Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen will renew their rivalry as the F1 field heads to Portugal this weekend.
Well, it may be early doors in the season but it looks like we’re in for a very competitive year with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton looking like they could duke it out in one of the most epic title races we’ve had for years. The former won the last race out in Italy while the latter claimed victory in the season opener in Bahrain.
Will one of the duo make it two wins from three starts or will we see another drive atop the podium come the chequered flag in Portugal?
To Win Race Outright
Lewis Hamilton 5/4
Max Verstappen 27/20
Sergio Perez 8/1
Valterri Bottas 17/2
Charles LeClerc 33/1
Lando Norris 33/1
Pierre Gasly 66/1
Daniel Ricciardo 66/1
Previous Race
There were thrills and spills aplenty out at Imola as Max Verstappen claimed victory in an action-packed race that saw Valtteri Bottas crash out.
While Bottas was unable to score any points, his teammate Lewis Hamilton managed to salvage his race after going off the track, producing one of the best drives of his career to claim second. The Mercedes ace and Max Verstappen were joined on the podium by McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Ferrari had a decent enough time of it at Imola with Charles LeClerc claiming fourth and Sergio Perez taking fifth. The duo was joined in the top six by Daniel Ricciardo.
The remainder of the top 10 featured a couple of household names with Pierre Gasly taking seventh, Lance Stroll claiming eighth, Estaban Ocon securing ninth and Fernando Alonso claiming the final points-scoring berth by bringing his Alpine home in tenth.
Track
For the first time in a quarter of a century, Portugal will host two races in the space of two years. The race was a fixture on the F1 circuit during the ’80s and early ’90s with Williams being the real dominant force out.
The Algarve International Circuit set to welcome the F1 field for the second time with the previous Portuguese Grand Prix being held at the Estoril Circuit, the Monsanto Circuit and the Boavista Circuit.
The Algarve International Circuit has a lap distance of 4.653 kilometres, with each lap featuring 15 turns. It looks a rather challenging affair on paper with a number of tight turns and sequences. There’s a long old start-finish line that leads into the Primera turn that runs onto a hairpin called Lagos.
Last year’s race was dominated by Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton claiming first and Valterri Bottas ensuring a one-two finish as he brought his car across the line in second place, while Max Verstappen rounded out the podium.
The weather forecast for this weekend is very promising with no rain set to fall across qualifying and the main race.
Value Bet
Podium Finish – Danile Ricciardo – Yes @ 7/1
Ricciardo has enjoyed a decent enough start to the season claiming sixth in the previous race at Imola and seventh at the Bahrain Grand Prix. He enjoyed a fantastic race at the Portuguese Grand Prix last season finishing third.
It’s certainly worth a shout backing history to repeat itself at 7/1!
To Win Race Outright
Lewis Hamilton @ 5/4
The Brit was the dominant force at this track last season and I think he’ll repeat the dose here although he is likely to face stiff competition from Verstappen.
He will still be annoyed with his spin at Imola and will be looking to bounce back in style here.
