Six straight wins has Red Bull sitting pretty in Formula 1 heading into this weekend's British Grand Prix but could Ferrari or Mercedes be about to end that winning run at Silverstone?
The Scuderia and Silver Arrows are planning to introduce a series of upgrades which could close the gap on Red Bull at a circuit the challengers believe will play to the strengths of their cars.
Red Bull will have something to say about that but, on paper, the 77th edition of the British Grand Prix is shaping up to be one of the most competitive races of the season so far.
What | Formula 1 British Grand Prix |
| Where | Silverstone, Northamptonshire, England |
| When | 15:00, Sunday 3rd July, 2022 |
How to watch | Sky Sports F1 |
| Odds | Max Verstappen 1/1, Charles Leclerc 2/1, Sergio Perez 10/1, Lewis Hamilton 10/1, Carlos Sainz 12/1, George Russell 12/1 |
Ferrari facing crunch race
After swapping wins with Red Bull to start the season, Ferrari's campaign has nosedived in spectacular fashion.
No win in six races has seen them lose significant ground, leaving Charles Leclerc 49 points adrift of Max Verstappen in the drivers' championship after failing to make the last four podiums.
Leclerc is out to 6/1 for the world title and if he is to turn the season around then his run of bad luck needs to end this weekend.
The 24-year-old has been badly let down by his Ferrari, failing to convert promising positions to win the three races before Canada, where a change of power unit saw him start from the back of the grid.
Leclerc put his new engine to good use in Montreal as he worked his way through the field to claim fifth and that, combined with the planned upgrades to his Ferrari, gives him a great shot at ending his run of luck at 2/1.
He and team mate Carlos Sainz will be sporting new rear wings on their F1-75s which Ferrari hope will improve the aerodynamic efficiency of their car through Silverstone's high-speed corners.
Costly cutbacks a worry for Red Bull
Ferrari were quick at this venue last year with Leclerc leading the race until the last few laps when a combination of tyre degradation and a rampaging Lewis Hamilton dropped him down to second.
That was the second time Hamilton had taken the lead in an epic race having early got past Verstappen, albeit in controversial circumstances as the two drivers collided, sending the Dutch driver bouncing into the barriers at 160mph.
Verstappen will be eager to make amends for how his last British Grand Prix finished and is the 1/1 favourite for win number seven of the year.
He has tasted victory at Silverstone before, in the once-off 70th Anniversary Grand Prix in 2020 a week after he had followed Hamilton home in this race, but his chances of a second win at the Northamptonshire circuit could be hampered by Red Bull's decision to rein in their spending.
Team principal Christian Horner says they won't be introducing any significant updates for the British Grand Prix or the subsequent three races due to concerns over the cost cap.
If the Red Bull is to remain largely unchanged for the next four races then Verstappen and team mate Sergio Perez face a much tougher challenge keeping the improved Ferrari at bay.
Home heroes hope to make an impact
The news of cut backs at Red Bull will be music to Mercedes' ears as they desperately try to unlock the potential of their car.
They too are bringing some major upgrades to the British Grand Prix and hope the porpoising that's hindered them throughout the year won't be such an issue on the smooth Silverstone circuit.
Having gone well in Barcelona, which shares characteristics with Silverstone, and off the back of a good showing in Canada, there are reasons to believe that Mercedes' British pair of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell can challenge for what would be a very popular podium finish.
Hamilton has given the home fans plenty to shout about in the past, winning the British Grand Prix eight times, while he hasn't finished outside the top two in the last nine races held at Silverstone.
He will be pushing his Mercedes, which has proven far more reliable than the Red Bull and Ferrari, hard to improve on that record, as will his impressive team mate George Russell.
Russell has finished ahead of Hamilton in all but two races and could add to his tally of three podium finishes at 2/1.
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McLaren under pressure
Russell and Hamilton look the most likely to get the British racing fans on their feet with compatriot Lando Norris entering the race in a slump.
Both he and fellow McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo missed out on the points in Canada, while Norris was fortunate to take ninth in Azerbaijan.
Team boss Zak Brown has piled the pressure on ahead of this weekend's race by saying he expects both drivers to finish in the top-10, believing they are another team that will be better suited to Silverstone.
But with no major upgrades being introduced and the likes of Alpine and Alfa Romeo far more consistent and performing well, there are no guarantees McLaren will get both cars into the top-six at 5/1.
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