F1 Tips
Sprint Qualifying – George Russell (E/W)
Outright Betting – Lando Norris
Points Finish – Nico Hülkenberg
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
Max Verstappen’s a bit of a genius, isn’t he? Spain was the third Grand Prix out of the last four that the Dutchman has taken the chequered flag despite the RB20 losing its status as the fastest car on the grid.
It’s fair to say Formula 1 has regained that excitement lost over the last couple of years as evidence is stacking up that Red Bull are no longer dominant over the rest of the field, with McLaren looking dangerous, Ferrari remaining solid and Mercedes are finally finding pace.
The Austrian Grand Prix is Red Bull’s home race and the Red Bull Ring has been a happy hunting ground for Verstappen, who boasts five victories at the track, so it could be an opportunity for the drivers’ champion to further increase his lead at the top of the standings.
I’ve run the rule over Paddy Power’s odds for the Austrian Grand Prix and picked out a few fancies. Let’s get into gear and head on over!
Austrian Grand Prix
Sprint Shootout: Friday 15:30
Sprint: Saturday 11:00
Qualifying: Saturday 15:00
Race: Sunday 14:00
TV: Sky Sports F1
Sprint Qualifying – George Russell (E/W)
Mercedes are back in the game as their front-wing upgrade seems to have worked a treat.
The Silver Arrows have been firmly in the mix in the last few rounds and podiums for George Russell in Canada and Lewis Hamilton in Spain are proof of their progress.
Mercedes engineers believe their improvement means the lack of practice time in Austria – it is a sprint weekend after all – should not be a problem and they can hit the ground running from the word go.
Russell – AKA Mr Saturday for his prowess over one lap at former team Williams – is 10-2 in qualifying against his team-mate this season and his recent pole in Canada points towards a solid effort in the sprint shootout.
Outright Betting – Lando Norris
As previously mentioned, Red Bull have lost their clear advantage and Max Verstappen is having to pull it out of the bag again and again to continue winning.
The data would suggest McLaren are the team that have been most successful at closing the gap to the Bulls and Lando Norris is the driver bringing the challenge to Verstappen.
It is a slight concern that Norris has failed to convert a couple of decent opportunities since breaking his maiden status in Miami, but his record at the Red Bull Ring offers encouragement as he has stepped foot on the podium here on two occasions.
The sprint weekend format should favour Norris over Verstappen in terms of getting their set-up spot on and it seems worth taking on the Dutchman at the current prices.
Points Finish – Nico Hülkenberg
Haas are concerned the high-speed corners at the Red Bull Ring will expose the VF-24’s weaknesses, but the last two editions of the Austrian Grand Prix has seen the team pick up points.
Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen scored a combined 12 points in 2022 (the latter also earned two points in the sprint) before Nico Hülkenberg finished sixth in last season’s sprint.
Hülkenberg, who is set to join Sauber next term, is enjoying an impressive campaign and is unlucky to only have six points on the board as he has hit the post in half of this year’s races.
A lack of room on track could aid the German’s chances of reaching Q3 on Saturday and that would set him up to be in a scoring position the following day.
Austrian Grand Prix Betting Tips
Sprint Qualifying – George Russell (E/W)
Outright Betting – Lando Norris
Points Finish – Nico Hülkenberg
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
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