This weekend the Formula 1 circus heads off to a brand new location for the European Grand Prix.
Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan – argue amongst yourselves as to whether or not Azerbaijan is in Europe – will host its first ever F1 race on Sunday and it promises to be an exciting and unpredictable affair.
Whilst Mercedes is certainly a safe bet for victory having won all but one race this season so far – which is reflected in their odds with Lewis Hamilton 1/1 and Nico Rosberg 9/4 to win – Baku presents a real challenge which could just offer up a great opportunity for a rival to snatch the victory.
All odds are provided by www.bestbettingsites.co.uk.
Firstly, the track is a mix between a street circuit and a more traditional layout, with the opening sector made up of 90º corners, followed by a tight and twisty section which wouldn’t look out of place in Monaco.
That first sector is almost certainly going to suit Red Bull more than anyone else.
The second sector features some quicker corners, connected by some medium-speed straights. This is an area that will once again suit Red Bull, but Mercedes and Ferrari will likely be just as quick.
Then we have the final sector. It features the longest straight on the calendar at over 2,000 metres which will top speeds of around 220mph. Naturally you would expect the car with the best engine to win out here, and you’d probably be right. Expect Mercedes powered cars to top sector three times.
Whilst Red Bull’s Helmut Marko has already said they will lose around 1.2 seconds on the straight compared to their rivals, thanks to an underpowered Renault engine, we’d suggest you don’t read too much into that, as they’ll likely not lose quite that much, and they’ll gain some of that back in sector one, so don’t discount a Red Bull victory here.
Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen currently stand at 12/1 for victory and are therefore a good shout if you’re looking to make a good return on your money – you just need to choose between the two.
Meanwhile Ferrari, if they can finally get their strategy nailed down, will also prove strong here as the track is similar in layout to Canada with its stop and go nature.
Sebastian Vettel is down at 11/2 and Kimi Raikkonen 25/1 – very strong odds for the Finn, despite his recent run of poor performances. Could this weekend be the one?
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