Miami Grand Prix Tips: Norris to stage a Miami repeat?
Formula 1 makes the first of three trips to the USA this season for this weekend's Miami Grand Prix with McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at the head of both the championship and the race betting.
Defending champion Max Verstappen is not relinquishing his title without a serious fight, though, and can never be counted out, but a battle between championship leader Piastri and last year's Miami winner Norris looks the most likely outcome this weekend.
Tip 1 - Lando Norris to win @ 6/4
Lando Norris needs to bounce back after some sub-standard performances which have seen him lose the advantage in the title race to his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri.
Languid Aussie Piastri has been doing a solid job, winning three of the season's five Grands Prix in China, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to lead the championship by 10 points. That advantage would be significantly bigger had he not slid out of second place during a sudden rain shower in Australia, when he was able to salvage only a ninth-place finish.
The McLaren hasn't looked the most straightforward car to drive, despite being clearly the quickest, and Norris has made some costly mistakes in qualifying.
Single-lap pace was the British driver's great strength last season, as he claimed eight pole positions, however he has not managed to add to his tally since the season opener in Australia.
He could manage no better than sixth in Bahrain, where Piastri claimed pole, and while he should have been in contention for the fastest time in Saudi Arabia last time, he crashed into the wall and started 10th.
Form is temporary, though, and it is only a matter of time before Norris bounces back, and it could be worth betting that he manages that at a track he has fond memories of in Miami.
Norris broke his F1 duck at the 110th time of asking in Miami last season and returning to the buzzing atmosphere in Florida should be in his favour.
Tip 2 - Charles Leclerc top-three finish @ 6/4
Ferrari would have been expecting a much better start to the season having narrowly missed out on the constructors' title last season and with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton joining the team.
It has been a struggle so far for the Scuderia, but there are signs they are not far off the leading pace and Charles Leclerc scored their first Grand Prix podium of the season in Saudi Arabia last time.
Leclerc has a fine record in Miami with two top-three finishes in the last three years, as well as finishing second in last year's sprint race there.
Ferrari showed strong pace in the last sprint weekend in China with Hamilton winning the sprint, albeit both their cars were disqualified from the Grand Prix there for different technical infringements.
The McLarens, Verstappen and Mercedes' George Russell make the competition for a podium spot fierce, but Leclerc can get himself in the mix at a decent price.
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