The pressure is firmly on Lewis Hamilton who is in the midst of his longest drought since 2016. If the seven-time champion is to retain any hope of a record-breaking eighth Drivers' Championship this season then he knows that the rot must stop at Silverstone.
Even maximum points from Sunday’s showpiece event won’t be enough for Hamilton, who hasn't won any of the last five races, to overhaul Red Bull driver Max Verstappen who has won the last three events. A fourth would would leave Hamilton with a mountain to climb.
Hamilton and his fellow drivers must negotiate their way through an innovative new weekend format in which the one-hour qualifying session will take place on Friday evening.
The times of the three-segment qualifying session will then dictate grid positions for Saturday’s inaugural sprint race rather than Sunday’s main course. The finishing order of that 17-lap (100km) contest will then define grid positions for the grand prix.
Get British Grand Prix odds here
If Hamilton is going to turn things around then it is surely going to be at his home track, where he has been so dominant in recent years, especially as the 36-year-old will have the backing of a capacity Silverstone crowd as he bids to win this famous race for the seventh time in eight years.
However, his Mercedes car has fallen some way behind its Red Bull rival and although some minor upgrades are in the pipeline, Hamilton has made it clear that they won’t be enough to bridge the gap this term.
Red Bull have been trying and failing to compete with the Mercedes for six years but the combination of a new and improved Honda engine along with the removal of some flooring from the rear of the car that resulted in a huge reduction in downforce have resulted in a significantly quicker Red Bull car.
Hamilton may have thrilled the Silverstone crowd by taking pole position for Saturday's sprint but his superiority over Verstappen was marginal (less than a tenth of a second) and the Brit still faces a huge challenge if he is to keep his Mercedes nose in front for a 52-lap grand prix.
Hamilton is the new British Grand Prix betting favourite at 19/20* after Friday's qualifying but the value now lies with the Belgian who can be backed at 11/10 * with Grosvenor Sport.
Tip
Get British Grand Prix odds with Grosvenor Sport here
*Prices subject to change
