What to watch for: British Grand Prix (CNBC, NBC Sports app from 7:30am ET) - MotorSportsTalk

Lewis Hamilton’s charge to pole position at Silverstone in Saturday’s Formula 1 qualifying session for the British Grand Prix acted as the latest twist in a strange week for the sport.

Having announced and held a groundbreaking demonstration in the very heart of London earlier this week, F1 was dealt a blow when Silverstone confirmed it would be breaking its current contract after 2019 to host the British Grand Prix.

Hamilton, meanwhile, came under fire for being the only current driver to have missed the London showcase, only to then send the home crowd into raptures with a remarkable final lap in qualifying on Saturday.

You can watch the British Grand Prix live on CNBC and the NBC Sports app from 7:30am ET on Sunday. CLICK HERE to watch via live stream.

Here’s what to watch for in today’s race from Silverstone.

2017 British Grand Prix – What to watch for

Hamilton chases fifth home win

Lewis Hamilton may have scored a PR own-goal earlier this week by missing the live event in London, but his on-track exploits have done much to impress the baying crowd at Silverstone so far this week.

Hamilton’s continued success has put more and more records in his sights, and a fifth win at Silverstone on Sunday would tie him up with Jim Clark and Alain Prost for the all-time record.

Hamilton looked imperious through qualifying, so if can channel the home support in the same kind of way on Sunday, it would be a massive result for his championship bid.

Ferrari hopes to make numbers count

Ferrari may have struggled to match Mercedes’ pace through Friday practice or qualifying, but it heads into Sunday’s race with one key advantage: numbers.

Following Valtteri Bottas’ grid penalty for a gearbox change, Hamilton will have to fend off the Scuderia by himself at the front. Kimi Raikkonen starts second on Sunday ahead of Sebastian Vettel in P3.

Ferrari has traditionally gone stronger in the races so far this season than qualifying, giving Vettel some hope that he can rain on Hamilton’s parade and extend his championship lead.

Bottas, Ricciardo plot fightbacks from grid penalties

Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo have been two of F1’s in-form racers recently, yet both have a challenge to continue their good recent record after being hit with grid penalties at Silverstone for gearbox changes.

Bottas drops from P4 to P9 on the grid, giving him a challenge to battle back through the midfield and rejoin the Mercedes/Ferrari train ot front, while Ricciardo will start P19 after a turbo issue in qualifying forced him out in Q1.

The high-speed 2017 cars have been spectacular to watch so far this weekend at Silverstone. Seeing them pick their way back through the field should be particularly exciting to watch.

Genuine hope for McLaren at home?

McLaren has not won the British Grand Prix since 2008, and while that is highly unlikely to change today, the team does head into the race with some genuine hope that it could hit the points.

The ‘Spec 3’ Honda power unit upgrade has offered a noticeable step forward in terms of performance, allowing Stoffel Vandoorne to partake in Q3 for the first time this season on Saturday.

The Belgian will start the race eighth on the grid, while teammate Fernando Alonso faces his usual challenge of recovering from the back of the field after grid penalties for power unit changes.

Strangely though, at a high-speed circuit where power matters, things may not be so bleak for McLaren.

2017 British Grand Prix – Starting Grid

1. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2. Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari
3. Sebastian Vettel Ferrari
4. Max Verstappen Red Bull
5. Nico Hulkenberg Renault
6. Sergio Perez Force India
7. Esteban Ocon Force India
8. Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren
9. Valtteri Bottas Mercedes*
10. Romain Grosjean Haas
11. Jolyon Palmer Renault
12. Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso
13. Carlos Sainz Jr. Toro Rosso
14. Felipe Massa Williams
15. Lance Stroll Williams
16. Kevin Magnussen Haas
17. Pascal Wehrlein Sauber
18. Marcus Ericsson Sauber
19. Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull**
20. Fernando Alonso Red Bull***

* Valtteri Bottas received a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change.
** Daniel Ricciardo received a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change.
*** Fernando Alonso received a 30-place grid penalty for multiple power unit changes.

