Kimi Antonelli produced a stunning performance to win the Italian Grand Prix and he leads the F1 World Drivers' Championship by 66 points as the teams prepare to tackle an all-new challenge at the Tag Heuer Spanish Grand Prix this weekend.
The race was traditionally held in Barcelona, but this year it is taking place at a new street circuit in the Spanish capital of Madrid called the Circuito de Madring.
Featuring a high G-force banked turn called La Monumental and with some extremely tight corners, the track is likely to produce plenty of drama and Mercedes ace Antonelli is unsurprisingly favorite for an eighth race win of the season, with McLaren's Lando Norris next in the betting.
Tag Heuer Spanish Grand Prix betting picks and predictions
Kimi Antonelli to win (+175)
Bettors have much less information to work with when considering their wagers for this race as there are no previous results at the track to consider.
Ferrari are the only team who may have a slight edge on their rivals as they were able to run for 200km at the track on a filming day in July, although they were not using the current race tires.
The track that the drivers have tackled this season that most closely resembles the Madring is the street circuit in Miami and this event could have the same winner as that race in Florida in May - world championship leader Antonelli.
As he showed when making light of a grid penalty at Monza, Antonelli is capable of some phenomenal performances at the wheel and his Miami success from pole position stands him in good stead for this event.
That weekend brought a flat performance from his Mercedes teammate, George Russell, who was 43 seconds behind Antonelli in fourth, and the British driver must be wondering what he has to do after missing a golden opportunity to win from the front row in Italy.
Oscar Piastri to finish 3rd (+750)
Ferrari, particularly through Lewis Hamilton after Charles Leclerc's heavy crash at Monza, should be a threat to Mercedes this weekend, but so too should McLaren, who had a strong weekend on that similar circuit in Miami.
Norris is second favourite for this race after he won the sprint race in Miami and was second to Antonelli in the main event.
The world champion, who won in Hungary and the Netherlands recently, is short odds for a podium finish this week, but better value is available about his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.
Piastri is +275 to make the podium, but an even better return of +750 can be had by taking him to finish exactly third, which looks a more worthwhile option.
The Australian was third in Miami from seventh on the grid and was right behind Norris as they crossed the line in fourth and fifth at Monza.
The McLaren car performs well in high-downforce corners, which there are plenty of at this circuit, while it was not as well suited to the long straightaways at Monza.
Franco Colapinto points finish (+125)
Argentina's Franco Colapinto was kicking himself after missing an opportunity to claim his best result of the season in Italy, but he could gain some compensation with another points finish in Madrid.
His Alpine team were the surprise of the weekend in Monza, as his teammate Pierre Gasly took a shock pole position and Colapinto was running in fourth place in the race after starting seventh on the grid when he made a mistake and dropped down the field to 15th.
A strong recovery drive saw him finish only two positions behind Gasly in ninth place and, while that was disappointing at the time, the team have clearly made good progress with their car.
That could continue in Madrid, with Colapinto having also showed up well on the street track in Miami, finishing seventh in the grand prix after taking 10th place in the sprint.
He is worth backing at plus-money to be in the points again this week.
Tag Heuer Spanish Grand Prix odds
Kimi Antonelli | +175 |
Lando Norris | +333 |
George Russell | +450 |
Lewis Hamilton | +700 |
Charles Leclerc | +800 |
Max Verstappen | +1000 |
Oscar Piastri | +1100 |
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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.
