Despite missing the entirety of second practice with a gearbox issue and looking off the pace in the early stages of qualifying, Lando Norris produced arguably one of the finest laps of his career to pip Kimi Antonelli to pole position for the first Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit.
The young Italian will line up next to the reigning world champion on the grid, with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton making up the second row to leave drivers from four different teams battling it out into the first corner.
Spanish Grand Prix Tips Summary
Best Bet - Lando Norris to win @ 6/4
Alternative Bet - Lewis Hamilton to finish on the podium @ 6/5
Alternative Bet - Franco Colapinto and Arvid Lindblad to finish in the points, over 1.5 Safety Cars & Kimi Antonelli to beat Max Verstappen @ 6/1
Spanish Grand Prix Prediction
Best Bet: Lando Norris to win @ 6/4
While there is little Formula 1 data to go off at the brand-new Madring, the early signs suggest that this will not be a circuit that is conducive to overtaking and that could play into the pole-sitter’s hands on Sunday.
Both the F3 and F2 Sprints on Saturday saw few overtaking moves and there is little to suggest the bulkier F1 cars will fare better around the 22 corners of the Madring, so a clean getaway may be all that Norris needs to put himself in prime position for the win.
In addition, Free Practice sessions pointed towards tyre degradation being a significant factor in the Spanish Grand Prix, and Norris is renowned for his tyre management skills.
The reigning world champions won from pole at the Hungaroring and Zandvoort, and he looks an excellent price to return to winning ways after a difficult weekend at Monza.
Alternative Bet: Lewis Hamilton to finish on the podium @ 6/5
While track position is likely to be a key factor at the Madring, Lewis Hamilton has an ace up his sleeve in the form of teammate Charles Leclerc.
Leclerc will line up just behind Hamilton for Sunday’s race, which opens up an array of strategy options for the Ferrari pitwall.
With a two-stop race expected and the relatively lengthy Madring circuit appearing to suit the undercut well, Ferrari could pit Leclerc early to force Verstappen to cover him, opening the door for Hamilton to extend.
The Dutchman, meanwhile, has little in the way of support, with temporary Red Bull teammate Liam Lawson down in eighth position.
Hamilton has already stood on the podium five times this season, and a sixth trip to the cooldown room could be in store.
Spanish Grand Prix Bet Builder Tips
Franco Colapinto and Arvid Lindblad to finish in the points
Over 1.5 Safety Cars
Kimi Antonelli to beat Max Verstappen
Pays 6/1
Franco Colapinto and Arvid Lindblad both produced excellent performances in qualifying to make it into Q3 and, if the Madring does turn out to be a difficult overtaking track, they may be able to hold position for another points-scoring finish.
Alpine driver Colapinto has scored points in seven Grands Prix this season and managed to qualify ninth on Saturday, while Racing Bulls pilot Lindblad has seven top-10 finishes in his last eight races and his best qualifying lap was almost a second quicker than teammate Yuki Tsunoda’s.
Championship leader Antonelli may not be tipped to win the Spanish Grand Prix, but he should have enough to hold off Max Verstappen. He has finished ahead of the Dutchman 10 times this season and the Mercedes package has generally looked quicker than Red Bull’s this weekend.
The maiden Spanish Grand Prix at this circuit is unlikely to go off without a hitch, though. High-speed corners combined with close walls make a Safety Car appearance a high likelihood, and we have already seen it called into action in some of the support races.
The F2 Sprint saw two Safety Cars and the red flag was thrown early in the F3 feature race after a first-lap pile-up, with the Safety Car being called into action again later on.
Key Race Stats
Lando Norris has won from pole position in two of the last three Grands Prix
Kimi Antonelli has finished ahead of Max Verstappen in 10 of the 13 Grands Prix this season
Lewis Hamilton has finished on the podium five times this season
Every race this season has featured an appearance from either the Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
