Cross your palms with Silverstone

Valencia wasn't the most entertaining race Formula 1 has ever produced and we now move from the new to the old as the F1 circus moves to Silverstone.

There have been plenty of changes made to the circuit in the last two years and this year will see the start/finish straight moved as well as the new pit complex which will provide the drivers with a new challenge; albeit one they will come to terms with reasonably quickly during the practice sessions.

Without sounding like a broken record, there is only one man to beat in qualifying and we once again take Sebastian Vettel at 1/2 to leave his rivals in the shade.

Although the rule change banning blown diffusers will hurt the Red Bulls, they should still be strong enough to be the class of the field and 1/2 for a Red Bull to be the race winner also looks like an attractive bet.

It's time for Lewis Hamilton to make some headlines on the track for the right reasons and even if there is a genuine possibility of him moving on from McLaren, he is professional enough to put that to one side and put in a strong performance in front of his home fans. Back him to reach the podium at 4/6, he should score points at the least but at cramped odds of 1/7 its impossible to back.

Nico Rosberg enjoyed a podium finish here last year and with Mercedes showing some strong form, not to mention Schumacher beginning to show his class, we expect Rosberg to step up and score points at 4/11, responding to a couple of strong races from the seven-times world champion.

Our outsider to watch this weekend, and taking into account weather forecasts that predict some rain around is Jaime Alguersari, who has been in decent form recently and could be a good bet to make it to the points at 11/4.

One more thing to look out for and if you're into your in-running betting, then Jenson Button is available at 12/1 to win the Grand Prix in most places. In changeable weather conditions, he steps up, so look to back now, and lay it off at potentially much shorter prices if it rains.

Selections

Vettel to take pole at 1/2
Red Bull as winning car at 1/2
Hamilton to make it on to the podium at 4/6
Rosberg to score points 4/11
Alguersari to score points at 11/4
Button to win the race at 12/1 but look to lay at shorter prices if rain comes

John Pennington of http://www.thelunchwatchman.com/ writes for www.likebuyingmoney.blogspot.com