Hamilton Is the Favourite to Win the 2015 British GP

Formula One returns to its British home in Silverstone, a place that saw 46 F1 Grands Prix already.

It would be somehow inappropriate to discuss the usual problem topics regarding the boringness and the lack of competition in today’s Formula One just before the British Grand Prix,

• Hamilton to race for third Silverstone victory
• Mercedes has an advantage through aero package
• Hamilton and Alonso won on both layouts

since the stands would be full exactly because of the dominance of the British title-defender, two-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. It is no question that British motorsport fans would turn up in similar numbers had an extra competitive and over exciting season been going on, even without a British champ in contention. However this time many of those who bet on sports in the UK will salute Hamilton, who delivered the 15th drivers’ world championship title for the Britons.

The real home of the British Grand Prix

Hamilton will race for his third British Grand Prix victory this weekend, just as he is racing for his third world championship title this year. The record holders regarding British GP victories are Jim Clark and Alain Prost with five successes, one ahead of Nigel Mansell. With another victory on Sunday, Hamilton could join to racing legends Jack Brabham, Niki Lauda and Michael Schumacher, who all won the event three times.

The British Grand Prix didn’t necessarily mean the race in Silverstone in the past, as many punters of online sportsbooks in the UK, might know. Though the Northamptonshire village hosted the very first Formula One British Grand Prix in 1950, two other venues also had the opportunity to hold the event during the last 65 years. These are the Aintree Circuit in Merseyside, that hosted the British GP five times in the 1950s and the 1960s, and the very popular and exciting Brands Hatch circuit that saw 14 Formula One Grands Prix (12 British GP’s and two Grands Prix of Europe).

Though many fans and experts would prefer Brands Hatch to Silverstone due to its more exciting layout with the extensive changes in elevation, the real home of the British Grand Prix is considered to be in Silverstone that prepares for its 47th Formula One GP.

The ever-changing circuit of Silverstone

An interesting feature in the history of the Silverstone Circuit is the regular change in its layout. The venue was originally an army airport with runways shaping an X, and the original 1948 circuit used this shape too, featuring four stretches of the runways. Though the updated design somehow features several parts of that layout, like the Hangar Straight and the current Pits Straight, and even resembles a bit to the X-shape, it has virtually nothing to do with the original layout.

As many as 11 configurations of the Silverstone Circuit were used in Formula One, though radical changes were made only before the 1991 and the 2010 events. Therefore, apart from the original X-shaped one, there were only three layouts that characteristically differ from each other, the two versions of the Bridge Circuit and the latest Arena Circuit.

After the relocation of the pit lane, the circuit is unchanged since 2011, with Mark Webber (Red Bull Renault) holding the race lap record with a time of 1:33.401 from 2013. Webber is the only driver, who won the event twice on the Arena Circuit, and Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton are the only ones, who were able to win an F1 GP on both the Arena and the previous Bridge Circuits.

The setting favours Mercedes

The Arena Circuit is almost six kilometres long with the longest period when cars are on full throttle being 12 seconds. The circuit is modestly demanding on engines and forgiving towards brakes. However, it is much more demanding on tyres, especially when the weather is warm, like it is expected for this weekend, with “the highest lateral energy loads of the season” according to Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery. According to gaming news, Pirelli allocated the hard and the medium compounds for the British GP, where the pit lane loss is significant, so a tactical battle between one and two stops strategies is expected for the race.

Though there is a lot of conversation about engine power this year, the Silverstone Circuit with its 18 corners calls for a high-downforce configuration, which favours teams with the beast aero packages around. In the last one and a half year, this was always Mercedes, with Hamilton winning the 2014 race after his teammate, Nico Rosberg, who started from the pole, retired due to a gearbox failure. Anyone who is involved with internet betting in the EU should consider picking a Mercedes driver for pole and for race victory as well once again.