F1 Austrian Grand Prix: Odds to Win at the Red Bull Ring (Max Verstappen the Favorite at Team’s Home Track)

Last weekend was the most thrilling race so far in the F1 season. We are now ten races in and Max Verstappen holds a 34-point lead over teammate Sergio Perez for the Driver Championship, even after taking a puncture early at Silverstone that forced Verstappen out of contention. He finished seventh. 

Carlos Sainz eventually took the win after Ferrari botched nearly every strategy decision, and once again cost Charles Leclerc a podium. Leclerc is third in the Driver Championship and seemingly the only threat to a Verstappen title defense. Yet, Ferrari refused to prioritize his race over Sainz, costing Leclerc valuable points. Red Bull leads Ferrari by 63 points in the Constructors Championship. 

Silverstone also showed us that Mercedes might have figured a few things out. Lewis Hamilton finished in third and it was the only time all year where he seriously threatened to win a Grand Prix. George Russell was taken out of the race before turn one in a scary crash that sent Zhou Guanyu over the barriers and nearly into the stands. Though Russell was a non-factor, it appears that the silver arrows have figured out some of their porpoising issues and are going to be faster down the stretch of the season. 

Now, Formula One travels to the Red Bull Ring for the Austrian Grand Prix. You can find odds for this weekend's race at WynnBET Sportsbook. 

Odds to Win the Austrian Grand Prix

• Max Verstappen -115
• Charles Leclerc +250
• Carlos Sainz +900
• Sergio Perez +1000
• Lewis Hamilton +1100
• George Russell +1500
• Lando Norris +10000
• Fernando Alonso +15000
• Valtteri Bottas +25000
• Daniel Ricciardo +25000

Austrian Grand Prix Prediction and Pick

To me, the biggest story coming out of Silverstone is the mishaps with Ferrari. They allowed Sainz and Leclerc to battle for far too long, then after the safety car with ten laps to go did not double stack in the pits to get Leclerc on fresh tires. He was left out on old hards and quickly dropped from first to fourth. 

Ferrari clearly has a fast car, maybe the fastest car on the grid, but they are wholly incompetent when it comes to decision making and strategy. They will be near the front of the grid for Sunday, but I cannot trust betting on either Leclerc or Sainz, even though Sainz got his first win just last week. 

Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton might be the next best story of the weekend. I found myself rooting for Lewis to get the win at his home Grand Prix, but just because the car was fast at Silverstone, does not mean that will translate to the Red Bull Ring. Mercedes has been best on tracks with high speed corners, like Silverstone, but has had trouble on the straights this year. Even if the porpoising is fixed, the amount of long straights in Austria favor Ferrari or Red Bull. 

Then there is Red Bull. Checo Perez was able to salvage the weekend with a tremendous drive after taking a puncture on the restart and working all the way back up to finish second. Verstappen would have obviously been in the mix had it not been for the damage to his car. Verstappen has won in Austria three times and all signs point to him making it four this weekend. If he cannot get it done, then Checo will find a way to the top of the podium. Red Bull excels at home and if they want to wrap up the title fight before the summer break, then a big weekend in Austria is just the recipe. 

Grid order for Sunday will be decided by the second sprint race of the year on Saturday. Verstappen won the last sprint at Imola. Charles Leclerc was second.

This weekend, I’m sprinkling a little on both the Red Bulls. If Max wins at -115 we're still happy, but if Max has a problem and Checo takes it, then we really cash in. 

Pick: Max Verstappen -115 and Checo Perez +1000

Follow all Josh’s bets HERE