F1 Australian GP Guide: Ferrari Still Can't Get Out of Their Own Way
Race and Betting Guide for F1 Australian GP
Qualifying last night showed us a lot. For one, McLaren is a step above the rest of the field. They have a front row start and were the best cars on track so far this weekend; you have to be very excited if you're McLaren. On the other end of the excitement scale is every single Ferrari fan. What were they doing in Qualifying? Running on used tires in last push in Q3 and a handful of other execution errors lead the drivers to a 7th and 8th place starting position. Also, Max is still Max. Despite some potential car issues he is still an elite driver and will be starting in 3rd. Here is a look at the full starting grid.
Other Qualifying Notes
Jack Doohan got screwed by a yellow flag and some traffic in his final flying lap of Q2. I don't know if he would have been fast enough to get into Q3 with that lap, but his first 2 sectors looked pretty good.
Even though he finished P15 Bortoleto had a sick recovery in Q2 that could have ended very poorly.
Yuki is doing everything he can to show Christian Horner that he deserved that second seat at Red Bull by finishing P5 to Liam Lawson’s underwhelming P18.
The Williams doesn't look half bad, and I am loving it.
Betting Guide
One thing to keep in mind for this race is the weather. With the threat of rain for the race a lot of chaos can happen. One bet I really like is Max Verstappen Top 2 Finish at +100.
He is probably the best driver in the field, he is starting P3, and you add rain, in my mind it just makes sense. Let's not forget him winning in wet weather conditions starting all the way back at P17 last year.
Another bet that I like is Double Top 10 Finish for Racing Bulls at +275.
Yuki has a lot that he wants to prove and starting P5 he is in a great place to finish in the top 10. Rookie Isack Hadjar finished the best in Qualifying among the rookies at P11 and only has one place to pick up to give this bet a chance. Also, if you have faith in Liam Lawson to finish in the top 10 his odds are +125 so you might as well take the team at +130.
The last bet I have placed I feel a little bad about. It is the 1st Driver Retirement to be Ollie Bearman at +700.
No shade to Ollie, but I am pretty sure his Haas is cursed. He had a significant crash in FP1 which led to him staying in the garage for FP2. Then his drive in FP3 was cut short after spinning into the gravel. Finally, during Qualifying he had to return to the pit because of a gearbox issue that put him in P20 without even recording a lap time. It had been a mess for him all weekend, and with the added potential of rain this bet is worth a sprinkle.
Lastly, something that I am looking at, but haven't bet yet is Alex Albon (-120), Yuki Tsunoda (+180), and Carlos Sainz (+200) Top 6 Finish. I think two of this group could finish in the top 6, but I have been reading some things about some potential sandbagging in Qualifying by Ferrari ahead of the wet weather race. not sure of the validity, but something to keep in mind. If I do end up making the bets I will post them on twitter so make sure to follow me there. Here's the link.