Formula 1 revs back into action for Round 6 in Azerbaijan this weekend, but who is the smart money on in Baku?
Max Verstappen leads the World Drivers’ Championship standing after five races, but with the Dutchman yet to record successive race wins during his career, and with no less than three different race winners around the Baku City Circuit to date, could there be more surprises in store?
Prices are see-sawing dramatically ahead of qualifying on Saturday, but for the moment, Verstappen remains slight favourite to take his third win of the season at 11/8 with SBK and 13/10 on UniBet.
Lewis Hamilton is not far off in the pricing either, having moved out slightly to 6/4 with all three of SkyBet, Betfred and William Hill.
Or could another name be on the top spot of the podium come Sunday?
Valtteri Bottas has had a difficult campaign thus far and his retirement in Monaco compounded matters, but as a former winner in Baku and at 10/1 to win outright with UniBet, the Finn looks like excellent market value.
It might also be worth a look at Lando Norris who has seen a lot of interest in the past few days, and who, after two third-placed finishes is poised to smash the glass ceiling in F1.
For Norris to win, SkyBet are offering a tempting 33/1 best price, whilst Bet365, Betfair and Paddy Power are offering 25s. Even for a podium finish, the Bristolian is 7/2 with SkyBet.
If you are looking for something a little longer, Daniel Ricciardo also won in Baku in the race’s first edition in 2017, and though the Australian has had a difficult few races, Ricciardo has spoken of his hopes of tapping into the same form Norris has found.
For Ricciardo to win outright, MansionBet are offering a whopping 80/1, and for those a little more conservative, at a very enticing 8/1 for a top three finish can be found with SkyBet.
