Miami Grand Prix Prediction: Max to dominate one again?

Formula 1 races in Florida for the third time this week and for the second successive event it's a sprint-race weekend with a shorter race on Saturday before the main event on Sunday.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen won 19 of the 22 races in 2023 and has taken four of the five races so far this season, falling short only when he suffered brake issues early in the Australian Grand Prix.

The Dutchman has won each of the first two races at the street track outside the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens and is a red-hot favourite to extend his world championship lead.

Tip1 - George Russell podium finish @ 6/1

Max Verstappen is hard to oppose at a track where he has won both previous races. The Red Bull ace has not yet taken pole position in Miami but won the inaugural event from third on the grid after getting past both Ferraris of pole-sitter Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr.

Last year, he achieved an even more difficult task after failing to set a lap time in the final qualifying session and starting ninth on the grid. The three-time world champion was still able to muscle his way past the eight cars ahead of him to win by more than five seconds from team-mate Sergio Perez.

Verstappen is understandably a short price at 1/7 to claim his fifth win of the season, but some of his rivals are hoping to have improved their chances of laying down a stronger challenge to the championship leader.

McLaren and Mercedes are both bringing upgrades to the Miami race in the hope of reducing the advantage enjoyed by the top team. However, while McLaren have made impressive leaps forward with previous packages, not least their mid-season improvement from Silverstone onwards last season, Miami is not likely to be a track where they are seen at their best.

The papaya-coloured cars excel in high-speed corners, of which there are very few in Miami, a street track that largely consists of low-gear corners and long straights. McLaren should be capable of mixing it with Red Bull later in the season but this may not be their race.

Mercedes are also hoping to be stronger in the United States this week and that could bring George Russell into contention for a podium finish at rewarding odds of 6/1.

The British driver has outperformed his seven-time world champion team-mate Lewis Hamilton in every race this season and has 33 points in the championship compared to Hamilton's 19.

Russell has yet to better his fifth place in the opening race of the season, but if Mercedes have got it right with their changes he could be underestimated in the odds to add to his 11 career podium finishes.

Tip 2 - Nico Hulkenberg points finish @ 33/20

German driver Nico Hulkenberg announced this week he is leaving Haas at the end of the season to rejoin the Sauber team.

He has been having a good final campaign for the American outfit so far, though, with three points finishes in the last four races and he could add at least another point in Miami.

Hulkenberg was 10th in Saudi Arabia and China and ninth in Australia, and Haas had a good weekend at this track last year.

Kevin Magnussen held on to take 10th after impressing to qualify a surprising fourth and while Hulkenberg was only 15th, he has had the upper hand against his Danish team-mate this year, finishing ahead of Magnussen in the last four races.

Tip 3 - Yuki Tsunoda to beat Daniel Ricciardo @ 4/9

Daniel Ricciardo is a popular figure in America and across the world thanks to his entertaining appearances in the Netflix show Drive To Survive, but he has not been getting the job done on the track this season.

The Australian has retired from the last two races and not finished above 12th in the first five events of the year. That's not good enough for a driver who was hoping to put his name in the frame for a Red Bull seat next season as he is yet to score a point this year. His Visa Cash App RB team-mate, Yuki Tsunoda, has seven.

The Japanese driver has finished 12th and 11th in his first two Miami races and a similar effort might well be good enough to finish in front of Ricciardo again.