Emilia Romagna Grand Prix betting tips and F1 race predictions: Ferrari set to take a step forward at Imola

Where to watch the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Practice 1 & 2: Friday May 17: 12.30pm & 4pm
Practice 3: Saturday May 18: 11.30am
Qualifying: Saturday May 18: 3pm
​Race: Sunday May 19: 2pm
All sessions will be shown live on Sky Sports F1

Best bet

Carlos Sainz Jr podium finish
1pt 11-4 BoyleSports

Emilia Romagna Grand Prix predictions

Lando Norris's win in the Miami Grand Prix offered the promise that the rest of the F1 season will be more competitive than the first few races were and Ferrari are joining McLaren in bringing an upgraded car to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola this weekend.

The British driver's first career victory in his 110th race was due in part to some good fortune, not least that world champion Max Verstappen damaged his car when running over a trackside bollard. However, there were stretches even before that incident when Norris had produced some impressive times once he had got some space to run in and hopes are high that he will be able to add to his win tally sooner rather than later. 

Miami should not have been the best track for McLaren, whose car excels in high-speed corners, to demonstrate the power of their upgrades, and while Imola should be slightly more to their taste, we may not see the full benefit of their improvement until the British Grand Prix in July.

The increased threat has not yet been fully reflected in the market and Verstappen, who has won four of the first six races this season, is still a very short price at 2-7 to win on Sunday and 4-7 to take pole. Norris is 7-1 for the race with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at 14-1, but with only a small number of firms offering each-way betting, and then with only two places, we may need some more upset results to really open things up.

The improvement McLaren made in Miami was impressive and it's worth noting that Norris's team-mate, Oscar Piastri, did not have all the upgrades on his car but will be fully equipped this week, which could turn him into a podium contender too.

Not all upgrades are immediately successful but there seems to be confidence behind Ferrari's developments and that makes Carlos Sainz Jr to finish on the podium an early race bet to lock in.

Sainz, who won in Australia and has finished in the first three in three of the five races he has started this season, is available at 11-4 for a podium finish while Leclerc is just 5-6 and that gap looks too large. 

The Spaniard has finished as the lead Ferrari in three of the five races they have both competed in this season and if the upgrades work as they hope, both could be in contention for the podium.

One wild-card for the weekend is the threat of thunderstorms on Sunday but the practice and qualifying sessions are expected to be held in dry conditions.

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