Austrian Grand Prix Betting Tips: Lando to upset the pack

The Formula 1 action moves swiftly on from a close race in Barcelona to Spielberg this week for the Austrian Grand Prix.

There's even less time for the drivers to get used to the change of venue than usual as it's a sprint-race weekend, with only one practice session before qualifying and a shorter race on Saturday before the main event on Sunday.

World champion Max Verstappen has won seven of the ten races this season including the last two rounds in Canada and Spain, but both of those were tight battles and another exciting weekend is in prospect.

The Dutchman has won two of the last three races at his team's home circuit and is the favourite to extend that sequence.

Tip1 - Lando Norris to win race @ 5/2

World champion Max Verstappen has won 70 per cent of the races so far in the 2024 F1 season but he is yet to win three in a row and will be bidding to set that straight at the circuit named after his team, the Red Bull Ring.

The Dutch driver has been made to work much harder for his latest successes, though, and the gap between him and his main market rival for victory in Austria, Lando Norris, may not be as large as the odds suggest.

There could be little to choose between the pair again after Verstappen won by just 2.2 seconds from Norris in Barcelona last week and 3.8 seconds in Canada in the previous race.

The British driver had a decent chance of winning both of those races and has now registered a top-two finish in five of the last six rounds to climb into second place in the championship.

Norris took pole in Barcelona, the third successive qualifying session that was not won by Verstappen after the champion was on pole for the first seven races.

The pack have clearly reduced the gap to Verstappen substantially and Norris has raced well at Austria enough times to suggest he has a real shot at another win this week.

His sixth place in Austria in 2019 was the best result of his rookie season with McLaren and he claimed his first career podium finish there when finishing third the following season.

Norris was third again at Spielberg in 2021 and his fourth place in last year's race was his team's first decent performance of the season, as his car felt the benefit of a major mid-season upgrade.

McLaren's progress has continued to the point where they looked to have the fastest car in Barcelona and he is worth backing to post his second win of the season.

Tip 2 - George Russell podium finish @ 9/4

Both Mercedes drivers have enjoyed their two best finishes of the season in the last two races and the team should be targeting a third successive podium in Austria.

George Russell was third in Canada after taking pole with Lewis Hamilton close behind in fourth and the pair filled the same places but the other way around in Spain.

Russell drives the track well, winning there in both the GP3 and Formula 2 junior series, and he was a solid fourth in the main race in 2022. The British driver struggled in qualifying at the track last season, but made great progress in both races, climbing from 15th to eighth in the sprint race and 11th to seventh in the main event.

There is a threat of thunderstorms in the forecast for the weekend too and Russell is capable of shining in tricky conditions.

Tip 3 - Sergio Perez top 6 finish @ 9/10

Sergio Perez's recent performances in the Red Bull have been little short of disastrous and if he cannot do even a little better in the team's home race, the decision to extend his contract will look to be a huge mistake.

Driving the same car that has taken Verstappen clear in the championship, the Mexican is in fifth place with just over half the points of his team-mate. He has two eighth-place finishes and two retirements in the last four races.

That poor run, however, means his odds for a top-six finish have drifted to an attractive mark.

Perez was second in the sprint race in Spielberg last season and third in the main race despite starting 15th on the grid, so a top-six finish this time should be a realistic target.