F1 Insider: Australian Grand Prix betting tips & odds plus race start time, weekend TV schedule & track guide

Formula 1

Thu March 22, 2018 · 7y ago

Our F1 Insider sees value in the outright market ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, while we have everything else you need to know including a track guide and the weekend schedule.

Melbourne's Albert Park hosts the curtain-raising Grand Prix of the new Formula One season as Lewis Hamilton begins his bid to become only the third driver in history to win the title more than four times.

Here, we have our F1 Insider's betting tips as well a whole host of essential information ahead of race weekend...

F1 Insider Tips

Race winner: Valtteri Bottas each-way at 15/2 (1/5 1,2,3)

A dissection of the performances of each car in testing at Barcelona earlier this month suggests that Mercedes look to have maintained their small but significant edge on race pace. Caveats abound given that the Albert Park street circuit is a very different track to Montmelo's smooth, sweeping turns but it would be a surprise not to see both Mercedes cars on the rostrum on Sunday. Lewis Hamilton is the more likely winner but the 6/4 place terms swing the value towards Bottas, victor in last season's finale in Abu Dhabi.

Top 6 finishes: Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz both at 9/2

There's enough doubt about both the pace and reliability of the McLaren to justify a betting angle on the Renault works team being 'best of the rest' ahead of their more celebrated customer team. Both Hulkenberg and Sainz are drivers at the top of their game who can take advantage of any teething troubles or slip-ups by the big three teams who are likely to have the edge on raw pace. With inclement weather forecast and question marks over their rivals, Renault can pick up where they left off 2017 and continue punching above their weight.

Posted at 2000 GMT on 21/03/18; selections at best available price via oddschecker.com