Kyle Cumbers: Your betting tips for F1’s 2016 Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg
Will Max Verstappen have anything bad to ignore at Spielberg, and Red Bull Racing’s home race this coming weekend?
So as we head to “Schpeilberg” – as Michael calls it – for the Austrian Grand Prix, and the 2016 drivers’ championship battle between the Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg is as it was before the Canadian Grand Prix.
That shows how topsy-turvy the championship can be and hopefully this will continue for the rest of the year. Toto Wolff is saying there could be four other teams competing for victory this weekend and we can only hope he is right.
If you fancy a bet this weekend, have a look at the following and see if you agree with me…
ONE – Max Verstappen last year had an impressive weekend at the Red Bull Ring, qualifying seventh and finishing eighth in the race in his Toro Rosso. His team-mate at the time, Carlos Sainz Jr, qualified 13th but unfortunately had reliability problems in the race. This could suggest Max enjoys this track and in the quicker Red Bull with a more powerful ‘watch’ engine, he could be a strong contender for the podium.
Max Verstappen to finish on the podium: 4/1 (SkyBet)
TWO – The Austrian Grand Prix appears to be Williams’ strongest track given the past two years, and after a disappointing European Grand Prix in Baku, Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa will be looking forward to a strong weekend. Massa is heading towards retirement and in my opinion, wasting a very good seat in F1 at the moment, so I’m going to have to back his Finnish team-mate for a top six position.
Valtteri Bottas to finish in the top six: 21/20 (BetVictor)
THREE – Although he didn’t get the seat at Red Bull when Daniil Kyvat was demoted, Sainz Jr’s reputation has increased since and he is being linked to some top teams at the moment – having just extended his current Toro Rosso drive through 2017. If you look at his record, you can see why he is so highly rated – he has five points-finishes from his six classified race finishes this season and he will also be desperate to do well in front of his Red Bull bosses at their home track.
Carlos Sainz Jr to finish in the points: evens (Betway, Ladbrokes, Stan James & William Hill)
Good luck to us all and please remember to bet responsibly.
♦ Kyle Cumbers is a member of the NRF1 Podcast crew. Follow Kyle on Twitter @kcumbers
