For the first time in ten years, there will be a Formula 1 Grand Prix in France – and not at Magny-Cours, but rather at Paul Ricard, which hasn’t hosted a Formula 1 race in 28 years!
This means that most teams come into this weekend relatively blind, without much historical knowledge of how their cars will behave on the circuit, which means that teams with strong all-round packages should be able to do well.
Who to bet on?
What will catch the attention of hardcore fans is the fact that the track has recently been resurfaced – which means that Pirelli will be bringing their reduced tread depth tyres to Paul Ricard, which Mercedes dominated the race with back in Spain. This is the second of three circuits at which Pirelli will bring the tyres that the Mercedes enjoys so thoroughly – the next one is at Silverstone, a few weeks away!
Looking at the general layout of the circuit, it definitely resembles Silverstone and Catalunya – relatively high speed corners followed by straights, with a low speed sector thrown in to spice things up at the end of the lap. Mercedes will undoubtedly be very difficult to beat, as they’ve cleaned up at similar circuits in the past, and we thus suspect that Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas will be eyeing the top 2 steps of the podium on Sunday.
Our safe bet for race winner: Lewis Hamilton (2.50*)
Our wildcard bet for race winner: Valtteri Bottas (7.50*)
Our gut is sensing a Bottas win – he’s in what is arguably the best car this weekend, on an even playing field with his teammate in terms of circuit experience at Paul Ricard, and has been much faster than his results show so far in 2018. Hamilton on the other hand will be feeling a lot of pressure on him this weekend – especially as his championship rival now leads him by one point since Canada!
If you’re concerned about the weather over the course of the weekend, you can put your concerns to bed, as it looks set to be as dry as a bone – and thus Mercedes will be able to make the most out of the reduced tread depth dry tyres.
Place your bets at Betway today! Odds are subject to change closer to the weekend, so get your bets in early! And remember, you owe us if you win 😉