F1 Odds, Picks: Best Bets for Austrian Grand Prix

The 11th race on the Formula One calendar is one Max Verstappen and Red Bull have looked forward to all season. Verstappen is in pole position for the fourth consecutive time in Spielberg as he looks to win this year’s Austrian Grand Prix.

Red Bull’s three-time world champion leads the field as the overwhelming favorite in Austria. Will Verstappen cruise to victory, or will another driver spoil the party at Red Bull Ring? Check out the latest F1 odds and betting picks for the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.

F1 Odds on Austrian Grand Prix

While it seems like Verstappen is built for any race, Red Bull Ring in Spielberg is arguably his most dominant track on the F1 calendar. The Dutchman has a record four victories in Austria since 2018, claimed pole position for the fourth year in a row and won Saturday’s Sprint race to pad his WDC lead. Therefore, it’s no surprise to any Formula One fan to see Verstappen given -500 odds or better to win Sunday’s Grand Prix.

According to the betting odds, Lando Norris is the only realistic challenger for Verstappen. McLaren’s star driver finished second in Canada and Spain for his fifth podium in six races. Norris battled Verstappen in the Sprint and will line up in the front row on Sunday, but he’ll have to have the drive of his life to secure his second career victory.

Other drivers who should contend for a podium include Mercedes teammates George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari’s duo of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc and Norris’ teammate at McLaren, Oscar Piastri. For what it’s worth, Piastri finished second in the Sprint and had the third-best qualifying lap, but the time was deleted due to exceeding track limits, placing him in seventh on Sunday.

Top Picks for the F1 Austrian Grand Prix

Formula One doesn’t lend itself to many upsets. It’s unwise to throw too much money on a driver to upset Verstappen, but you’d have to risk a lot of money on the Dutchman to justify his bloated odds. Fortunately, sportsbooks have other F1 betting markets to consider for Sunday’s race.

Here are my top three betting picks for the Austrian Grand Prix:

Sergio Perez – Top 6 Finish +175 (bet365)

It’s been a rough go for Perez in recent weeks. Red Bull’s other driver hasn’t finished on the podium in the last five races, while his teammate has dominated in the same car. While he likely won’t snap the podium drought on Sunday, I love his odds to finish inside the top six.

Perez has always been better in races than in qualifying sessions, so unlocking RB20’s speed won’t be an issue. The six-time race winner will have 71 laps at his team’s home track to move up the leaderboard. This is after Perez overtook over half the grid in Austria last season, going from 15th to third.

Given McLaren’s improved performance, I’m not quite ready to predict that “Checo” will finish in the top three. However, I could see the veteran move up at least two spots to end the race inside the top six.

Charles Leclerc – Race Matchup Over Carlos Sainz +130 (ESPN BET)

This is the last season of Ferrari’s Leclerc-Sainz pairing, with Lewis Hamilton replacing Sainz for 2025 and beyond. The two drivers have finished side-by-side in almost every race this season, so neither has a distinct advantage on Sunday. Therefore, I’m capitalizing on Leclerc’s plus-money odds to finish ahead of his soon-to-be ex-teammate.

Sainz is starting the race in the fourth spot, while Leclerc is opening sixth on the grid. However, Leclerc has had much greater success in Austria than Sainz. The Monegasque driver is the only driver besides Verstappen to win in Spielberg in the last five seasons and finished just five seconds behind Max in 2023. Meanwhile, Sainz fell from third to sixth in last year’s Austrian GP and suffered a ten-second time penalty for exceeding track limits.

Leclerc also performed well at Saturday’s Sprint race, going from 10th to seventh in just 23 laps. On the other hand, Sainz stayed in the fifth spot from start to finish. Look for the No. 16 driver to out-drive his teammate this weekend.

McLaren – Double Podium Finish +550 (DraftKings)

Anything with odds this high is far from a no-brainer. However, the MCL38’s improved performance makes McLaren an intriguing bet to finish with two of the three podium positions on Sunday.

This bet requires Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to finish inside the top three. Given his position on the grid and overall speed, it’s safe to assume Norris claims one of those spots. The real question is if Piastri can move from seventh to third throughout this 71-lap race. Based on his second-place finish at the Sprint and his third-best lap time in qualifying, the second-year Australian has found the necessary pace to put in another excellent performance.

McLaren is just 26 points behind Ferrari for second place in the Constructors’ Championship standings and has finished with at least one man on the podium in six straight races. At +550 odds, I’m taking a flier on Norris fending off challengers and Piastri making enough overtakes in one of F1’s longest races.

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