Lando the Best of Three Bets for a Rollercoaster Dutch GP
Quoted on 7/1, Lewis Hamilton rates a great bet to claim the fastest lap of Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix. The British driver was arguably unlucky not to win this race 12 months ago. Poor strategic decisions by his team left him on old tyres at the race’s closing stages while his rivals finished on fresh rubber. Once leading the contest, he ultimately finished fourth.
In 2021 Lewis Hamilton drove his Mercedes around the corkscrew Zandvoort Circuit faster than any other driver to set a lap record. ©LAT Images/MercedesF1
Pit stop commotion – and, in Hamilton’s case, mistakes – were caused by virtual and full safety car deployments on laps 47 and 55. Zandvoort, home to the Dutch Grand Prix, may have only returned to the F1 fold in 2021, but it is clear the narrow nature of the circuit will always result in a safety car being used when a race car is stranded on the track.
Why Can Lewis Make a Point?
The 2021 Dutch Grand Prix did not feature a safety car. It was won by Max Verstappen ahead of Lewis Hamilton and his then-teammate, Valtteri Bottas. This trio lapped the remainder of the field. A highlight of this tragically boring race was Hamilton pitting on lap 70 to affix fresh tyres and use them to claim the race’s fastest lap on the final lap.
The fastest lap accolade comes with an additional World Drivers’ Championship point, making it a big carrot for all drivers. However, not always do race leaders have the time advantage needed to take a pitstop late into the contest and rejoin the circuit with their lead intact.
This application of new wheels is usually a requisite for the fastest lap. Sunday’s race may not necessarily unfold in the way Max Verstappen needs to justify the 4/6 odds offered by the Formula 1 betting sites. As was the case in this race two years ago, the planets lined up on the final lap for Lewis Hamilton in 2023s most recent race, the Belgian Grand Prix, where he set the fastest lap.
Hamilton also took the fastest lap award – sponsored by DHL – at this season’s Monaco Grand Prix. That is significant because that venue, like Circuit Zandvoort, requires cars to be set up with high levels of downforce.
Lando Can Claim Third Podium From Four
Zandvoort is a tricky circuit. Its straight is barely long enough to facilitate overtakes, and the track is roller-coaster-like with corkscrew bends. The Dutch Grand Prix is not a favourite with drivers as passing rivals is difficult. However, with over 100,000 fans at the relatively small venue on race day, the contest offers an electric atmosphere.
Last year McLaren’s Lando Norris was unexpectedly punchy throughout the race weekend. In recent months he has prospered in a car that seems tailormade to circuits that, like Zandvoort, are categorized as ‘high downforce’. His second-placed effort at the Hungarian Grand Prix stands out.
His form from that race can be taken literally, and it should translate to what we can expect this weekend. The odds compilers at bet365 agree, and they quote Norris on 6/5 to finish on the podium this Sunday. Unibet offer far more generous odds of 8/5 about Norris claiming a third top-three finish in his last four starts. It is a great bet.
Alpha a Tempting 12/1 in Stop Stakes
Unibet and William Hill online sportsbooks are amongst those that offer odds on the fastest pitstop of the race. They both make the Red Bull team odds-on favourites to perform the quickest tyre change.
In 2023, only the Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren teams recorded the fastest pitstop of a Grand Prix. The quickest of the year took 1.98 seconds and was performed by Red Bull when working on Sergio Perez’s car at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
However, this weekend, why not avail of the 12/1 offered by William Hill about the Alpha Tauri team for fun stakes? The mechanics at the Italian squad regularly record pitstop times that place them in the top five of the standings. Last time, in Belgium, they recorded the third and fourth-quickest pitstops; overall, Alpha Tauri is improving its times.
This Weekend’s Best Formula 1 Bets
- Lewis Hamilton to set the fastest lap 7/1
- Landon Norris to finish on the podium 8/5
- Alpha Tauri fastest race pitstop 12/1
