The Formula 1 season already looks set to become a two-horse race between the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, but the Canadian Grand Prix proved that surprise results can still happen even when a team is dominating at the level Mercedes currently are.
Daniel Ricciardo was the man to surprise in Montreal. Whilst his result might have come at the unlikely reliability failings of both Mercedes cars – which coincidentally happened on the same lap (what are the odds of that happening?) – it goes to prove that nothing is certain after many, including the bookies, gave nobody other than Hamilton or Rosberg a chance. The oddsmakers at MyTopSportsbooks.com had Ricciardo as the definitive underdog, with a minimum £250 return on just £5.
With his victory however comes much smaller odds. The Australian is 16/1 to win in Austria. Whilst it might seem crazy to think that Mercedes will suffer problems again – even if it’s just one car – Red Bull might not need reliability on their side this weekend.
The Red Bull Ring – could the name even be a sign? – isn’t a power hungry circuit, nor does it require brilliant traction as almost all of the nine corners are high-speed. There’s just one straight and it’s not even that long. So this circuit will play into the hands of a driver who’s sitting behind the wheel of a strong chassis. Many believe Red Bull’s RB10 to have the strongest foundations on the grid, even beating that of the W05.
So is Ricciardo, or maybe even team-mate Sebastian Vettel, worth a punt this weekend? Definitely. You’re not going to become rich betting on the obvious winner – we’re looking at you Mercedes – so your next best bet is one of the Bulls and so far this season, the youngster has enjoyed an advantage.
