The 2023 Austrian Grand Prix is this Sunday, and here we look ahead to the race with our latest Formula 1 betting picks. Max Verstappen is the favorite, with the Dutchman looking for his fifth successive win. We’re looking elsewhere for our race picks though. And we think Fernando Alonso looks worth following this weekend.
We’re now at the stage where we’re almost looking for an act of God to prevent Max Verstappen from winning a Grand Prix. Yes, one weekend it’s going to happen. His car might fail, or he may get taken off the track by a fellow driver. But apart from that, it’s hard to see Verstappen not winning.
His win in Canada just under two weeks ago was his fourth in succession and has seen the double-world champion open up a 69-point lead over his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.
Behind Verstappen, things are starting to heat up – and in particular, for Perez. The Red Bull No.2 driver was the favorite at -1000 in the betting to win the driver’s championship without Verstappen just a few short weeks ago.
Now after a string of poor performances – coupled with a consistently strong showing from Alonso, and improvements from Hamilton – Perez is now at just -165. And while the odds on Perez continue to drift, the odds on Alonso and Hamilton are shortening. The duo are both now just +300 to win the championship without Verstappen.
And what of the actual Austrian Grand Prix? Well, Max Verstappen is the favorite to win at just -300. Behind the runaway championship leader is Sergio Perez at +1000, with Fernando Alonso at +1100, and both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at +1200.
Two weeks ago, Leclerc was +3300 to win in Canada. So this marks a significant change in his odds. There are probably two reasons for this; One, Leclerc won here last year, not just the main race, but also the sprint; Two, Ferrari is the most successful constructor at this venue, having won this race seven times.
But these Ferrari successes need to be put into context. Charles Leclerc’s win in the 2022 race was their first success since before the race returned to the F1 roster in 2014. Michael Schumacher won here in 2002 and 2003, and Eddie Irvine in 1999. The three wins for Ferrari before that were in 1964, 1965, and 1970.
That’s hardly a good reason to back the Prancing Horse to win this weekend.
Okay, so Charles Leclerc won here last year. But again, 12 months ago, Ferrari was competing with Red Bull. Where are they this season?
Anyway, that’s enough of tearing apart Ferrari’s challenge this week. Full betting on the Austrian Grand Prix from the best Formula 1 betting can be found on our odds table. These odds are taken from the best Las Vegas sportsbooks, ensuring you get the best value for your F1 wagers.
| 2023 F1 Austrian Grand Prix Winner Betting |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Verstappen | -300 | -300 | -300 |
| Sergio Perez | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Fernando Alonso | +1100 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Lewis Hamilton | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Charles Leclerc | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
| Carlos Sainz | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| George Russell | +2800 | +2800 | +2800 |
| Lance Stroll | +25000 | +25000 | +25000 |
| Pierre Gasly | +25000 | +25000 | +25000 |
| Esteban Ocon | +30000 | +30000 | +30000 |
| Lando Norris | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Oscar Piastri | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Valtteri Bottas | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Guanyu Zhou | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Kevin Magnussen | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Nyck de Vries | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Alex Albon | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Logan Sargeant | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
The latest Las Vegas odds on the Austrian Grand Prix say one thing, and one thing only. At -300, Max Verstappen can be the only pick to win the race. But that doesn’t make him a good value pick.
The Dutchman is going to be these sorts of short prices for the foreseeable future. And whilst it may feel like buying money, there will be a weekend when something goes wrong.
So instead of backing Verstappen to win, we’re looking at alternative picks for this weekend’s race.
In the betting to finish on the podium, Verstappen is at -500, with Sergio Perez at -120, and Fernando Alonso also at -120. Outside of the top three, Lewis Hamilton is +100, and Charles Leclerc is +200.
As we mentioned in our introduction, we think Fernando Alonso is a driver worth following this weekend. The Spaniard is a double world champion, and his performances in the Aston Martin this season have been very solid and impressive.
In eight races this season, Fernando Alonso has been on the podium six times. He missed out in Spain, with the two Mercedes cars joining Verstappen in the top three. But like the true champion Alonso is, he bounced back with a magnificent second place in the following race in Canada.
At odds of -120, Fernando Alonso to finish on the podium is our first pick.
For our second pick, we’re looking at the head-to-head market, and the matchup we’re interested in is Russel vs Sainz.
George Russell is -135 to beat Carlos Sainz, with the Spaniard at +105. As we pointed out earlier, we’re not buying into the theory that Ferrari will do well this weekend. Okay, they did better in Canada, with Leclerc finishing in 4th and Sainz in 5th. Russell had a DNF do to brake failure, but that can happen.
Both Mercedes and Ferrari have improved in recent weeks, but Mercedes seems to have the edge, and we’re going with George Russell to finish ahead of Carlos Sainz for our second pick.
Check out the top-rated sportsbooks below that can be used for wagering on Formula 1:
