Formula 1 drivers are back from their holidays and ready to accelerate into the second half of the 2024 season as the both championships look set for exciting conclusions.
Our tipster Alex Harris has run the rule over Paddy Power’s Dutch Grand Prix betting and picked out a few fancies.
F1 Tips
Outright Betting – Max Verstappen
Podium Finish – Lewis Hamilton
Points Finish – Yuki Tsunoda
WHEN: Sunday, August 25 – 14:00
WHERE: Circuit Zandvoort
TV: Sky Sports F1
Outright Betting – Max Verstappen
Red Bull have lost their dominance over the rest of the field and Max Verstappen is winless in four races, which was an unthinkable prospect at the start of the season.
Helmut Marko has been busy slagging off the RB20 in the build up to the Dutch Grand Prix, admitting the team has taken a wrong step with their upgrades, although it would be foolish to rule Verstappen and the Bulls out of contention, especially with the partisan crowd cheering him home.
The Dutchman has a stupendous record at Zandvoort since its addition to the Formula 1 schedule in 2021, having converted pole position to the chequered flag in all three editions.
Qualifying will be the key to victory and the threat of rain on Saturday only boosts Verstappen’s chances as he is a master in the wet (and the dry if the forecast turns out to be milder than feared).
Mercedes and McLaren will, no doubt, have their drivers in contention and it will be a massive challenge for Verstappen to lead the pack home but I think he will, just about, get the job done.
Podium Finish – Lewis Hamilton
With three wins from the last four races before the summer break, Mercedes are the team with the momentum heading into the second half of the season.
Lewis Hamilton took the chequered flag on two of those occasions and is the only driver – other than Verstappen – with multiple victories this term, although his success at Spa was inherited as a result of team-mate George Russell’s disqualification.
The seven-time world champion has yet to taste victory at Zandvoort – his record reads second (2021), fourth (2022) and sixth (2023) – but he should be in the mix for a Podium Finish as a result of Mercedes’ rapid improvement.
Points Finish – Yuki Tsunoda
Yuki Tsunoda has bagged points in half of this season’s 14 races to date, but is a huge price to be classified in the top 10 this weekend.
That’s probably because the Japanese driver has a wretched record in the Dutch Grand Prix, with last season’s 15th place representing his best result at Zandvoort.
But Tsunoda’s enjoying a solid season and RB have gradually got their act together after a slower-than-expected start to compete with Aston Martin for the tag of fifth-best team on the grid.
Put a line through Tsunoda’s 16th-place finish in Belgium before the summer break, because he started from the back of the grid as a result of 60 places worth of penalties, and I think he will be in contention for a Points Finish.
Dutch Grand Prix Tips
Outright Betting – Max Verstappen
Podium Finish – Lewis Hamilton
Points Finish – Yuki Tsunoda
*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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