Azerbaijan Grand Prix betting tips and F1 predictions: Piastri could pip pole star Leclerc

Where to watch the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday

Race
Sky Sports F1, midday

Best bets

Oscar Piastri to win
1pt 5-2 general

Ollie Bearman points finish
1pt 7-4 Betfair, Paddy Power

Azerbaijan Grand Prix predictions

The Italian Grand Prix ended with Oscar Piastri attempting to chase down Charles Leclerc, and that is how they will resume because the Monza front two share the front row for Sunday afternoon's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Leclerc cemented his position as master of Baku by taking pole position for the fourth year running on Saturday.

And while he hasn't managed to keep his Ferrari ahead on any of the previous occasions – including in last year's sprint race – he has seemingly never had a better chance of adding his name to the list of winners in Azerbaijan.

However, Leclerc owed his victory at Monza two weeks ago in large part to a strategic gamble. Piastri had looked the likely winner for much of the race and was clearly the faster of the two.

McLaren haven't looked as sharp this weekend, but Piastri set some eye-catching times during Friday's race-simulation runs and could prove the one to be on for the race.

His championship-chasing teammate Lando Norris suffered a disastrous qualifying and will start 17th on the grid.

That is a serious blow to his hopes of narrowing the 62-point gap to championship leader Max Verstappen, but it will be of some consolation that the Dutchman was able to qualify only sixth.

The Red Bull had been looking stronger than at recent races and Sergio Perez qualified fourth, so it was a disappointing day for Verstappen and ended a run of 33 races in which the three-time champion had outqualified his Mexican teammate.

Ollie Bearman has had a mixed weekend so far in his second cameo appearance of the season.

The Briton has looked in decent shape deputising for the suspended Kevin Magnussen at Haas, the team he will race for next season.

However, he ended final practice on the wall and just missed out on a place in the pole-position shootout despite featuring in the top ten for much of the first two segments of qualifying. 

Starting 11th still means he starts ahead of his vastly more experienced teammate Nico Hulkenberg, who is a renowned qualifying specialist, so it was still an impressive effort.

Bearman finished seventh when subbing in for Carlos Sainz when the Ferrari driver needed an appendectomy in Saudi Arabia and he could pick up more points in Baku.

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