Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari… a genuine four-team battle for race victories… the new Formula 1 season looks set to be a cracker – and it all begins Down Under this weekend.
Max Verstappen is bidding to win a fifth-consecutive drivers’ championship, but the Dutchman faces a tough test as Red Bull lost their long-held advantage last year as the likes of constructors’ champions McLaren and Ferrari outdeveloped them.
Hamilton is hoping his switch to the Prancing Horse can help him land a record-breaking eighth title and he will, no doubt, be eager to get off to a flying start in Australia as the roadshow returns to its traditional opening slot in Melbourne.
Our tipster Alex Harris has run the rule over Paddy Power’s Australian Grand Prix betting with a fine-tooth comb to pick out a few fancies.
F1 Tips
Overall Qualification Winner – Lando Norris
Winner – George Russell (E/W)
Points Finish – Carlos Sainz
WHEN: Sunday, 16th March – 04:00
WHERE: Albert Park Circuit
TV: Sky Sports F1
Overall Qualification Winner – Lando Norris
Lando Norris bagged six poles from a possible 10 in the second half of last season – and that dominance over one lap should continue into the current campaign.
The general vibe is that McLaren boast the quickest car on the grid and the hot conditions forecast for qualifying on Saturday are likely to play to the MCL39’s advantage if it is anything like its predecessor.
Winner – George Russell (E/W)
Mercedes had the most productive pre-season testing and their new challenger, the W16, got through plenty of laps to provide crucial date for the team’s boffins to analyse.
George Russell posted the second-quickest time of the testing period and that carried on from Mercedes showing the occasional flash of promise last term.
Lewis Hamilton’s departure means Russell is the team’s clear number one and he will want to make a statement on the opening weekend.
The chance of lower temperatures and rain should help bring Mercedes into play as last year’s car performed well in cooler conditions – as well as cutting the likely deficit to McLaren and Ferrari.
Russell should be in contention for the podium at least, which is handy with Paddy Power paying three places each-way.
Points Finish – Carlos Sainz
Carlos Sainz is an absurdly good signing for Williams and his arrival, coupled with some positive signs in pre-season testing, makes me think the Grove-based team can challenge Aston Martin for fifth in the constructors’ championship.
As well as bringing race-winning experience to the party, Sainz is a consistent, reliable driver who will have provided plenty of useful feedback to the engineering team in recent weeks, which could see the FW47 make a strong start to the season.
He punched in the fastest time of the testing period in Bahrain and his record at the Albert Park Circuit makes a Points Finish a realistic proposition this weekend.
Sainz led home a Ferrari 1-2 in last year’s Australian Grand and bagged points in four of his other seven F1 races at the track.
Australian Grand Prix Tips
Overall Qualification Winner – Lando Norris
Winner – George Russell (E/W)
Points Finish – Carlos Sainz
*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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