Fantasy Racing - Honda Indy Toronto, Formula1 Grand Prix of Great Britain

It's time to give our fantasy racing predictions for the weekend of July 6-8. Again, the IndyCar predictions follow the rules of IndyCar Nation's fantasy game, while the Formula1 predictions follow the Pirelli GP Challenge format.

Honda Indy Toronto: (Picks are due 9:00 AM Eastern on 7/07/12)

General things to consider: 1. Remember last year's race.  2. Honda vs. Chevy doesn't matter this week...maybe Lotus either.  3. Keep an eye on how many picks of each racer you have left.

• Will Power - Hopefully you have at least three uses of Will Power left to go with five straight road races upcoming. He and Franchitti tangled on this track last year, and you know for sure that Power wants revenge. It's near impossible NOT to pick Power if you have uses of him left.
• Dario Franchitti - Won in Toronto last year, fastest in both Friday practice sessions. He's in desperate need of points after his engine gave out before the green flag even waved in Iowa. And, if rain does fall, who better to pick than the Scot?
• Simon Pagenaud - He's probably a racer you haven't used too much this year, especially on the last stretch of ovals. If you did, bravo! He's completed all but two laps this year, and averaging a top five finish on road races. He's about as much of a sure thing as possible right now. Like Power, if you have uses left, use them up on this stretch of road courses!
• Oriol Servia - He's mid pack on speed so far. Nothing new. He's still the best shot at the hard-charger bonus points, and certainly worth the pick this week!
• Helio Castroneves - Helio gets my last pick because Will Power is the SLOWEST of the Penske cars so far, and I trust Helio more than I trust Briscoe. Penske is quick this week, and Helio's had a few tough races recently. He's due for a bounce back and looks strong so far.

Others to consider: Tony Kanaan (needs good result to stay in points contention), Ryan Hunter-Reay (two straight wins on ovals, two top-three finishes on roads, second in points), Simona de Silvestro (if you are low on picks of big names...use this week to see how she does, but Lotus's new engine looks solid so far!)


Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone

General things to consider: 1. Rain rain rain rain rain....need I say more?  No DRS and all chassis much more equal. 2. Great Britain race = home field advantage?  3. Ignore early practice times, not much telling in the hydroplaning conditions.

1. Lewis Hamilton - Considered one of the best in the rain, including a rain-soaked Silverstone in 2009. He's in championship contention and needs a great result after a sad ending in Valencia.
2. Fernando Alonso - Any doubts about the F2012 should have been put to rest after Alonso's victory in the Grand Prix of Europe. In the only other rain race this year, Alonso and the "bad" Ferarri chassis took control and won. With rain an almost certainty, I expect Alonso up front again.
3. Michael Schumacher - Back-to-back podiums? Why not? Last year in Canada, Schumacher worked his way up to second with some of the greatest rain racing F1 has ever seen. Then with less than ten laps left, DRS was enabled. Skill put him in second, DRS took him off of the podium. It won't dry enough for DRS this time. 

Fastest Lap: Sebastian Vettel - Always a good choice, though this is usually a crapshoot.
Fastest Pit Stops: Felipe Massa - Struggling, he'll try something brave with pit strategy in my opinion. And if not, he has one of the top pit crews in the sport right now.


Others to consider for podium: Paul di Resta (strategy kings, hometown, good in rain), Sebastian Vettel (no DRS, if starts on pole and takes off like normal, there's no catching him)