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FORT WORTH, Texas – Defending series champion Will Power’s name is off the board of potential IndyCar free agents, but there’s still much to be settled in the field – starting with the reigning Indy 500 winner.

Marcus Ericsson is waiting on a contract offer to remain with Chip Ganassi Racing beyond the 2023 season (his fourth with the team). The Swede said he’s made it clear to car owner Chip Ganassi that he wants to stay in the No. 8 Dallara-Honda, which has four victories since June 2021.

“Yeah, it’s up to him, basically,” Ericsson said Friday at Texas Motor Speedway. “He needs to give me an offer for ’24 onward. The ball is in his corner. I really enjoy it at Ganassi, and we’ve done a lot of great things together and would love to continue, but the ball is in his corner. He knows very well what I want.”

INDYCAR AT TEXAS: Scheduls, start times, how to watch on NBC, Peacock

Two days before Ericsson won the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg season opener March 5, Ganassi sang the praises of the emerging star driver to a small group of reporters.

“I want him here beyond this year,” Ganassi said of Ericsson. “He seems to have gotten more out of winning the Indy 500 than anyone else has of recent time, which is a good thing. He did a good job. He’s been everywhere. It’s been a really positive thing for Marcus, the team, the series. He’s grown with that as well.”

Ericsson didn’t sew up his current deal until late in his breakthrough 2021 season (after a memorable victory in the inaugural Music City Grand Prix). So he isn’t necessarily anxious about it but conceded he “was thinking a bit about it over the winner in the offseason and talking about it

“But now that the season has started, I told my managers and everyone I want to focus on the driving. They focus on those things. Now the season is on, and I want to try to win races, win another 500 and championship. That’s where my focus is. (A new contract) is one of those things that happens when it happens. But I’m happy where I am, and I want to do well.”

IndyCar’s two best teams, Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing, tend to be very tight-lipped about their drivers’ contract status.

Power confirmed Friday to journalist Bruce Martin that his new deal was for multiple seasons. That means all three of Penske’s drivers are in multiple-year contracts (unlike Power’s deal, Scott McLaughlin’s extension was announced by the team last year).

But there is more uncertainty at Ganassi’s four cars aside from Ericsson. While Scott Dixon has a ride for as long as he wants (and the six-time champion has given no indication of retiring), Ganassi’s other two other seats have yet to be solidified beyond 2023.

The No. 11 is being split this year by rookie Marcus Armstrong and veteran Takuma Sato this season. In the No. 10, Alex Palou is believed to be in his final year at Ganassi before heading to Arrow McLaren.

That expected move would cast doubt on the future of Felix Rosenqvist, who returned to Arrow McLaren when the team was unable to bring in Palou (who was embroiled in a contract dispute with Ganassi).

Aside from Penske, virtually every other IndyCar team (including Andretti Autosport, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Meyer Shank Racing, which has Helio Castroneves in a contract year) has seats that potentially could open for next season, and even drivers who appear to be under contract for next year still could be on the move (via buyouts and option years).

Though Juncos Hollinger Racing announced a “long-term, multiyear contract partnership” last July with Callum Ilott, but the second-year driver was cagey Friday when asked about how long the extension ran.

“It’s for whatever I want it to be,” said Ilott, who finished a career-best fifth at St. Petersburg. “I’ll say that.”

Before returning to JHR, Ilott turned enough heads as a rookie to draw interest from several teams, and he indicated Friday that he still would be listening.

“I’d love to talk to some other big teams,” Ilott said. “Nothing stops me from talking. Look, you’ve got to be fair. I agreed to (the deal), but it’s pretty obvious that I’m quite interested as people are interested in me as a driver, but I need to focus on the job I’ve got here.

“I’m confident whether it’s in one year, two years, three years, four years, that if I’m wanted now, I’ll always be wanted. I’m a good enough driver that I don’t need to lack confidence in that side. … I’m not worried.”