British Grand Prix betting tips and F1 predictions: Hamilton to roll back the years and extend Silverstone success

Where to watch the British Grand Prix

Sky Sports F1 & Channel 4, 3pm Sunday

Best bets

Lewis Hamilton to win British Grand Prix
2pts 4-1 general

Aston Martin double points finish
2pts 10-11 bet365

British Grand Prix predictions

George Russell claimed the third pole position of his F1 career and first at the British Grand Prix as the Mercedes man led home a British one-two-three in a chaotic qualifying session at Silverstone. 

Russell topped the Q3 timesheets ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton and McLaren's Lando Norris but he is only third favourite to win Sunday's grand prix with Norris the 2-1 market leader and world champion Max Verstappen, who will start from fourth on the grid, a 9-4 chance.

However, nobody knows the contours of Silverstone like Hamilton and he could roll back the years to take the chequered flag in Northamptonshire on Sunday.

The 39-year-old has won the British Grand Prix on a record eight occasions and he has managed to maintain an impressive record at Silverstone despite Mercedes’ downturn in performance over recent years.

Hamilton has made the Silverstone podium in each of the last ten years and the rain forecasted for Sunday will certainly not harm his chances. Only the great Michael Schumacher (16) has won more races in the wet than Hamilton (13), and three of those (2008, 2015 and 2016) have been around Silverstone.

Russell and race favourite Norris, both excellent in the wet in their own right, will be a threat, but Hamilton knows the track like the back of his hand and can take advantage of the out-of-position Ferraris and Red Bulls to take his first race win since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Both Red Bulls went off at Copse in the first qualifying session, with Perez needing a lift off the gravel trap and Verstappen damaging the floor of his car. The world champion recovered well to qualify in fourth place and will be allowed to fix the damage ahead of Sunday's race, but he may find it tough to get past a McLaren and two Mercedes that have eaten into Red Bull’s performance advantage over the past few months.

Another team hoping to take advantage of the weather and out-of-position competitors is Aston Martin, whose drivers Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso will start from eighth and tenth on the grid.

The Silverstone-based team has not hit the heights of 2023 this term but with both Alpine and RB drivers as well as Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc behind them, they may fancy their chances of a decent points haul given both Stroll and Alonso also enjoy driving in the rain.

Alonso has won in the wet four times and is widely considered one of the best drivers on the grid but Stroll’s ability in the rain is often overlooked. He has picked up some of his best results on wet tracks, including an incredible pole position for Racing Point in the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix.

With both drivers well positioned on the grid and excelling in changeable conditions, a double-points finish for Aston Martin could be a solid bet.

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