BETTING GUIDE: Who do the odds favour as the Sprint returns in Austria?

Max Verstappen recorded his seventh win of the season last time out in Barcelona, but the Dutchman faced a close challenge from Lando Norris. Amid the return of the Sprint race, who are the odds favouring for the weekend ahead in Austria?

188BET’s odds are presented in decimal form: for every $1 wagered you would win the figure represented by the odds; so, if Verstappen is favourite at 1.50, you would win $1.50 for every dollar bet.

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The odds for the win

Following on from back-to-back victories in Montreal and Barcelona, Verstappen arrives at the Red Bull Ring as the favourite to again take P1, this being the scene of one of his record-breaking 19 race wins in 2023.

But with the margins increasingly fine at the front of the pack, Norris is ranked second in the odds ahead of Charles Leclerc, with both drivers having been race winners earlier in the season.

• Max Verstappen 1.55
• Lando Norris 4.00
• Charles Leclerc 15.0
• George Russell, Lewis Hamilton 19.0
• Carlos Sainz, Sergio Perez 26.0
• Oscar Piastri 29.0
• Fernando Alonso 201
• Alex Albon, Daniel Ricciardo, Esteban Ocon, Kevin Magnussen, Lance Stroll, Logan Sargeant, Nico Hulkenberg, Pierre Gasly, Valtteri Bottas, Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu 601

BARCELONA, SPAIN - JUNE 23: Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull — Verstappen claimed his seventh race win of the season in Barcelona

The odds for who will be fastest in qualifying

It was Norris who clinched pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix, marking his first P1 slot since Sochi in 2021.

However, the odds tip Verstappen to put himself at the front of the grid in Austria, with Leclerc the closest challenger behind Verstappen and Norris while the Mercedes pair are amongst those to have slightly more distant odds, despite George Russell’s pole position back in Canada.

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• Max Verstappen 1.80
• Lando Norris 4.20
• Charles Leclerc 10.0
• Carlos Sainz, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri 13.0
• Sergio Perez 34.0
• Fernando Alonso 81.0
• Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly 101
• Daniel Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda 151
• Alex Albon 201
• Kevin Magnussen, Nico Hulkenberg 251
• Logan Sargeant, Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu 601

BARCELONA, SPAIN - JUNE 22: Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL38 Mercedes on — Norris clinched the second pole position of his F1 career at the Spanish Grand Prix

The odds for a podium finish

Unsurprisingly, Verstappen and Norris lead the way in this category, with both deemed highly likely to stand on the podium this weekend.

But who else could be in with a shout? Lewis Hamilton claimed his first rostrum of the year last time out in Barcelona, while Sergio Perez is at the back of the front-runners in the odds but will surely be hoping for an upturn in form in front of Red Bull’s home fans.

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• Max Verstappen 1.14
• Lando Norris 1.30
• Charles Leclerc 2.10
• George Russell, Lewis Hamilton 3.40
• Carlos Sainz, Oscar Piastri 4.00
• Sergio Perez 4.30
• Fernando Alonso 41.0
• Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly 67.0
• Lance Stroll, Nico Hulkenberg 101
• Daniel Ricciardo 126
• Yuki Tsunoda 151
• Alex Albon, Kevin Magnussen 251
• Logan Sargeant, Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu 301

The odds for a top-six finish

While the usual suspects from the top four teams have locked out the odds for a top-six result, Fernando Alonso is hot on their tail.

The Spaniard will be looking to bounce back after Aston Martin failed to score points in Barcelona.

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• Lando Norris, Max Verstappen 1.10
• Charles Leclerc 1.15
• George Russell 1.30
• Lewis Hamilton 1.35
• Carlos Sainz, Oscar Piastri 1.45
• Sergio Perez 1.60
• Fernando Alonso 3.50
• Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly 8.00
• Lance Stroll 9.00
• Nico Hulkenberg 11.0
• Daniel Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda 17.0
• Alex Albon, Kevin Magnussen 34.0
• Logan Sargeant, Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu 101

BARCELONA, SPAIN - JUNE 23: Fernando Alonso of Spain driving the (14) Aston Martin AMR24 Mercedes — Can Alonso and Aston Martin return to the points this weekend?

The odds for a points finish

Beyond the battle at the front, Alpine have hauled themselves into contention for another points result this weekend, the squad having looked to be on the up at recent races.

Lance Stroll is also a possibility – off the back of his future at Aston Martin being confirmed – while Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda are close behind in the odds, despite RB’s struggles last time out in Spain.

• Max Verstappen 1.05
• Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton 1.10
• Carlos Sainz, Oscar Piastri, Sergio Perez 1.15
• Fernando Alonso 1.50
• Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly 1.65
• Lance Stroll 2.25
• Daniel Ricciardo, Nico Hulkenberg, Yuki Tsunoda 3.00
• Alex Albon, Kevin Magnussen 6.00
• Valtteri Bottas 9.00
• Zhou Guanyu 13.0
• Logan Sargeant 17.0

SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA - JUNE 27: Yuki Tsunoda of Japan and Visa Cash App RB and Daniel Ricciardo of — It was a tough weekend for RB drivers Ricciardo and Tsunoda in Barcelona, with both drivers finishing the race well outside of the points

The odds for fastest lap

Norris posted the fastest lap of the race in the Spanish Grand Prix, handing the McLaren driver an extra point to add to his tally.

While he still has good odds of repeating this feat in Austria, the bookmakers have Verstappen as the favourite to do so.

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• Max Verstappen 2.60
• George Russell, Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton 6.00
• Sergio Perez 9.00
• Charles Leclerc 11.0
• Carlos Sainz, Oscar Piastri 13.0
• Fernando Alonso 26.0
• Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly 67.0
• Lance Stroll 101
• Daniel Ricciardo, Nico Hulkenberg, Yuki Tsunoda 201
• Alex Albon, Kevin Magnussen, Logan Sargeant, Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu 251

BARCELONA, SPAIN - JUNE 23: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull — Verstappen is the favourite to set the fastest lap at the Red Bull Ring

What are the odds for which team will take the most points?

Red Bull are predicted to leave their home event with the biggest haul of points, despite some difficult weekends for Perez during the last four races.

McLaren are their closest challengers, while Ferrari and Mercedes are on equal odds behind them.

• Red Bull 1.46
• McLaren 3.50
• Ferrari, Mercedes 10.0
• Aston Martin 126
• Alpine, Haas, RB 201
• Williams 251
• Kick Sauber 301

The odds for a Safety Car appearing during the race

While the Safety Car did not make an appearance last time out in Spain, it did feature during the prior race weekend in Canada.

It also was deployed during the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix, and the odds suggest that the possibility of a Safety Car this year is likelier than not.

• Yes 1.57
• No 2.25

MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JUNE 09: The FIA Safety Car on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at — Could we see a Safety Car this weekend in Austria?

The odds for number of classified drivers

Reliability has been strong for the most part in 2024, with all 20 cars classified in Barcelona one week ago. Could we see this again in Austria, or might any drama in Saturday’s Sprint have a knock-on effect on Sunday?

• Over 16.5 1.20
• Under 16.5 4.35
• Over 17.5 1.65
• Under 17.5 2.1

The odds for the winning margin

With the gaps growing ever smaller between the pack, Norris was just two seconds away from Verstappen when the chequered flag fell at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. It will be fascinating to see who takes victory this weekend – and by how much of a margin…

• Over 10 seconds 2.20
• Between 5 and 10 seconds inclusive 3.75
• Under 5 seconds 2.50