F1 Podium: Three Bets for the 2019 Australian Grand Prix

Believe it or not, the Formula 1 season gets underway on Sunday in Melbourne, Australia as the world’s most expensive traveling road show revs up its engines for the 21-race, nine-month 2019 schedule. 

Sebastian Vettel has won this race in two consecutive years for Ferrari and is a slight underdog to Lewis Hamilton after Friday’s practice sessions. Hamilton dominated the second half of the 2018 calendar and there’s no reason to believe he won’t continue that in 2019. 

Ferrari, meanwhile, welcomes a new driver to the team as Charles Leclerc replaces Kimi Raikkonen. 

With that, here comes the return of our three bets that should claim the podium at the sportsbook of your choosing. 

P1: Both Renault Cars to Finish Top 10 (+125)

Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo are two of the most impressive drivers on the roster and with both of these guys now on the same team at Renault, having them both finish in the top 10 at plus-money is a very enticing bet. 

Looking at the odds list for the race, the No. 8 and No. 9 favorites to win the race are the two Renault drivers. So, barring any equipment failures or retirements, this is a great opportunity to cash. 

Last year, both Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz Jr. placed in the top 10 at Melbourne.

P2: Max Verstappen Top 3 Finish (EVEN)

Max Verstappen, maybe the single most popular driver on the circuit and most certainly the one with the most vocal fan base, is really good value here to cash EVEN money for making the podium. He had a great practice run and is on the verge of taking the next step with the Red Bull team this year. 

Verstappen sits fourth on our drivers championship futures board and I think Charles Leclerc will need a bit of an adjustment period at Ferrari. 

With Red Bull parting ways with Daniel Ricciardo, freeing Verstappen as their primary driver this season, I think we’ll see the Dane improve on his placing from last year and that could start as early as the first race of the season. 

P3: Lewis Hamilton to Win (+160)

Lewis Hamilton finished 2018 on an absolute heater and the ability to place a bet on him at +160 to win at Australia is perfect by me. Granted, the Brit hasn’t had the most success on this track, “only” winning here twice. 

Hamilton had the best single lap in Friday’s practice, eight-tenths of a second better than Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. 

As usual, it’s important to note that all of these wagers could look very different come Sunday morning, but ahead of qualifying, these are the bets I certainly have my eyes on for the 2019 Australian Grand Prix.

Odds as of March 15 at  Bovada