F1 heads to Silverstone this weekend for the British Grand Prix, one of the most anticipated races on the calendar. After George Russell’s brilliant win at the Red Bull Ring, the Championship picture has shifted once again, with the second Mercedes driver closing the gap on runaway leader Kimi Antonelli. With home advantage and the momentum of an Austrian win behind him, Russell will be desperate to win his home GP for the first time in front of a passionate British crowd. We preview the weekend and offer up a couple of suggested bets for consideration.
DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE
Kimi Antonelli still leads the Drivers’ Championship on 171 points, but the gap has shrunk. George Russell has moved up to second on 131 points off the back of his Austrian GP win, with Lewis Hamilton third for Ferrari on 125. Oscar Piastri is fourth on 80 points, with Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc level on 79, and Max Verstappen sits seventh on 73, still short of his usual position in the title fight.
Antonelli remains the title favourite at 1.60, with Russell backed into 2.90 on the back of his Austrian win. Hamilton sits at 8.00, while Verstappen is at 21.00, Leclerc at 26.00 and Norris at 67.00. Piastri is the rank outsider of the leading group at 101.00. The market is now clearly telling us this is a two-Mercedes fight for the title.
Click here for betting on Drivers Championship winner
CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE
Mercedes are still running away with the Constructors’ Championship on 302 points, with their advantage strengthened further by Russell’s win in Austria. Ferrari sit second on 204 after Hamilton picked up another podium of his own, while McLaren remain a clear third on 159.
The bookies have Mercedes as overwhelming favourites at 1.08 to seal the constructors’ title, with Ferrari out at 7.50 and McLaren at 17.00.
Click here for betting on Constructors Championship winner
Last Race – Austrian GP 2026
Last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring produced a fantastic race and a headline win for George Russell, his second victory of the season and a huge result at a critical point in the campaign. Max Verstappen came home second for Red Bull in a strong showing on home Red Bull soil, with Championship leader Kimi Antonelli third for Mercedes. Oscar Piastri was fourth for McLaren, with Lewis Hamilton fifth for Ferrari and Isack Hadjar producing another eye-catching sixth for Red Bull. Lando Norris was seventh and Charles Leclerc rounded out the top eight.
British GP 2025
Last year’s British Grand Prix delivered a memorable home victory for Lando Norris, with the McLaren driver holding off team-mate Oscar Piastri in a thrilling one-two finish for the papaya team. Nico Hülkenberg produced a superb drive to complete the podium in third for Sauber, in a result that will live long in the memory. Lewis Hamilton, still with Mercedes at the time, came home fourth in front of his home crowd, while Max Verstappen had to settle for fifth. George Russell endured a tougher afternoon, eventually crossing the line down in tenth after a difficult race for the Silver Arrows.
CIRCUIT
Silverstone is one of the most iconic circuits on the calendar and remains a firm favourite among drivers and fans alike. The 5.891km layout is fast, flowing and unforgiving, with the high-speed sweeps through Maggotts, Becketts and Chapel among the most demanding corners in Formula 1. Copse, Stowe and Club also punish the smallest mistakes, making aerodynamic balance and driver confidence absolutely critical. Weather is almost always a factor in Northamptonshire, and a sudden shower can turn the race on its head. Overtaking is possible into Village and down the Hangar Straight into Stowe, so we should be treated to plenty of wheel-to-wheel racing throughout the field.
Motorsport Money Back
Minimum odds of 1/1 required to qualify.
Single/ Straight bets only.
Pre-match bets only.
Free Bets do not count towards this offer.
Refund must be claimed within 24 hours of the tournament finishing.
Refund limited to 1 refund per customer per event.
Free Bet vouchers received must be used within 7 days.
Max refund per account per day in Free Bets:
- Max refund per account per day – R5,000
- Max refund for Black card members per day – R7,500
- Max refund for Super Black card members per day – R10,000
Free Bets terms and conditions apply.
Simply email promotions@wsb.co.za with Subject ‘Motorsport Money Back’ within 24 hours of the tournament ending.
BETTING (2026 British GP) – Click here to bet
Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 2.60
George Russell (Mercedes) 3.10
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 6.00
Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) 6.00
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 15.00
Lando Norris (McLaren) 23.00
Betting and Verdict:
Russell comes into this weekend on the back of a brilliant win in Austria, his second victory of the season after also winning the opening round in Australia. He has now closed the gap to his teammate to 40 points after it looked like Antonelli was going to run away with the title, and he will be desperate to make full use of his home advantage this weekend to eat into that deficit further. Russell is yet to win his home Grand Prix, but this year everything looks to have lined up perfectly for him, he is on top form, the Mercedes is clearly the car to beat, and the Silverstone crowd will be roaring him on from lights out to chequered flag.
Suggested bet: George Russell to win at 3.10.
Not only are we backing Russell to win the race this weekend, we are also backing him to win the sprint. There have been three sprint races so far this season, and Russell has managed to win two of them, in Shanghai and Montreal, with Norris taking the other in Miami. Russell has shown tremendous pace in the short format and, once again with the backing of his home crowd, we think there is every chance he doubles up over the course of the weekend at Silverstone.
Suggested Bet: George Russell to win sprint race at 3.00.
Click here for all British Grand Prix Betting Markets
Note: All prices correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
