The Formula One roadshow visits Australia this weekend, with the third race of the 2023 season taking place at Melbourne’s Albert Park Circuit. Will the Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez maintain their early domination Down Under?
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc won last year’s Australian Grand Prix, while Verstappen was forced to retire from the race due to a fuel leak. If the early stages of the new season are anything to go by, Leclerc will struggle to get on the podium this time around.
Without further ado, here are my 2023 Australian GP picks. I recommend steering clear of the outright winner odds and taking advantage of the tasty betting value elsewhere.
2023 Australian Grand Prix Predictions
Fastest in Practice 1 – Max Verstappen (-125)
Priced at -300, Max Verstappen is the bookmakers’ clear favorite to win the 2023 Australian Grand Prix. However, the defending champion’s outright odds are too low to bother with, so I’m backing him to be fastest in Practice 1.
After winning the first race of the season in Bahrain, Verstappen finished second while recording the fastest lap in Saudi Arabia. With the Red Bulls outperforming the other cars this year, I’m confident that Verstappen will be fastest in P1.
Podium Finish – Fernando Alonso (-163)
Fernando Alonso heads into the third race of the season on the back of two P3 finishes. Of course, Verstappen and Sergio Perez have dominated proceedings so far, but Alonso has undoubtedly been the best of the rest.
The 41-year-old is enjoying an impressive revival at Aston Martin, having won the World Drivers’ Championship in 2005 and 2006. Following back-to-back third-place finishes, Alonso will be confident of reaching the podium once again.
Top 6 Finish – Lance Stroll (-188)
Alonso’s Aston Martin teammate, Lance Stroll, secured an impressive P6 finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix. However, the Canadian registered a disappointing DNF in Saudi Arabia after retiring due to a mechanical issue.
Alonso has proved that Aston Martin is capable of outperforming Ferrari and Mercedes this season, so Stroll will be desperate to forget about the previous race and join in on the fun. If his car can stay out of trouble, Stroll could snatch another top-six finish in Australia.
Top 10 Finish – Pierre Gasly (-200)
Pierre Gasly has enjoyed a consistent start to the 2023 campaign, recording back-to-back P9 finishes. Naturally, the Alpine driver will be eager to climb the grid as the season unfolds, but he has given himself a solid foundation to build on.
With many of his rivals experiencing early-season issues, Gasly looks set to finish in the top 10 for the third successive race. Granted, odds of -200 are nothing to write home about, but this feels like a pretty safe bet.
2023 Australian GP Betting Lines
Max Verstappen -300
Sergio Perez +450
Fernando Alonso +800
Charles Leclerc +1800
Lewis Hamilton +2200
George Russell +3300
Carlos Sainz +4000
Lance Stroll +10000
Esteban Ocon +25000
Pierre Gasly +25000
Lando Norris +75000
Oscar Piastri +75000
Kevin Magnussen +100000
Nico Hulkenberg +100000
Valtteri Bottas +100000
Alex Albon +150000
Guanyu Zhou +150000
Logan Sargeant +200000
Nyck de Vries +200000
Yuki Tsunoda +200000