Our F1 Insider expects Lewis Hamilton to get back to winning ways at the Chinese Grand Prix, and also has a tip for the rest of the podium places.
Race winner: Lewis Hamilton at evens
Mercedes travel to Shanghai on the back foot but their failure to taste victory so far this season can be put down to bad fortune and a lack of decisiveness. Hamilton would surely have won in Bahrain if not for a grid penalty which left him stranded in ninth at the start, while team-mate Valtteri Bottas should really have dispatched a tyred-out Sebastian Vettel as he chased him to the chequered flag. The Shanghai circuit's long sweeping high-speed curves will suit the Mercedes more than Vettel's Ferrari, as will the less abrasive surface, cooler track temperatures and harder tyre-compound selections.
Red Bull to take a double podium finish at 11/2
Red Bull have mustered only one fourth place finish from the first two races of the season, but the car's pace is clearly evident beneath the headline results. Daniel Ricciardo set the fastest lap of the Australian Grand Prix last month despite race-long traffic which rendered him unable to stretch his legs, while Max Verstappen had the speed to draft past title favourite Lewis Hamilton in Bahrain before the resulting tangle triggered a puncture and forced him out. The race pace of the Red Bulls has remained largely hidden from view but the Shanghai circuit should bring the best from the most exciting driver line-up on the grid. Back each for a podium finish at 6/4 or the pair at 11/2.
Posted at 0900 GMT on 12/04/18; selections at best available price via oddschecker.com
Chinese Grand Prix: Weekend Schedule & TV Guide
All times BST
Friday April 13
0300: Practice One
0700: Practice Two
Saturday April 14
0400: Practice Three
0700: Qualifying
Sunday April 15
0710: Race
TV Coverage
You can watch all the sessions of the Chinese GP weekend live on Sky Sports F1 with highlights on Channel 4.
Chinese Grand Prix: Sky Bet odds
Race winner, pre-weekend:
- Lewis Hamilton: Evens
- Sebastian Vettel: 2/1
- Valtteri Bottas: 10/1
- Max Verstappen: 11/1
- Daniel Ricciardo: 11/1
- Kimi Raikkonen: 14/1
Pole position, pre-weekend:
- Lewis Hamilton: 8/13
- Sebastian Vettel: 10/3
- Valtteri Bottas: 9/2
- Max Verstappen: 20/1
- Kimi Raikkonen: 20/1
- Daniel Ricciardo: 22/1
Click here for all of Sky Bet's Chinese Grand Prix odds
Chinese Grand Prix: Track guide
- Venue: Shanghai International Circuit
- Circuit length 5.451km
- Laps 56
- Race distance: 305.066 km
- Number of corners: 16
- Lap record: 1:32.238 (Michael Schumacher)
- 2017 pole position: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:31.678
- 2017 winner: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:37:36.158
- 2017 fastest lap: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:35.378