Singapore Grand Prix Betting Tips: Leclerc to storm the field
The 2024 Formula 1 World Championship produced another great race in Azerbaijan as McLaren's Oscar Piastri picked up his second victory of the season, and more close racing is expected in the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday.
World champion Max Verstappen still has a 59-point advantage over Lando Norris in the standings but that lead continues to shrink and he has now gone seven races without a victory.
Norris finished ahead of Verstappen in Baku despite starting nine places behind him on the grid and this is one of the rare tracks at which the Dutch driver has never won.
With Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes all looking to keep Vertappen off the podium again, a fascinating race is in prospect around the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Tip 1 - Charles Leclerc to win the race @ 4/1
Max Verstappen must be delighted that his rivals have been sharing the wins around during his barren spell.
If one driver had claimed the majority of the victories then his lead might have evaporated by now, but instead Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri each have two wins during his seven-race dry spell while Lando Norris, Charles Leclerc and George Russell have one recent win each.
That pattern could continue with Red Bull's performances not expected to take a major step forward until the United States Grand Prix and Charles Leclerc looks a decent bet to claim the race victory this weekend.
Leclerc looked to be in line for his third win of the season after taking pole in Baku, but a bold overtaking move by Piastri and a lack of tyre performance forced him to settle for second place and he is now only 19 points behind Norris in the standings.
The Monegasque driver won his home race on the streets of Monte Carlo in May and the similar circuit in Singapore could play to his car's strengths again.
Leclerc was runner-up at Marina Bay in 2019 and 2022 and fourth last year, when his team won the race through Carlos Sainz.
He is the clear top dog at Ferrari at present, though, finishing ahead of Sainz in each of the last five races, and looks the main threat to race favourite Norris.
Norris has finished fourth and second at this race over the last two years but is not really a street-circuit specialist and McLaren have not won the race since Lewis Hamilton's victory in 2009.
Verstappen did not win in Singapore either time while dominating the championship in the last two seasons, finishing seventh in 2022, while his fifth place last year was the only time he didn't win in the final 18 races of the season.
Tip 2 - George Russell podium finish (1-3) @ 7/2
George Russell provided a spectacular finale to last season's Singapore race when crashing out on the final lap while still harbouring hopes of victory.
The Mercedes driver had qualified on the front row and could make his presence felt in the race again this year.
Russell's fifth place on the street circuit at Monaco was his joint-best result at that stage of the season and since then his team have continued to improve, with Russell and Silver Arrows team-mate Lewis Hamilton taking three wins between them.
The British star benefited from the late crash involving Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz to earn his third podium finish in the last nine races (not counting his disqualified win in Belgium) and he can make the top three again this week on his own merits.
Tip 3 - Pierre Gasly top-10 finish @ 4/1
Alpine have had a quiet couple of races with neither Pierre Gasly nor Esteban Ocon scoring points in either Italy or Azerbaijan – but they could get their total moving again in Singapore.
Gasly's first top-10 finish of the season came on a street circuit at Monaco and sparked an improved mid-season run that saw the Frenchman take points in four successive races.
He most recently added to his total at another more technical track in the Netherlands, finishing ninth, before lacking the top speed to challenge in Monza or Baku.
Gasly has an excellent record at this track, finishing eighth there for Toro Rosso in 2019, 10th for Alpha Tauri in 2022 and a superb sixth at Marina Bay for Alpine last season having qualified only 12th.
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Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation