F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix preview, odds & best bets – 30/4/2023

After a tumultuous time in Melbourne, Formula 1 racing heads to Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this Sunday.

The Australian GP seems like a distant nightmare for half the grid, but for three world champions it was a dream worth replicating this weekend. Red Bull come into this race the team to beat having registered wins in the first three races, so the question is: who can be the one to challenge them?

All eyes will be on Mercedes with much being made about their form over the past two seasons. Many pundits and fans believe that the kings of the past decade have released their crown. That may be so, given Red Bull’s recent dominance, but Toto Wolff and co. are out to prove that they aren’t done yet.

There was significant pace in the car in Australia for the Mercedes, even good enough to take an early lead. They look to go even stronger this weekend as the much talked about ‘upgrades’ have apparently increased the car’s performance over the spring break.

Up to now, the Mercedes have been battling it out with the Aston Martin and Ferrari teams, but they will look to close the gap to their mains rivals. Unfortunately, until they get a few races under their belt to really understand what they are dealing with, this race will be the Red Bull’s to lose. Given his dominance so far in 2023, it will be Max Verstappen who will claim victory in Baku (-232.56).

READ: Best betting sites for F1 odds in 2023

As mentioned before, Mercedes will be the big improvers for this race – but which driver will reap the benefits of a faster car? George Russell has so much expectation attached to him, but it hasn’t been all smooth sailing since he made the move from Williams two years ago. It just seems that every time Russell looks like he is about to make the next step, be it for the season or even a race weekend, something always seems to pull him back.

Take the Australian Grand Prix, for example. Russell looked set for a podium in the early stages of the race; in fact, he was on fire through every session. Unfortunately, the car decided that it should be on fire too – literally.

Russell’s teammate, Lewis Hamilton, is a seven-time world champion, and is finally starting to find some form himself. One or both of these drivers have a big chance to podium this weekend, but if you want to make the safe bet, then choose Hamilton for a top-three finish (+160). The experience of Hamilton will outweigh Russell’s bad fortunes.

There will be six F1 Sprint races this year, with the first being at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. What makes this Sprint more interesting is that this will be the first time this type of race is held on a street circuit. Such courses have a history of crashes and DNFs, and most of the team principals are rightly concerned about the potential damage that could come out of this particular event. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner stated that from a spectator’s point of view, the race will be exciting, but as far as costs go, it will be an expensive weekend for the teams.

That being said, an F1 Sprint race – and one that could shake up the grid order order after qualifying for the race – will be a good opportunity for a driver to sneak up a few placings. Nico Hulkenburg has been making the most out of the Haas car, scoring points in the last two races simply by being as consistent as possible. With grid order shake-ups on the cards, look for Hulkenburg to avoid any on-track incidents as he makes his way up the grid to secure another points finish for his team (+135).

Key matchup: Pierre Gasly v Esteban Ocon

Alpine unveiled a fully French organisation this year when they secured the signature of Pierre Gasly. From the outside, fans thought that this would be a win-win; Esteban Ocon is a good driver, but Gasly is widely regarded as a future champion of the sport. It hasn’t been a great start for Alpine, however, as they don’t look as fast as they did last year, and neither driver is willing to relinquish No.1 driver status. Gasly even took Ocon out in Australia, meaning the team missed out on a double points finish. Azerbaijan will be a big test for both drivers as they look to stake their claim as the top dog.

2023 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix betting tips

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