F1 Tips: Australian Grand Prix best bets including a 10/1 punt

Australian Grand Prix Tips

Overall Qualification Winner – Charles Leclerc
Win Race and Fastest Lap – Max Verstappen
Points Finish – Max Verstappen, George Russell, Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly & Esteban Ocon

Well, well, well, the ‘Max Verstappen will win every race in the 2023 season’ hype is already dead in the water after Sergio Perez took the chequered flag at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last time out.

Despite failing to grab the top step on the podium, the two-time world champion underlined his – and Red Bull’s – supremacy by battling through the field from 15th on the grid to finish second behind his team-mate.

The Formula 1 circus heads Down Under for the third round of the year and, while the home fans won’t have Danny Ric to cheer on, McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri will fly the flag for the Aussies.

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I hate to be the bearer of bad news but the simple fact of geography means you’ll have to get up pretty early this weekend to catch Australian Grand Prix qualifying and the race…

The good news, however, is that I’ve gone through Paddy Power’s Australian Grand Prix odds to pick out some best bets. Let’s get to the tips…

Australian Grand Prix
Qualifying: Saturday 6am
Race: Sunday 6am
TV: Sky Sports Main Event/Sky Sports F1

Overall Qualification Winner – Charles Leclerc

You have to feel a bit sorry for Charles Leclerc because the evidence points towards the Ferrari car not being good enough to challenge for the world title.

The Monegasque only has six points on the board from two races but there have been excuses as a mechanical failure robbed him of a podium in Bahrain and a grid penalty limited his impact in Saudi Arabia.

Leclerc has a good record at the Albert Park Circuit having converted a pole into first place last year. He has also been putting in decent shifts in qualifying this season.

Ferrari have better qualifying pace than race pace so it’s worth taking a chance on Leclerc at a huge price to be the Overall Qualification Winner.

Win Race and Fastest Lap – Max Verstappen

You don’t have to be a genius to realise that Verstappen is the most likely winner of the Australian Grand Prix but the skinny Outright Betting odds reflect that.

One way to add a bit more value to the party is to back the Dutchman for the Win Race and Fastest Lap punt, especially after his antics in Jeddah to steal the bonus point when it became apparent victory was out of the question.

You would fancy Verstappen to roar back from the disappointment of being beaten by Perez to stick in a flawless race and build enough of a lead out in front to go for the fastest lap towards the closing stages of the race.

The only thing that can probably stop him for taking the chequered flag is his own machinery.

Points Finish – Max Verstappen, George Russell, Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly & Esteban Ocon

As previously discussed, Verstappen is the most likely winner and, at at the same price as team-mate Perez, he forms the first leg of our Points Finish acca.

Mercedes are talking up their chances of taking a small step forward in Australia and George Russell is one of the most consistent drivers on the grid for a Points Finish.

Aston Martin are the story of the season with their rapid car and Lance Stroll should place in the top 10 as long as the engine gremlins that forced him to retire from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix do not persist.

Alpine are hardly setting the world alight but seem to have the fifth-best car on the grid. Pierre Gasly has scored a couple of ninth-place finishes while Esteban Ocon recovered from his Bahrain horror show to take eighth in Saudi Arabia so the French duo round off our Points Finish acca.

*A Points Finish Acca with these four bets pays at approximately 3/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.