Miami Grand Prix betting tips and F1 predictions: Leclerc can continue recovery

Where to watch the Miami Grand Prix weekend

Practice one & two
Sky Sports F1, 7pm & 10.30pm Friday

Practice three & qualifying
Sky F1, 5.30pm & 9pm Saturday

Race
Sky Sports F1, 8.30pm Sunday

Best bets

Charles Leclerc podium finish
1pt 11-8 bet365

Oscar Piastri points finish
1pt 2-1 general

Miami Grand Prix predictions

Sergio Perez closed the gap to his championship-leading teammate Max Verstappen to six points by winning both the sprint race and grand prix in Azerbaijan last week.

The Red Bulls cruised to their third one-two finish of the season with Perez having headed home two of those. And the renowned street-track specialist will be hoping to make further inroads in this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix. 

Verstappen won the inaugural race in Florida last year, but Perez was less than a tenth of a second behind in qualifying. The Mexican was disappointed to finish fourth in 2022 after being unable to find a way past Carlos Sainz in his Ferrari. 

The Ferraris had locked out the front row of the grid and there’s potential for a similar situation this year. Charles Leclerc finally kickstarted his dismal season by taking pole position for both races in Baku last weekend and securing two podium finishes.

The Monegasque had no answer to the Red Bulls’ race pace, but the Ferrari showed impressive straight-line speed and the harder tyres in use this weekend could help him hang on longer at a track that provides a similar challenge to Baku.

Fernando Alonso has been a model of consistency this year but missed the podium in Azerbaijan having been hampered by a faulty DRS in qualifying.

There are a mix of corners on the Miami circuit but the faster curves and long straights are where the lap time lies and that may not suit the draggy Aston Martins. 

Alonso could be set for more frustration this weekend and he will be hoping the 50-50 chance of rain on Sunday materialises.

McLaren brought a significant upgrade to Baku which saw them rise through the order, and their redesigned floor should be even more effective at Miami.

Both cars reached the top-ten qualifying shootout in the Azeri capital and Australian rookie Oscar Piastri finished a battling 11th.

Piastri had been suffering from a stomach bug all weekend and was done no favours by the timing of the safety car, so there are plenty of reasons to think he can do better on F1's return to the Sunshine State. 

Sign up to emails from Racing Post Sport and get all the latest news and tips

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport