Max Verstappen required a touch of good fortune to pick up his sixth victory of the 2024 F1 season in Canada last time out, but the world champion has a strong chance of following that up at the Spanish Grand Prix on a track that suits his Red Bull car much better.
The dynamic Dutchman has a 56-point lead in the championship, but the competition at the front of the field is getting closer by the week, with Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes all in the hunt for the podium places.
Spanish Grand Prix Tips
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Charles Leclerc each-way – 8/1
Ferrari followed the euphoria of the home win in Monaco by Charles Leclerc with a weekend to forget in Montreal as both their cars failed to finish.
The wheel of F1 fortune could turn in their favour again at Barcelona, however, and Leclerc looks a solid each-way bet for the race.
The Italian team are bidding to make their own luck by taking an updated car to Barcelona, which could give them the edge in a tight battle after the recent improvements made by McLaren and Mercedes.
Leclerc had finished in the top four positions at each of the first eight races this season before his tough weekend in Canada and his Monaco success was his fifth visit to the podium.
The task of both Ferraris has also been made slightly easier by the three-place grid penalty Red Bull’s second driver Sergio Perez is carrying for driving his car in an unsafe condition in Montreal.
Yuki Tsunoda points finish – 5/6
RB are another team who are taking a hopefully improved car to Spain and that should enhance Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda’s prospects of finishing in the points for the sixth time in eight races.
Tsunoda finished only 14th in Canada but had been running ahead of team-mate Daniel Ricciardo after qualifying in eighth place, before making a late mistake.
Points are going to be thin on the ground for the midfield runners now the top four teams all have their acts together, but Tsunoda has shown he can get the best out of the car which, being from the Red Bull stable, should have the aerodynamics required to impress at the well-trodden circuit in Barcelona.
Safety car to be deployed – 5/6
We’re targeting a quick win in Sunday’s race here as the most likely reason for the safety car to be deployed is an incident at the first corner.
Overtaking is tough at the Circuit de Catalunya and drivers know that first-lap moves are probably their best chance of improving on their starting position.
The safety car has not been required in the last two races at the track, but that suggests one is overdue as the pace car was deployed in five of the previous six years.
The 2018 race featured both a full safety car and a virtual safety car, but the last two incidents were both the full version – caused by a collision between Lando Norris and Lance Stroll in 2019 and an engine failure for Yuki Tsunoda in 2021.
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