After a month away from racing that promised plenty of drama, the Formula 1 world is set to head back to the track this weekend in the Dutch seaside town of Zandvoort for Round 15 of the 2024 World Championship.
Despite some rumoured upheaval amongst the driver ranks, all 20 have retained their respective seats for the next few months at least.
There is plenty on the line over the remaining ten races, especially with four spots in 2025 still up for grabs including the Lewis Hamilton shaped vacancy at Mercedes that still needs to be filled.
However most importantly, we have a title race that might just keep us engaged through to Abu Dhabi, with Max Verstappen facing more competition from the field than in either of the last two seasons.
The Dutchman will be eager to win in front of his hometown fans and extend his 78 point lead over nearest rival Lando Norris but he will need to end a four race win drought that has yielded just the one podium placing.
We’re ready for a big weekend of action in the Netherlands so let’s see where the value lies in these markets.
Track Stats
- Direction: Clockwise
- Lap Distance: 4.259km
- Total Laps: 72
- Race Distance: 306.587km
- Lap Record: 1:11.097 (Lewis Hamilton, MER, 2021)
- 2023 Podium: Max Verstappen (RBR), Fernando Alonso (AST), Pierre Gasly (ALP)
- Most Event Wins: Jim Clark (1963, 1964, 1965, 1967)
Race Winner
Some races are harder to pick than others and with the teams coming off a four week break with the scientists going to work on the car, there are a lot of unknowns heading into this race.
Heading into the summer break, the gap between World Championship leader Verstappen and the chasing pack including Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari had shrunk, but what impact the improvements will have in Zandvoort is not going to be clear until they hit the track.
Despite being forced to fight a bit more than he has been used to in races, Verstappen is still the benchmark in this field and in his home race, he is going to be ready to give it his all.
Max Verstappen to Win @ $2.75
Podium Finish
There is plenty of value to be had in this market with Verstappen and the two McLaren drivers expected to make up the podium.
It’s a pick your preference situation with the Mercedes and Ferrari drivers who are more than capable of upsetting the apple cart and challenging not just for the podium but also for the overall win.
George Russell crossed the line first in Belgium before getting disqualified for having an underweight car, which shouldn’t be held against him for this race.
He has had some mixed results at Zandvoort with a pair of 17th place finishes coming either side of a second place in 2022.
Meanwhile, Charles LeClerc continues to be underrated by the market, despite an impressive six podium finishes to date.
George Russell Podium Finish @ $2.75
Charles Leclerc Podium Finish @ $5.50
Points Finish
A month ago the rumour mill was in overdrive suggesting that Daniel Ricciardo would be arriving at the Dutch seaside town wearing Red Bull gear instead of V-CARB attire.
Instead, Christian Horner and company stuck with Sergio Perez instead of elevating the Aussie driver or his teammate Yuki Tsunoda (or reserve driver Liam Lawson).
That has extended the uncertainty surrounding that second Red Bull seat in 2025, with Perez under contract but receiving no guarantees that will be honoured if he continues to struggle.
Both Ricciardo and Tsunoda are driving with the carrot of a potential promotion next season and also with the knowledge that they could be replaced in the blink of an eye if they fall in a heap in the run home this season.
Ricciardo has at least been there or thereabouts in the points in the last few races whereas Tsunoda is coming off a 16th place in Belgium.
Let’s have a play on Ricciardo adding to his tally here.
As for a long short, I like the value on offer for Pierre Gasly despite his three poor results heading into the break.
Prior to that he had finished in the points in the four prioe races from Monza to Austria and the break might be just what was needed.
Daniel Ricciardo Points Finish @ $2.50
Pierre Gasly Points Finish @ $4.50