Formula 1 betting, odds: Max Verstappen goes for win No. 5 in Austria
The Austrian Grand Prix is the second of six sprint race weekends this season and the format is slightly different
We all know that Max Verstappen will be favored ahead of every Formula 1 race for the rest of the season barring any incredibly surprising developments. The only mystery ahead of every race weekend is just how big of a favorite Verstappen will be.
He’s -275 at BetMGM ahead of Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix and is, once again, the runaway favorite. Fernando Alonso is the No. 2 favorite at +700 while Lewis Hamilton is at +800, Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez is at +900 and Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate George Russell is at +1400.
Verstappen is the winningest driver at the Red Bull Ring too. He scored back-to-back wins in 2018 and 2019 and then swept the 2021 doubleheader at the track. Charles Leclerc beat Verstappen by 1.5 seconds a year ago as the two drivers had 40 seconds on everyone else. Just five drivers finished on the lead lap of the caution-free race.
Sprint weekend format returns
There are six sprint races this season and the second happens Saturday. The sprint format is also tweaked slightly from 2022 and that’s important to note for betting purposes.
Friday will include a singular practice and then qualifying as the second session. Friday’s qualifying session will determine the starting lineup for Sunday’s race. That means teams need to be fast right away to have a chance at a good starting position on Sunday.
Saturday will include a qualifying session for the sprint itself and then the 100-kilometer sprint race. That means there’s just one practice session all weekend and it also means the sprint race doesn’t have any bearing on Sunday’s race itself. Previous sprint races have determined the starting lineup for the race the following day.
The sprint races in 2023 will still award points. The winner gets eight points and points descend by one through the driver in eighth getting a single point. But a bad Saturday now won’t set you back on Sunday. Though a bad Friday could really hurt you during the race.
Here are a few of our favorite bets ahead of the race weekend. After a profitable weekend in Canada, we’re looking to make some more money in Austria.
Charles Leclerc to finish in the top six in the race (-225)
Ferrari had a nice race in Canada and its car should keep up with Aston Martin and Mercedes on this track.
Max Verstappen to win pole on Friday (-185)
Leclerc is the No. 2 favorite for pole at +500. This is our favorite bet of the weekend.
Fernando Alonso to finish top three in the sprint (-110)
Aston Martin’s upgrades looked good in Canada — especially for Alonso — and we wouldn’t be surprised if he starts the sprint in second behind Verstappen.
Both Red Bull drivers to finish in the top three in the race (+130)
Verstappen finishing in the top three feels like a given so this is all down to Sergio Perez. He was last a season ago and hasn’t finished better than fourth at this track. We need his best Austria finish for this bet to cash.
Alex Albon to finish top 10 in the race (+160)
The Williams car could struggle in the twisty middle sector but it may also have enough pace on the straightaways to make up for it. Albon did a phenomenal job on a one-stop race in Canada to score points.
