Chinese Grand Prix Betting Tips: Norris can secure second success
The F1 season got off to a dramatic start in Australia last weekend as Lando Norris won the season-opener in Melbourne for McLaren.
The rain-hit event left fans still unsure about the true pecking order up and down the grid, but it was an excellent weekend for the British driver as he bids to secure his first world championship.
Ferrari disappointed in Lewis Hamilton's first race for the team, but his old colleagues at Mercedes would have been pleased to take third and fourth through George Russell and impressive rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
World champion Max Verstappen finished second after coming third in qualifying, but he must already be worried about having to take the fight to McLaren alone once more after new team-mate Liam Lawson struggled on his debut for the team.
Verstappen won in China for the first time last season, but the event had previously been farmed by Hamilton, who has six Shanghai successes to his name.
Like last year, it's a sprint-race weekend, so the drivers will have only one free practice session before heading into sprint qualifying.
Tip 1 – Lando Norris to win the race @ 9/10
Lando Norris' victory in Australia was far from straightforward, even though the record books show that he was fastest in practice one, took pole position, claimed victory and set the fastest lap.
The McLaren man faced an early challenge from team-mate Oscar Piastri, went off track when a deluge of rain struck and suffered damage to his car's floor that made it more difficult for him to keep Verstappen at bay in the closing stages,
If the rain had stayed away, the balance of form over the weekend suggests Norris would have had a much more comfortable success, most probably in a one-two finish with team-mate Piastri, who spun off when the rain arrived and could only recover to finish ninth.
That may well be what we see this weekend with no rain forecast until after the race and Ferrari and Red Bull having had little time to turn things around.
The traditional race track in China is very different to the Melbourne street circuit, but the McLaren looks increasingly capable of performing to a high standard in all conditions.
Norris and Piastri lost a 15-second advantage they had built over Verstappen when the safety car was deployed following Fernando Alonso's crash and the narrow margin of victory means Norris' odds for this week's race are better than might have been the case if he had been able to disappear into the distance.
The British driver was second to Verstappen in China last season, when the race came before the major upgrade package his car received in Miami. He looks capable of extending his early advantage in the championship with a second win.
Tip 2 – Isack Hadjar top 10 finish @ 4/1
Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar was in tears on his debut F1 weekend after crashing out on the formation lap, but the young Frenchman had shown enough in practice and qualifying to suggest he could have a much more enjoyable race in China.
Last season's Formula 2 runner-up had made an excellent start in Melbourne, finishing sixth and ninth in the practice sessions before narrowly missing out on the final qualifying session and claiming 11th on the grid.
He was not able to see the lights go out for his first F1 race after sliding into the barriers on the formation lap, but he should be determined to put that right and is capable of a top-10 finish if he keeps his cool.
Hadjar's team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was an impressive fifth in qualifying, highlighting the car's potential.
Tip 3 – Andrea Kimi Antonelli to beat George Russell (matchup) @ 33/10
George Russell led the way for Mercedes in Australia with a podium finish after starting fourth on the grid, but he was only one place ahead of his teenage team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who was a sensational fourth in his first F1 race.
The young Italian had started down in 16th on the grid, but showcased some superb overtaking skills to work his way through the field.
Russell has raced in China only twice, so doesn't have as much of an experience edge at the track over Antonelli as he will at most others, and his best Shanghai finish was sixth last season.
The youngster may just be overpriced to outperform his British team-mate for the first time this weekend at odds of 33/10.
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Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change