand Prix betting odds are surely far from boring the die-hard fans. The season is tight and there is still no clear-cut leader as the mid-season break quickly approaches.
This is a perfect chance for Lewis Hamilton to show off once more in front of the home fans and build a gap between him and Sebastian Vettel. However, he could be in for quite a shocker if the comedy of errors that plagued Mercedes at Austria rear its ugly head once more.
Talking Points
The biggest question mark surrounding this race is the performance of the Mercedes machines during the Austrian Grand Prix. When Sebastian Vettel started the race at sixth place, many feared that the Red Bull Ring would bear witness to Lewis Hamilton building a commanding lead over his Ferrari rival. It would have also meant Mercedes running away with the constructor championship lead.
However, the cars Hamilton and team-mate Valtteri Bottas were driving weren’t able to finish the race, causing a huge embarrassment to the team and the delegation of supporters they have on the track. Bottas retired early while Hamilton called it quits at the 62nd lap.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen managed to take hold of the lead and never let go of it. While Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were hot on his tail, the Dutch star kept his cool, did a brilliant job in managing his tires, and finished gracefully in front of the Ferraris.
Vettel’s third-place finish in Spielberg allows the German ace to wrestle the control of the driver championship back to his hands. While the lead he has over the Briton is still only a point, the upgrade package arriving for the Italian giants come just in time for him to challenge Hamilton at his stomping grounds. His last victory was in Canada, and a fourth win this season should greatly help his chances.
While much of the focus is still on Mercedes and Ferrari, Red Bull are quietly chopping into the lead the two have built and turn the season into a three-pronged battle once more. Verstappen showed his quality at Austria, and Daniel Ricciardo is still a very effective driver for team principal Christian Horner. Silverstone Circuit, with its many breaking points, should provide plenty of opportunities for his team to poise and strike for the constructors trophy.
The chasing pack have a great chance of grabbing points at Silverstone, but various situations affect their chances of getting points. McLaren underwent surprising managerial changes so sudden that some suspected Fernando Alonso to have a hand in the change.
Charles Leclerc and Marcus Ericsson finished ninth and tenth, giving Sauber their first double points of the season. The team is looking good in the constructors standings and will be hoping for better finishes here. Meanwhile, Nico Hulkenburg’s quick retirement in Austria should have urged quick fixes from the Renault R&D team if they want to keep their spot in the constructor standings.
History
If we look at the recent races that occurred at Silverstone, we can see that Mercedes easily own this track. Nico Rosberg won the 2013 race and Hamilton swept his next four home Grand Prix as if he can run the track with his eyes closed.
The last team to win at Britain that isn’t named Mercedes was Red Bull in 2012. You know that it’s been a while since anon-Mercedes squad won on this track as legendary Aussie driver Mark Webber was the champion that year.
The last time Vettel won at Silverstone was nine years ago when he was still driving for Red Bull alongside Webber. Raikkonen, his current team-mate at Ferrari, last won this race more than a decade ago.
What are the odds?
There are great British Grand Prix outright odds waiting for the discerning motorsports fan.
There’s no question: Hamilton is still the biggest favourite to win his home race. As long as Mercedes have addressed the faults that plagued their cars in Austria, there should be no question as to whether he will stand at the top of the podium or not. Hamilton has 1.65 outright odds for him.
Bookies also rate Vettel highly, giving him 3.00 outright. Bottas and Raikkonen can also win on this track, with SBOBET giving them 6.00 and 13.00 respectively.
However, I wouldn’t count either Red Bull racer out of the race. While Ricciardo and Verstappen only have 21.00 odds each, the rather slow track gives them a chance to compete for the top spot.
I still think this is still Hamilton’s race to lose, and it would take another major breakdown for Mercedes before any other team can snatch the win from him.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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