British Grand Prix
Max Verstappen and Red Bull have taken firm control of Formula 1 after an eventful time in Austria and they’ll take their act to England for the upcoming British Grand Prix.
They have built a sizeable lead both in the driver and constructors’ standings as Max Verstappen holds a 32-point lead over rival Lewis Hamilton, while Red Bull lead Mercedes by 44 points.
However, the 2021 season is far from over and they cannot afford to be complacent as the Silverstone circuit saw many victories by Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes, although Max Verstappen won in the same track during the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix last season.
Moreover, the 2021 British Grand Prix will witness a key moment in F1 history as the league committee is set to introduce a new format that will decide the grid for this weekend.
This season’s event at Silverstone will be different in the years past and SBOTOP has you covered with the latest British Grand Prix 2021 updates.
Formula 1 has a new rule in place
The league committee will introduce a new wrinkle called the F1 Sprint. The sprint qualifying is a much shorter version of the normal qualifying, with the drivers racing flat-out from start to finish without the need of a pit stop.
In Silverstone, the F1 Sprint will be just over 17 laps and 100km in length, which is about one third of the total distance of a grand prix. And since it’s a sprint, anyone can virtually grab pole if it’s their lucky day.
Points will be given to the top three finishers. And although there won’t be a podium ceremony for that, the winner will get a trophy in Parc Ferme as well as the pole position in this weekend’s actual race.
The shorter preparation time due to less practice will build a sense of urgency to both drivers and their teams alike. Experience and strategy will certainly play huge roles in determining the grid order prior to race day.
What is Mercedes’ next move?
With Red Bull posing a big threat to Mercedes’ years-long dominance, the Silver Arrows may have one trick under their sleeves as they’ll try to close the gap against their rivals.
Lewis Hamilton, who recently signed a two-year extension with the Silver Arrows, bared that the W12 will have upgrades ahead of the British Grand Prix, although he didn’t go much into detail as to what they are.
“There’s a lot of changes on the car but it’s not a massive update in terms of gap that we’ve seen in the race, but it definitely helps us in terms of closing that gap quickly,” said Hamilton.
Mercedes didn’t go into the specifics of what the upgrades are but they remain optimistic about their chances in catching up to Red Bull.
Other than the upgrades, Hamilton will be hoping for a boost from the home fans, which is expected to be around 100,000 on race day.
“The roar of the crowd here is unlike anywhere else. Considering we’ve had a drought in terms of fans not being at the race in the past year, the energy has definitely been very much missed,” said the seven-time world champion.
Lando Norris to move on past mugging incident
Outside of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris is the form driver to look out as he’s coming off of his third podium finish in the Austrian Grand Prix.
However, his odds might have taken a hit given the ordeal that he endured last Sunday since he was robbed after watching the Euro 2020 Final at Wembley.
Reports indicate that Norris’ watch was stolen but fortunately he didn’t suffer any physical injuries.
Speaking ahead of the British Grand Prix, the 21-year-old shared that he has now moved on from the incident. However, he admitted that he’ll need some time to get his mind right for race day.
“I’m not in the perfect condition. I’m not going to lie, some work to do mentally. But I’ll make sure I’m feeling better and I’m in the best shape possible,” said Norris.
Lando Norris has been one of the breakout stars in this F1 season and he’s poised to pick up more points for McLaren in Silverstone.
History
Mercedes have made the British Grand Prix their personal playground since they’ve won seven of the last nine races here, with Lewis Hamilton responsible in all of them.
Hamilton won his first back in 2008 when he was still with McLaren and he won last year’s edition despite driving half of the final lap with a flat tyre.
What are the odds?
Given his recent form, Max Verstappen is the favourite as per the British Grand Prix 2021 odds. The Red Bull driver is priced at 1.77 to win while the other drivers are pegged at 2.05 against him.
Lewis Hamilton is the second big favourite given his history in Silverstone as he is placed at 2.07 to win while Lando Norris and Valtteri Bottas might vie for the final podium spot at 2.27 and 3.50 respectively.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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