Louis Bollard was in profit at the Monaco Grand Prix and is again keen to take on Max Verstappen as the F1 roadshow heads to Montreal.
Formula One betting tops: Canadian Grand Prix
3pts e.w. Lando Norris to win the Canadian Grand Prix at 13/2 (General 1/3 1/2)
1pt Kevin Magnussen to finish in the points at 5/1 (General)
1pt Esteban Ocon to be the last classified finisher at 14/1 (bet365)
- Follow Formula One expert Louis Bollard on X
Formula One travels across the Atlantic this weekend for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. Max Verstappen has failed to win two of the last three races and there are murmurings that we have a Drivers' Championship fight on our hands. I wouldn't go that far, but things may not be straightforward for him this weekend.
Circuit Gilles Villenueve is the first low-drag track of the season so we will get our first glimpse of the limited downforce configurations of each of the 2024 cars, which throws an unknown into the mix. It is another street circuit (although a much higher speed one than Monaco) where the bumps may mean we see the Red Bull raise the ride height again, limiting its ability.
The two most likely drivers to take advantage of an underperforming Red Bull are Charles Leclerc and LANDO NORRIS, where my preference this week is for the latter. Ferrari and Leclerc where the star of the show in Monaco but McLaren's performance was equally as impressive, proving the car is versatile and will work on multiple circuit configurations.
Before Monaco, Norris had the upper hand on Leclerc by beating him in three straight races. This included Norris getting his maiden win in Miami and running Verstappen very close in Imola. Although Ferrari were able to beat McLaren in Monaco, I still have Norris as the closest challenger to Verstappen over a race distance.
This weekend, tyre degradation will be more of an issue, as the race is predicted to be somewhere between a one or two stopper. Norris clearly has the upper hand on tyre degradation in the teammate battle with Oscar Piastri struggling over the final 10 laps in Monaco.
Norris also proved superior to Leclerc in this regard in Imola, where he managed his pace at the beginning of the final stint to be able to make a late challenge on Verstappen. He's the value.
KEVIN MAGNUSSEN's driving has been a hot topic lately, and not for the right reasons. The Dane now sits just two penalty points away from a race ban after some controversial overly defensive driving in Miami.
This is a tough situation for Magnussen at the moment as his contract is up at the end of this season and with plenty of suiters for Haas available on the market, he knows he has to take every opportunity to have a seat in 2025. This came to the boil last time out where an overly ambitious move on a Red Bull saw three cars, including both the Haas', get wiped out after two corners.
Despite these issues, his car has potential and should suit this track. Two races ago in Imola, Magnussen was blocked in Q1 by Piastri resulting in him starting 18th. He managed to finish the race in 12th, on a track that is notoriously difficult to overtake, so the signs of a strong result are there.
This weekend the track will favour cars that with high top speed and strong traction out of slow corners, and both are Haas strengths. Other midfield cars on the other hand will have a more difficult time here than last time out. Williams and Alpine both scored points in Monaco, but they are suffering with being overweight and down on power respectively.
They were able to get away with these issues around the streets of Monaco but will be exposed in Canada. Magnussen can capitalise.
Another driver being talked about for the wrong reasons is ESTEBAN OCON, who was rumoured to have been close to being benched this weekend having crashed into teammate Pierre Gasly last time out.
It looks like it could be a difficult weekend for Ocon, as he will miss FP1, has a grid penalty, and his car is down on power on a track where that is essential. I make him one of the favourites to be the last classified driver.
Other drivers' chances
Max Verstappen
Track will not play into his car's strengths again. Will have a race on his hands. Is looking forward to getting back to conventional tracks in Barcelona.
Charles Leclerc
Car has strong traction out of corners which will suit and will be aiming for the win again. Can take advantage of an underperforming Red Bull.
Alex Albon
Car is about 15kg overweight, which is costing them about half a second a lap. Stellar drive to score points last time out. Car has gone well in Canada in the past but with the car being overweight they will struggle.
Posted at 2200 BST on 05/06/24
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