The British Grand Prix 2022 Preview

By: Angie Cowley June 29, 2022

It’s almost time, once again, for the British Grand Prix, the Grand Prix motor race which takes place in July every year. Motor racing fans and bettors from across the world have been enjoying the action since back in 1926. It has been held every year since 1948 and has been a huge attraction for motor racing fans ever since.

Currently, The British Grand Prix is held at Silverstone Circuit, in Northamptonshire, England. It has been held there ever since 1950, having also been held at Brands Hatch. In this time it has seen some of the most exciting races, with the very best drivers in the world navigating the complex course. Here, we will look at this year’s Grand Prix – what we can expect from it, who the main players are and where the smart money is going in the 2022 season!

Verstappen Looking Good

It will be hard to find anyone who wants to argue too deftly against Max Verstappen this year – and most people will have him down as an odds-on favourite. Although in the previous few races, people haven’t given him the credit he deserves – he has surprised many and now many are giving him the attention he is due for this race.

This flying Dutchman has flown so far this season and sits a very comfortable 46 points clear at the top of the Drivers’ Championships leaderboard after having won in both Azerbaijan and Canada. He now wants to settle the score in Silverstone. Last year, Verstappen crashed out of the race after colliding with Lewis Hamilton but the odds say that he will be setting the record straight this year – and get his revenge on the Englishman.

Having enjoyed 6 victories from his nine races this year, it’s pretty tough to argue with anyone who thinks that Red Bull is out there at the front this year. After he impressively dominated the streets of Baku, he pulled off an equally impressive show when navigating the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. Although a late in the day challenge came from Ferrari driver, Carlos Sainz, which kept it at least a little bit interesting, his victory never really looked too much in doubt. The last few laps, for Verstappen, were lots of fun and pretty exciting, but there was only ever going to be one result.

The team’s head honcho, Christian Horner, was impressed with Verstappen’s dominance all weekend – and with the amount of pressure he was able to withstand on the final 15 laps to clinch victory. He kept a cool head – despite suffering an issue with the radio, which meant that he could hear his team, but they couldn’t hear him. Despite this, the way he managed the race and controlled the pace and tyres was a masterclass in F1 driving. This victory means six straight wins for Horner and his team – and they are excited to be going into the British Grand Prix leading the way in both Championships.

Who Else is in the Running?

Despite Max’s win, his teammate, Red Bull’s number two driver Sergio Perez had to retire after only eight laps because of a problem with his gearbox. His troubles have put him back in the runnings – and now he is a little further down in the pecking order. Ferrari’s top driver, Charles Leclerc has also been given pretty good odds for success, although his teammate, Sainz, sits even further behind Perez in the British Grand Prix odds.

Leclerc has also enjoyed some success, having won two out of the three first rounds, leading Verstappen at that point by 46 points. However, ever since then, he has suffered some pretty bad luck. He was forced to retire in both Spain and Azerbaijan – and then he was the victim of a bad strategy by his team in Monaco, which pretty much denied him that win. By the time he went into Montreal, it was a case of damage limitation after he had to start from the back after having received engine penalties – his skilled driving did manage to get him up to 5th place, however.

Ferrari will also have some confidence from their apparent speed demonstrated in Canada, where Sainz managed to hustle Verstappen to the chequered flag after the arrival of a late safety car.

Silverstone is a fast-flowing circuit and this could play to the team’s strengths. However, there are some serious reliability issues that still cause concern.

Lewis Hamilton?

Obviously, Lewis Hamilton’s seasonal campaign has gone rather wonky after Mercedes’ porpoising problems. However, Montreal seemed to be a much more promising affair. Hamilton, who has won the championship seven times already, managed to qualify fourth in Canada in the rain. He finished the race one spot up, claiming his very first podium spot since the first race in Bahrain. Although “one swallow doesn’t a summer maketh”, Hamilton fans will certainly be behind the Brit winning in front of his home crowd again this year. However, he doesn’t lead the way in odds, so could be a good outside proposition if you’re looking for a more risky option.