Two weeks after one of the least eventful Formula 1 races in recent memory, it’s time to take the bad taste out of our mouths with some action from Canada.
The good news heading into the ninth event of the season is that the competition is finally alive and well with Max Verstappen getting a proper challenge from Ferrari and McLaren.
Hometown hero Charles Leclerc took the top spot on the podium for his maiden race win of the year in Monaco and it helped close the gap on the Dutch maestro in the world championship standings.
In 2023 it was Verstappen cruising to victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and he will go into the race as the favourite in the market.
It can’t be any less eventful than Monaco this weekend right?
Read on for our preview and see who we are backing to take it out.
Track Stats
- Direction: Clockwise
- Lap Distance: 4.361km
- Total Laps: 70
- Race Distance: 305.270km
- Lap Record: 1:13.078 (Vallteri Bottas, 2019)
- 2023 Podium: Max Verstappen (RBR), Fernando Alonso (AST), Lewis Hamilton (MER)
- Most Event Wins: Michael Schumacher (1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004) / Lewis Hamilton (2007, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019)
Race Winner
Four drivers have now won a race in 2024 with Ferrari the first team to get both of their men on top of the podium.
Realistically the most likely scenario is going to be Verstappen winning once more, after all he has not gone consecutive races without a victory since Britain and Austria in the 2022 season.
But at $1.50 there is not much value backing the Dutch dynamo and he has looked vulnerable at points since Miami.
While still 31points behind Verstappen in the World Championship, Charles Leclerc has looked like the best driver in the field over the last few races with the car to match his red hot form.
Since moving to Ferrari, the Monaco native has finished third, fifth and fourth in Montreal and has never been in a better position to try and claim his first Canadian victory.
With rain in the forecast it makes the car’s (and driver’s) ability to handle hard cornering incredibly important and that is something that Verstappen has been battling.
It’s well worth taking on the Red Bull supremo and Leclerc is the man to knock him off his perch.
Charles LeClerc to Win @ $5.50
Podium Finish
While I’m not expecting Verstappen to run away and win this race, he should still find a way to finish on the podium and will probably be right on Leclerc’s tail.
It makes the $1.20 on offer for him to finish on the podium about the right price and this is not the market for punters to take him on.
However Lando Norris has not had the best time at the Montreal circuit, retiring in 2019, then finishing 15th in 2022 and 13th last year.
While McLaren has drastically improved this year, he seems like the vulnerable driver amongst the three to be priced at under even money.
His teammate Oscar Piastri is coming off a career best second place in Monaco due solely to his strong performance in qualifying but he can certainly force his way back into the top three.
Oscar Piastri Podium Finish @ $2.35
Top 6 Finish
Here is where the value starts to evaporate a little bit with eight drivers under $2.00 to finish in the Top 6 in the race classification.
It is not the biggest price, but the two Mercedes drivers being at the bottom of this list is a bit surprising, considering one of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton has earned a Top 6 spot in six of the eight races to date.
Hamilton loves this circuit, finishing top five in 12 of 14 Canadian Grands Prix and the only times he missed out were through retirement in 2008 and 2014.
Lewis Hamilton Top 6 Finish @ $1.83
Points Finish
As tough as it is to like him, Lance Stroll to pick up some points in his and his Dad’s home race while driving for the team his Dad bankrolls with the support of his Dad looks like the value play.
Officially Stroll has something to fight for given his seat is (officially at least) still vacant in 2025.
As for a potential second bet for a driver to finish in the top ten, it really is going to be now or never for Daniel Ricciardo.
While his last outing in Montreal was not his best, finishing 11th, he has enjoyed plenty of success at this track with a couple of podium finishes.
He has been there or thereabouts in the races this season and has been one or two things going his way off breaking into the top ten.
Lance Stroll Points Finish @ $2.50
Daniel Ricciardo Points Finish @ $3.50