Sebastian Vettel’s great drive and all the hard work the fine people in Fiorana have done over the winter meant we got off to a successful start with our betting previews, writes Kyle Cumbers.

Hopefully that will continue this weekend in China – and the exciting part is we’re not sure which team or driver will be on top at the Shanghai International Circuit.

At the moment Ferrari and Mercedes are clearly the two strongest cars, but I’m sure Red Bull will be closing up very soon. Here are my tips for the weekend…

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1: After the first race we know that Ferrari have built a very quick race car this year. Unfortunately Kimi Raikkonen couldn’t take advantage of that and finished too far behind his team-mate. I’m hoping it was just a one-off and the Finn will bounce back this weekend. So my first bet is Kimi to finish on the podium.

Kimi Raikkonen to finish on the podium: 11/8 (Sky Bet)

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2: Toro Rosso have designed one of the best-looking cars this year and beautiful cars most of the time seem to be quick cars. We saw some signs of the STR’s pace in Melbourne, with both cars qualifying and finishing in the top 10. Even with a 2015 engine, they had a strong Chinese Grand Prix last year with a double points finish and their current driver Daniil Kyvat finished on the podium in his Red Bull. So my second bet is Kyvat to finish in the top six – it may be a bit risky but the odds are very tempting.

Daniil Kyvat to finish in the top six: 7/1 (BetVictor, Ladbrokes)

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MORE: Get involved in The NR F1 Podcast Prediction League 

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3: If you were being kind, you could best describe Lance Stroll’s start to the season as a learning experience. Unfortunately in modern day Formula 1, you don’t get too long to settle in and you’re expected to start performing straight away. Stroll isn’t just there because of his rich father and I’m sure he will begin to show the world his talent. Williams have been strong in the last two years in Shanghai with two double points finishes, and they appear to have built a strong 2017 car. So I’m going for Lance to finish in the points.

Lance Stroll to finish in the points: 15/8 (Bet365)

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As always, 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