Hamilton lacks pace to compete in British Grand Prix

Britain’s Lewis Hamilton is the only homegrown driver to have claimed victory at Silverstone in the last 12 years but by his own admission he will struggle to compete this time round.

The Silver Arrows ace has had a better season than most predicted so far – finishing on the podium three times and narrowly missing out on third in Monaco – but the way in which he surrendered third to the much faster Fernando Alonso in Canada has poured doubt over his ability to claim the chequered flag.

Speaking after the race in Montreal, Hamilton explained: “Sebastian Vettel was pulling away from me at a second per lap.

“We’re not going to gain a second before the next race. But we can definitely beat the rest.”

Whether or not Hamilton is playing down his chances to ease the pressure remains to be seen, but while he may not attract much attention at 7/1 to win the race, he could prove a tempting selection to finish in the top three.

The 2008 champion himself mentioned that the pace of Vettel will be his biggest obstacle at Silverstone and with Red Bull winning three of the last four British Grand Prix, it’s easy to see why.

The three-time world champion has three victories under his belt already this season, leading the standings by an impressive 36 points, and at 13/8 the betting suggests he will cross the line first at Silverstone for the first time since 2009.

His Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber has won two of the last three meetings in the UK and cannot be completely overlooked here, but just one podium finish in his last five races has seen his odds slide to 9/1.

Ferrari’s Alonso moved into second in the championship standings by passing Hamilton for second in Monaco and if the Spaniard can show such pace from the start this time round the 3/1 offered on him claiming a third win of the season could be a shrewd investment.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.