The 2018 Rolex British Grand Prix Odds, Preview, and Prediction

The British Grand Prix is the oldest race in the Formula One calendar, with its inaugural race in 1950 marking the start of the very first championship season. The race is held at the 5.891 km (3.660 miles) Silverstone Circuit in Silverstone, Northamptonshire in England. The 52-lap race covers a distance of 306.198 km (186.602 miles).

The 2018 British Grand Prix will be the 72^nd edition of the race and the 69^th time that it has been raced as a World Championship event. It will also mark the 53^rd time that the world championship event will be run at Silverstone.

This year’s race will be held on July 8, 2018, and it will be the 10^th round of the 2018 Formula One World Championship. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel currently holds a one-point lead over Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in the drivers’ championship, while Ferrari holds a 10-point lead over Mercedes in the constructors’ championship.

What Is the Race Schedule?

Three practice sessions will be held at Silverstone. The first session will start at 10:00 am and will end at 11:30 am. Practice two begins at 2:00 pm and will last until 3:30 pm. The final practice session will be on Saturday, from 11:00 am to midday. All times mentioned are UK time. The British Grand Prix qualifying race will start at 2:00 pm on Saturday, while the 2018 British Grand Prix will start at 2:10 pm on Sunday.

History for Hamilton?

After a Spielberg nightmare which saw him retire for the first time in 33 starts, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton is the odds-on favorite to win the 2018 British Grand Prix. The pressure is definitely high on Hamilton, but his failure at the Austrian Grand Prix makes him an even more appealing bet this weekend. That’s because the Briton has a habit of bouncing back big-time after a disastrous race.

After a car safety error in Shanghai, Hamilton returned with a win at Azerbaijan. He also came out victorious in France after suffering tire and engine issues in Canada. And so after a mechanical failure at Spielberg, he is a -120 favorite to emerge victorious in the 2018 British Open. But this isn’t just why he is favored to win.

Hamilton has won four in a row at Silverstone and five overall. A victory this weekend would give him an unprecedented six British Grand Prix victories, surpassing British legend Jim Clark and Alain Prost. So not only will he be motivated to bounce back after a disappointing Austrian Grand Prix, but he will also be chasing history at Silverstone. Likewise, Hamilton will also be aiming to reclaim the lead in the battle for the drivers’ championship. With rival Sebastian Vettel’s podium finish at Spielberg, the Ferrari ace has taken a one-point lead over Hamilton in the competition.

Vettel has the second-best odds in the race at +350. But Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene recently told Sky Italia that it could be too much to ask Vettel to give himself a late birthday present at Silverstone. The German turned 31 on Tuesday, but according to Arrivabene, Silverstone looks difficult on paper for Ferrari.

Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas is third on the oddsboard at +500. Bottas notched his first pole position of the season after a close battle with Hamilton. After a grid penalty moved rival Vettel down the order, victory looked simple for Mercedes in Spielberg. Instead, disaster struck, and Bottas failed to finish the race due to a gearbox issue. That was the first time since the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix where both Silver Arrows retired in the same race.

The Complete Oddsboard

Here are the complete odds for the 2018 British Grand Prix. The odds are from Bovada as of July 4, 2018:

What Are the Bets with Value?

Here are a couple of bets that we think have good value in them. You might want to check these out.

• Lewis Hamilton with the Fastest Lap (+250)

Hamilton has had the fastest lap in three of the last four editions of the British Grand Prix. In the year that he didn’t have the fastest lap at this track, it was his teammate who ran it. Mercedes has been very successful at Silverstone, and there is no reason to believe that it will change this year.

• Kimi Raikkonen Top-3 Finish (+165)

Raikkonen’s primary role in Ferrari is supposed to be the support for Sebastian Vettel, but he’s had plenty of success this year. The Iceman ran the DHL fastest lap in Austria at 1:06.957, and he is coming off consecutive podium finishes in France and Austria. As for the British Open, The 38-year-old Raikkonen topped the podium in 2007, the year when he won the F1 Driver’s Championship.

Who Will Win the 2018 British Grand Prix?

While Sebastian Vettel remains as Lewis Hamilton’s chief competition in Silverstone, Ferrari has not won the British Grand Prix since Fernando Alonso in 2011. Hamilton was bested by Bottas for pole position in Spielberg, but he has started out in front at Silverstone three years in a row. When you take a look at motivation, Hamilton has every motivation to win this, and given Mercedes’ success at this track, he might very well come out victorious. Sure, the pressure is on him, but between that and the backing of the home crowd, the latter should bear more value. We’re picking Lewis Hamilton to win the 2018 British Grand Prix.