British Grand Prix practice betting tips: Close battle expected

Where to watch the British Grand Prix on Friday

Practice one & two Channel 4 & Sky Sports F1, 12.30pm & 4pm Friday

Best bet

Practice one winning margin under 0.1 seconds
1pt 12-5 bet365

British Grand Prix practice predictions

Max Verstappen goes into British Grand Prix weekend with an 81-point lead in the F1 world championship but that is in no way reflective of the intensity of the battle on track.

The Dutchman has won seven of this season's 11 races but his Red Bull is nowhere near as dominant as it has been over the last couple of seasons. McLaren are right on the pace and arguably only Verstappen's greater experience of picking up wins has prevented Lando Norris from taking the last three victories.

Mercedes have also made a forward move in recent weeks, and George Russell arrives for his home grand prix as F1's most recent winner following his victory in Austria last weekend. 

That was a little fortunate, given that it was inherited after Verstappen and Norris had collided in the closing laps, but the Silver Arrows are undeniably in the best form they have enjoyed since their own period of dominance ended in 2021.

Ferrari, winners in Monaco a little over a month ago, have slipped to the fourth-fastest team despite rarely being more than a couple of tenths off the pace.

That has led to some of the closest competition ever witnessed in Formula 1, especially in qualifying, and the nip-and-tuck nature of the one-lap battle may be illustrated in the opening practice session. 

The gap between first and second in four of the last six practice one sessions has been 0.105 seconds or less, and a similarly close call could be in store at Silverstone.

There is a risk of rain throughout the weekend, but there is a greater chance of the afternoon session seeing a wet track.

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