After a one month break, Formula 1 is back for Round 19, the United States Grand Prix.
And we are back with a bang. We do not have one race, but two, with a Sprint Race on Saturday. And while McLaren have not only closed the gap, but overtaken Red Bull with regards to performances and results in the main race, the Sprint Race is Verstappen territory with him winning each of the last 5.
McLaren v Red Bull
Red Bull and McLaren are rumoured to be bringing upgrades to their cars for this weekend. Normally at this stage the focus turns to building and manufacturing next seasons car but with Red Bull and McLaren battling it out for the constructers championship, and with Lando in with a chance of pipping Verstappen to the drivers championship, the focus is clearly still on this season.
Lando is 7/5 to win the sprint race, clearly tempting and a play, but something tells me Verstappen is worth a play at 9/2 at Hills.
Main Race
For the race itself, I'm looking at the McLarens in their special chrome livery for this race. Lando is odds in some places, but odds against, 11/10 at SkyBet, and while I fancy Norris to win, there is so much that can go wrong in this 56 lap, 191 mile long race. It's just too short for my liking. Piastri is a play at 5/1 but my concern is McLaren will, quite rightly, prioritise Lando over Piastri and team orders may scupper the 5/1. But I'm backing either of these 2 to win.
Points Finish
I am going to end with some "to finish in the points" bets, and I am looking at 3 drivers. Alex Albon in the Williams has finished in the top 10 in 2 of the last 3 races, he retired last time in Singapore, he's 2/1 at Unibet to finish top 10. His team mate, Colapinto is 7/2 and is worth a play to finish in the points. He's impressed many on the grid with his driving ability, in his 3 races he has finished in the points once but just outside in the other two races, and both Williams finished top 10 in the United States Grand Prix last season, and my final pick to finish in the top 10 is Hulkenberg in the Haas in their home grand prix.
The German finished in the top 10 last time in Singapore and just missed out in Azerbaijan in the race before. Hulkenberg is 2/1 at Unibet to finish in the points and that is a play.
Good luck with your bets and always gamble responsibly.