Abu Dhabi Grand Prix betting tips and F1 predictions: Aston Martins can make their point

Where to watch the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Practice one & two
Sky Sports F1, 9.30am & 1pm Friday

Best bet

Aston Martin double points finish
1pt 13-8 bet365

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix predictions

Max Verstappen has won 16 of the last 17 Grands Prix and is unsurprisingly a warm order to round off the 2023 F1 season with victory in Abu Dhabi.

The championship top three of Verstappen, his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton are confirmed, but there is still plenty at stake in the constructors’ standings.

After a strong finish to the season, Ferrari have closed to within four points of Mercedes for the lucrative second spot in the championship.

Charles Leclerc took pole position in Las Vegas last week and but for a safety car appearance at an inopportune time for him the Ferrari ace may well have won.

As it was, a strong second place will have been a confidence boost to Leclerc, who is often harsh on himself when things don’t go according to plan.

With many tight corners and two long straights, the Abu Dhabi circuit looks like it should be another strong one for Ferrari, who have been first and second in qualifying at two of the last three races.

Another team who should find the layout of the circuit playing to their car’s strengths is Aston Martin.

The Silverstone-based squad made a stunning start to the campaign with new recruit Fernando Alonso standing on the podium after six of the first seven races.

The team’s attempts to improve the car over the season somewhat backfired, but after rethinking their approach their recent form has picked up again.

Alonso was a brilliant third in Brazil and recovered to finish eighth in Vegas after spinning off at the first corner.

His much-maligned teammate Lance Stroll, meanwhile, has finished fifth in both of the last two races and is in his strongest form of the year. The Canadian's Vegas fifth place came despite starting the race 19th on the grid after picking up a penalty in qualifying.

The car is very good at sprinting away from slow corners, and while they suffer a bit towards the end of long straights due to a lack of top speed, that nippy acceleration will be an asset in Abu Dhabi.

Nine of the ten races in which Stroll has scored points also saw Alonso bring his Aston Martin home in the top ten, and the odds about both green machines finishing in the points at Yas Marina look generous.

Unusually, there is a slight risk of rain over the weekend, although all the track action is expected to take place in the dry.

Temperatures of 27C are cooler than usual for the race, but still much warmer than the chilly Vegas nights of last week.

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