Australian Grand Prix betting tips and F1 race predictions: McLarens can cement their status

Where to watch the Australian Grand Prix
Sky Sports F1, 4am Sunday

Best bet

McLaren double top-six finish
1pt 11-10 bet365

Australian Grand Prix race predictions

Only die-hard fans will be setting their alarms for 4am on Sunday morning to catch the Australian Grand Prix, race three of 24 on this year's schedule.

It has been a disappointing start to the Formula 1 season for neutral observers but that is nothing compared to how crestfallen Red Bull's rivals will be at the level of dominance the champion team have shown over the first two races of the season.

Max Verstappen already looks assured of landing his fourth world title in a row, the flying Dutchman having added two race wins and two pole positions to his career statistics, and he has been followed home in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia by his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.

Unsurprisingly the pair dominate the betting markets for Melbourne and we will have to dig a little deeper for an interesting punt.

McLaren were highly touted going into the season following a strong second half of 2023 which saw Lando Norris collect six runner-up trophies.

The papaya cars have not been able to compete with Red Bull and Ferrari in the early exchanges this year but currently occupy third spot in the nascent constructors standings.

There is not a great deal to choose between McLaren, Mercedes and Aston Martin, and while the pecking order is likely to shift around as the season progresses and upgrades are introduced, there are reasons to think McLaren can earn a little breathing room in Melbourne.

The team had expected Bahrain not to suit the car but Norris and Oscar Piastri still finished sixth and eighth, and they improved on that in Saudi Arabia.

Piastri came home fourth, and while Norris's strategy was ruined by the timing of a safety car, the Briton was at least able to enjoy a few laps in the lead before pitting and dropping down the order.

Both McLarens qualified in the top six in Jeddah, where the car proved well suited to the flowing corners, and there are plenty of those in Melbourne too.

That should help keep them ahead of the Mercedes, who really struggled in the high-speed sections in Saudi Arabia, while Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin has so far proved much stronger in qualifying than over a race distance.

It's 11-10 that Norris and home hero Piastri both finish Sunday's race in the top six and, in a market bereft of real value, that is one of the few odds-against prices worth a second look.

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