British Grand Prix
Location: Silverstone, England
Course: Silverstone Circuit
Course Length: 5.891 KM
Laps: 42
British Grand Prix Preview
The British Grand Prix is always one of the most anticipated of the F1 calendar. In recent years, it's provided some classic races including the 2021 clash between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz Jr.'s first career win in 2023. Heading into the current edition, it's pretty clear we have a legitimate fight for wins between Red Bull and McLaren on our hands. We may also start to see an individual rivalry between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris which will make things compelling not only this weekend but also for the rest of the season.
Elsewhere on the grid, we've started to see more from Mercedes. George Russell was lucky to get the win last weekend in Austria, but the fact that he was in a position to take advantage of the good luck is another positive sign for their pace.
Aston Martin is headed in the opposite direction. They seem to be truly off the pace and behind Haas, RB F1 Team and Alpine.
Key Stats at Silverstone
Number of Races: 59
Winners from Pole: 22
Winners from top-5 starters: 55
Winners from top-10 starters: 59
Previous 10 British Grand Prix Winners
2023- Max Verstappen
2022- Carlos Sainz Jr.
2021- Lewis Hamilton
2020- Max Verstappen
2019- Lewis Hamilton
2018- Sebastian Vettel
2017- Lewis Hamilton
2016- Lewis Hamilton
2015- Lewis Hamilton
2014- Lewis Hamilton
Silverstone is an 18-turn circuit that is considered one of the most demanding on tires due to the combination of fast corners and more technical areas of the track. It's also generally a high-speed track, as drivers can stay on throttle for roughly 70 percent of the lap.
The unknown variable could be the weather. It's expected to be relatively cool (around 60 degrees) and there is a significant chance for rain for both qualifying and the grand prix. That has the potential to change the outlook of this weekend significantly.
DraftKings Value Picks for the British Grand Prix
Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap
Tier 1 DraftKings Picks
Max Verstappen - $15,000
Lando Norris - $12,400
Tier 2 DraftKings Picks
George Russell- $10,000
Oscar Piastri- $9,600
Charles Leclerc - $9,400
Carlos Sainz Jr. - $8,800
Tier 3 DraftKings Picks
Pierre Gasly - $5,200
Nico Hulkenberg - $4,800
Tier 4 DraftKings Picks
Alex Albon - $3,800
Daniel Ricciardo - $3,600
DraftKings Constructor Values
McLaren - $11,000
Mercedes- $10,500
Ferrari - $9,800
Alpine- $3,400
Haas- $3,200
Formula 1 DFS Picks for the British Grand Prix
Captain – Oscar Piastri - $14,400
Carlos Sainz Jr. - $8,800
Pierre Gasly - $5,200
Nico Hulkenberg - $4,800
Daniel Ricciardo - $3,600
Constructor – McLaren - $11,000
There are a lot of tough decisions to make based on the way the player pool is priced. The first decision that dictates the build is the captain. It's hard to justify paying all the way up for Verstappen given that he no longer has a clear advantage over his top competitors. Norris is the next most obvious option and is a reasonable choice. He sets up some complications with the rest of the build, which leads me to Piastri. He drives arguably the fastest car on the grid, which gives him a chance every weekend. Pairing him with McLaren – rather than Norris – allows the possibility for paying up another option.
That option could be anyone from Tier 2. Russell is arguably in the best position to rack up points. He's shown a relative dominance over teammate Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes may have surpassed Ferrari as the second-fastest team on the grid. Otherwise, Sainz is my driver of choice in the tier and also comes at a relative discount.
This is where things diverge considerably from what we saw earlier in the season. Fernando Alonso was previously the line between points contenders and not, but that line has shifted down in price point to the likes of Hulkenberg and Gasly. Hulkenberg has finished worse than 11th just once this season, while Gasly has earned points in four straight races and beaten his teammate on each occasion. He'll have a harder time reaching points this weekend as he'll start from the back of the grid due to a penalty. If Esteban Ocon qualified poorly, Gasly is still in play. If Ocon qualifies well, he'd be a decent option as an alternative to Gasly.
Williams has had a disappointing season, but Albon is basically a free five points because he has an extremely high likelihood of beating teammate Logan Sargeant. Ricciardo has flipped form with Yuki Tsunoda recently. There's been chatter about RB F1 team's upgrades not going as planned, so perhaps that's benefitted Ricciardo.
Formula 1 Betting Picks for the British Grand Prix
Race Winner: Max Verstappen (-150), Lando Norris (+175)
Podium Finish: George Russell (+115)
Points Finish: Nico Hulkenberg (-185); Esteban Ocon (+220)
The race-winner bet is pretty straightforward and is simply a determination of which team/driver combo you believe in more.
The battle between Red Bull and McLaren will rightfully get most of the attention heading into the weekend. However, Mercedes against Ferrari also figures to be compelling. Russell has arguably been in the best form of any of the four drivers from those teams, making him the choice. For those who believe in Ferrari, Leclerc (+500) and Sainz (+650) both check in at exceptional value.
There's a similar choice for a points finish. Hulkenberg's recent run has already been covered, though he's a little uncomfortable given the odds that his backers are required to lay. Ocon should beat Gasly given the aforementioned penalty for the latter, and he offers much better value than some of the other fringy points options.
