Australian Grand Prix weekend betting tips and F1 predictions: Leclerc can show his true pace

Where to watch the Australian Grand Prix

Practice one & two Sky Sports F1, 2.30am & 6am tomorrow
Practice three & qualifying Sky Sports F1, 2.30am & 6am Saturday
Race Sky Sports F1, 6am Sunday

Best bet

Charles Leclerc podium finish
1pt 6-4 Coral, Ladbrokes

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Australian Grand Prix predictions

We are two races into the 2023 Formula 1 season and we've had two crushing one-two finishes for Red Bull with Fernando Alonso chasing them home in a lonely third place.

But predictions of defending world champion Max Verstappen winning every race proved very premature as a mechanical issue in qualifying left him starting 15th in Saudi Arabia last time. He still managed to finish second to teammate Sergio Perez, who did a good job of keeping the Dutchman at arm's length after a safety car had helped Verstappen close up to the leaders.

Perez has made an excellent start to the season and it's just 4-7 that both Red Bulls are on the podium again in this weekend's Australian Grand Prix.

The Mexican's win in Jeddah means that his last four victories have now come on street circuits, so a blast around Melbourne's Albert Park should be right up his street.

As the car is developed throughout the season, the engineers will obviously pay more heed to Verstappen's input and tailor the machine more to his liking, so the early races are when we are likely to see Perez at his best. 

Charles Leclerc became the first driver of the year to earn a grid penalty in Saudi, having gone through his yearly allocation of control electronics in a single weekend in Bahrain.

The failure of that part cost Leclerc an almost certain podium finish in the season-opener, while without the penalty he would have started on the front row in Jeddah.

Ferrari enjoyed a weekend free of reliability issues in Saudi Arabia. While their qualifying pace is more impressive than their race speed this season, Melbourne Park is a tough track for overtaking, and is likely to continue to be this year despite the addition of a fourth DRS zone.

Leclerc has outpaced Alonso in both qualifying sessions this season and looks a value bet to break the veteran Spaniard's podium run.

George Russell briefly got his hands on the third-place trophy in Saudi last time before a time penalty handed to Alonso was rescinded.

But it was a much improved performance from Mercedes, who issued an upbeat bulletin this week as the team push to quickly develop the car.

Rain is a possibility during practice, which would hinder engineers' preparations, but qualifying and the race are expected to stay dry.

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