Formula 1 returns from a brief hiatus this weekend for the second race of the season, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton dominated the Imola Circuit in its return to the F1 calendar last year, but the seven-time world champ does look to have his work cut out this weekend following a nail-biting win two weeks ago in Bahrain.
Max Verstappen and Red Bull pushed Mercedes right through to the final lap, a performance the bookies are clearly respecting with Hamilton listed as the second-elect for the first time in several years.
After showing plenty of fight in his debut for McLaren, all eyes will also be on Aussie Daniel Ricciardo this week as he looks to finish on the podium at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix for the second year in a row.
For our best bets ahead of race day, read below!
2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Race Winner
Max Verstappen to win at $2.20
The extra two weeks has given Mercedes plenty of time to adjust on the back of Bahrain, but it’s still safe to say the best is yet to come from Red Bull.
Preseason reports suggested Red Bull’s upgraded power unit would be tough to match this year, and we certainly saw glimpses of that two weeks ago when Verstappen went toe-to-toe with Hamilton over the final 10 laps.
Verstappen actually forced Hamilton wide at one point before impatience got the better of him when he overtook the champ on the outside portion of turn four.
That mistake should be enough motivation for the Dutchman this weekend, not to mention the fact he failed to finish this same race last year after qualifying third on the grid.
If Verstappen can keep a cool head this time around, the growing pressure on Hamilton should afford him plenty of opportunities to level things up in the standings.
2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Fastest Lap
Max Verstappen at $2.63
I spoke earlier about Red Bull’s dominant preseason, so it’s no surprise to find even money on offer for both Hamilton and Verstappen to set the fastest lap.
Lost among all the hype surrounding Red Bull is the fact Mercedes looked rather flat in their recent testing in Bahrain.
The team admitted that their cars struggled to get through the windy conditions, and that handling is something they’ll need to work on ahead of race day.
Mercedes have proven time and time again that they are capable of working overnight wonders, but just on the off chance they haven’t gotten things right in time, why not take a flyer on Verstappen to smash the clock?
2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Podium Finish
Daniel Ricciardo at $5.00, Lando Norris at $5.00
Daniel Ricciardo’s debut for McLaren got off to a solid start in Bahrain with the Aussie finishing seventh despite the car revealing some damage after the race.
The Mercedes engine clearly proved the difference with both drivers finishing inside the points, and there is reason to believe Ricciardo can venture even higher this week after landing on the podium at this same race last year.
The Imola Circuit doesn’t allow much room for error, but with plenty of sweeping corners and long straights, McLaren’s power should give both Ricciardo and Lando Norris a solid chance at finishing top three.
2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Double Points Finish
AlphaTauri at $2.20
It was only one race, but there was plenty to like about the new duo of Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda for AlphaTauri in Bahrain.
The pair qualified 5th and 13th respectively and were extremely unlucky not to finish in the points after Pierre Gasly suffered a collision on the 52nd lap.
Tsunoda, though, was outstanding in his F1 debut finishing ninth, and you have to believe Gasly can bounce-back after finding the points in 10 races last year.
