Qatar Grand Prix prediction and F1 tips: Russell and Mercedes tipped to soar

Jump onto our free betting tips ahead of the penultimate race of the F1 season

George Russell triumphed in Las Vegas last time out (AFP via Getty Images)

Qatar Grand Prix betting tips

• George Russell to win the Qatar GP - 13/2 Betfred
• A British driver to win the race and Lance Stroll first retirement of the race - 16/1 William Hill

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Qatar Grand Prix betting preview

There are just two races left in this year’s highly competitive Formula 1 season and there’s still plenty to sort out after Max Verstappen clinched his fourth championship in Las Vegas last weekend.

Attention now turns to the Qatar Grand Prix on a penultimate race weekend that is shaping up to have a major impact on the Constructors’ standings, with McLaren currently leading Ferrari by only 24 points.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are on the brink of achieving history for the team that last won the team title in Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard’s day before the dawn of the new millennium. They can seal the deal before the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix by finishing 21 points ahead of Ferrari.

Red Bull are 53 points behind McLaren and will need everything to go in their favour if they’re to be in contention heading into the final race. Verstappen winning won’t be the problem; Sergio Perez hasn’t picked up more than one point in six races in a lopsided team where the emphasis is very much on making sure his colleague stands atop the podium.

Qatar Grand Prix betting tips: Mercedes to fly again

For all the talk of Norris and friends potentially clinching the team title, George Russell looks to be crescendoing nicely with a burst of form at season’s end. He stormed to victory under the Sin City lights, reinforced by teammate Lewis Hamilton taking second, and will fancy a repeat showing on the Lusail International Circuit that seems primed to Mercedes’ advantage.

Russell raced with considerable confidence last time out. The 26-year-old held his ground in an early battle with Charles Leclerc after starting from pole position. He also managed to keep Hamilton at arm’s length, despite the more experienced driver tearing through the field from 10th.

Conditions in Qatar look nicely set up for Mercedes. This is a smooth track that will allow the team to set the car up low, increasing downforce and letting it stick. The rise in track temperature over Vegas will also elevate Mercedes’ potential on this sprint weekend where they will have little opportunity to make significant changes to the car.

While Mercedes are guaranteed to finish fourth in the Constructor’s standings, another dominant showing may aid McLaren’s quest to beat Ferrari, who may feel the gruelling track in Qatar will limit their prospects of cutting the gap by not playing to the car’s strengths.

Qatar Grand Prix prediction prediction 1: George Russell to win the race - 13/2 Betfred

Qatar Grand Prix tips: Brits rule, Stroll fails

There’s a ton of British potential in Qatar, with Russell, Norris and Hamilton all well-supported on betting sites as possible winners. Punters who fancy a riskier option might wish to add an extra element to their bet, with William Hill’s 16/1 offer of a British win and Lance Stroll being the first driver to retire during the race standing out as a fun option.

Stroll’s race has the potential to finish in calamity whenever he gets into the Aston Martin. Although he has halved last season’s rate of four DNFs, he is prone to lapses in concentration; such as spinning out of control and wiping himself out of the recent Brazil Grand Prix on the formation lap. He was unlucky to suffer radio failure in Vegas, meaning the team wasn’t set up to quickly change to hard tyres when he eventually came in to pit.

He didn’t react well to smashing into the back of Daniel Ricciardo in April’s Shanghai race and there’s the simmering feeling something could always go wrong when he’s on track, giving punters searching through F1 betting sites for an alternative bet something to consider.

Qatar Grand Prix prediction prediction 2: A British driver to win the race and Lance Stroll first retirement of the race - 16/1 William Hill

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