Formula One expert Louis Bollard previews the Bahrain Grand Prix, and has some strong fancies in his staking plan.
F1 betting tips: Bahrain Grand Prix
2pts Oscar Piastri to win the Bahrain Grand Prix at 9/4 (General)
3pts Alex Albon to beat Carlos Sainz at 7/10 (General)
2pts Ollie Bearman to beat Esteban Ocon at 27/25 (General)
1.5pts Albon/Bearman double at 2.54/1 (General)
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The less said about the Japanese Grand Prix the better. The lack of action meant there was no reward for waking up early. This was caused by Pirelli bringing tyres which were too durable on a resurfaced track which resulted in insignificant degradation and only one viable strategy. Couple this with a track that has limited overtaking opportunities and we get a high-speed Monaco.
There should be no concerns about a boring one-stop race this weekend as Formula One returns to Bahrain where McLaren dominated testing in February. The competitive order at the front has not changed since testing and McLaren can make amends for Japan with an OSCAR PIASTRI victory.
Despite losing to Max Verstappen's Red Bull last time out, the McLaren is still the better car. A perfect lap in Q3 by Verstappen pipped the McLarens for pole on a circuit that is difficult to overtake. and a timid McLaren strategy meant all Verstappen needed to do was keep his car between the white lines to take his first victory of 2025.
Unlike in Japan, the McLaren will be able to assert its dominance in Bahrain even if neither driver is on pole. We are yet to see the scale of McLaren's most significant performance advantage in race trim this season: tyre management. Bahrain will be the hottest race of the season so far, which combined with the abrasive surface will mean tyre management is going to be crucial.
This could turn into a match bet between the McLaren drivers, and at the prices Piastri is the bet to take the win.
Amazing Albon
ALEX ALBON has been the star of the season so far. He has made the highly regarded Carlos Sainz look ordinary. Albon has amassed 18 points so far compared to Sainz's solitary point. The trend continued in Japan with Albon finishing P9 and Sainz struggling 34 seconds behind in P14.
Albon is maximising this car at the moment and Sainz has a task on his hands to close the gap, never mind get the better of his teammate. Any continuation of this performance discrepancy and we won't be able to back Albon at these prices in races to come.
Backing Bearman
OLLIE BEARMAN has gotten into his stride after a disaster first race weekend for Haas. He has since had consecutive points finishes in China and Japan. He was my driver of the day in China after a superb performance on the contra strategy which saw him needing to overtake cars to score points.
Japan was a smooth weekend for the Englishman where he had the better of Esteban Ocon from start to finish. We know Ocon can go through periods of struggling with the car. Ocon has lost seven of his eight season long battles with teammates and Bearman could be about to stamp his authority on this one.
Posted at 1145 GMT on 09/04/25
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