Miami Grand Prix betting tips

Formula 1 heads to the Florida sunshine this weekend for the third Miami Grand Prix in the streets outside the Miami Dolphins' Hard Rock Stadium.

For the first time it is a sprint-race weekend and it's the second in succession after the same format was used in China.

World champion Max Verstappen was successful in Shanghai and has now won four of the five races this season, but some of Red Bull's rival teams are upgrading their cars this weekend in the hope of giving the Dutchman more of a fight at the front of the field.

Verstappen is a red-hot 1/7 favourite to win the race and remain the only driver to win in Miami as he was successful there in 2022 and 2023.

However, there are plenty of other bets to consider for the race and we've picked out three enticing wagers for the sixth round of the season.

Tip 1 - George Russell top-six finish @ 9/10

McLaren and Mercedes are among the teams bringing the latest products of their development departments to the track in Miami and the German outfit would be disappointed if they cannot help George Russell to at least secure his fourth top-six finish of the season.

While McLaren have been ahead of Mercedes so far this season, the Miami track lacks the high-speed corners where their car excels and it's more likely that their progress will be easier to observe at other circuits.

George Russell has done a solid job in difficult circumstances this season for Mercedes, finishing ahead of his team-mate Lewis Hamilton at each race, and he will be looking to get involved in the fight with Ferrari and McLaren if the improvements work as planned.

Russell has finished fifth and fourth in the first two races in Miami and while a first podium finish of the season may take a little longer, another solid top-six placing looks likely.

Tip 2 - Carlos Sainz best finishing position v Charles Leclerc @ 23/20

Driver matchups are always an interesting market from BetUK and Carlos Sainz looks worthy of support to secure a better finishing position than his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc in Miami.

Sainz is the 23/20 outsider with Leclerc on offer at 7/10, but the odds should arguably be closer than that given their performances so far this season.

The Spaniard is leaving the team at the end of this season to accommodate Lewis Hamilton's arrival, but the Italian outfit might just be wondering if they are letting the right driver depart. Sainz is seven points behind Leclerc in the championship but was forced to miss the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to appendix surgery and has finished ahead of Leclerc in three of the four races he has taken part in this season.

He amazingly won in Australia in his first race back in action and also finished ahead of Leclerc in Miami last season, when they were fifth and seventh respectively.

Tip 3 - Esteban Ocon top 10 finish @ 9/2

Alpine have made a poor start to the 2024 season having been a decent midfield outfit in recent years, but there were signs that they are getting back on the right path in the last race in China.

The team were able to upgrade the car which started the season in Shanghai and Esteban Ocon produced a much-improved 11th-place finish, just 2.5 seconds away from picking up his first point of the season by making the top 10.

If the French outfit can build on the performance, they have a better chance of opening their account for the season than odds of 9/2 for Ocon to make the top 10 suggest.

Ocon is a race winner after his 2021 success in Hungary and is capable of a strong finish if his improving car is up to the job.