Canadian Grand Prix betting tips and F1 predictions: Norris to get back among the points

Where to watch the Canadian Grand Prix

Practice one & two Sky Sports F1, 6.30pm & 10pm Friday

Practice three & qualifying Sky Sports F1, 5.30pm & 9pm Saturday

Race Sky Sports F1, 7pm Sunday

Best bets

Lando Norris top-ten finish
2pts 6-5 bet365, BoyleSports

Carlos Sainz fastest qualifier
1pt each-way 14-1 Hills

Canadian Grand Prix predictions

While Max Verstappen continues his unstoppable march to a third successive world title, F1 punters seeking value have been presented with an increasingly tricky puzzle when trying to work out who will fill the minor places behind the all-conquering Red Bull driver.

And this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix is another head-scratcher of a betting heat with the potential for rain in Montreal further muddying the waters.

There are no prizes for picking the race winner with Verstappen 4-11 to chalk up his fourth straight victory and fifth in seven rounds.

The Dutchman completed a pole position, chequered flag and fastest lap grand slam in Spain and the long straights of the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit play into the hands of a Red Bull with superior straight-line speed and strong DRS package.

As Verstappen grows stronger, teammate Sergio Perez is fast fading. The Mexican’s struggles to get the same level of performance from the peerless Red Bull has opened the door to the chasing pack, with Mercedes enjoying a double podium finish in Spain.

The heavily modified Silver Arrows were well clear of their rivals in Barcelona, which is often a happy hunting ground, and seven-time Canadian Grand Prix winner Lewis Hamilton will have similar feelings about Montreal. 

However, that optimism isn’t shared by Hamilton’s engineers, who don’t expect the car to be as effective, bringing Aston Martin, who are planning upgrades for Canada, and Ferrari into the podium conversation. 

It has been a desperate season for Ferrari and while they remain best avoided come raceday, they still appeal in qualifying, particularly at a track that plays to their strengths.

But while the erratic Charles Leclerc is 6-1 for pole, the consistent Carlos Sainz is more than double that price. The Spaniard holds each-way appeal to qualify on the front row for a second year running in Canada and a second race in a row after starting from P2 in Spain.

Sainz couldn’t build on that fine qualifying effort in Barcelona and wasn’t alone in that regard as Lando Norris finished 17th after qualifying third following a first-lap collision with Hamilton.

The McLaren driver has had more than his fair share of bad luck this year and in Canada, where he has never previously scored but can buck those trends. 

Norris’s ninth-place finish in Azerbaijan - one of three top-ten finishes he has had this season - is a decent marker and he’s too good to pass up at 6-5 to finish in the points.

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