Belgian Grand Prix
Formula 1 is back this week with the Belgian Grand Prix at one of the sport’s most famous tracks, Spa Francorchamps.
This is F1’s longest track at more than 7 kilometres per lap and features the iconic Eau Rouge corner.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen – who was born in Belgium – has won three of the last four Belgian Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton inheriting the win last year after George Russell was disqualified.
Verstappen currently sits third in the Driver Standings, 69 points behind leader Oscar Piastri, and comes into this race with his Red Bull team in the middle of a tumultuous period.
This will be the first race without Team Principal Christian Horner, who was sacked after 20 years with the team, and Verstappen’s future has been a talking point in the media.
Meanwhile, McLaren continue to lead the Constructor Standings with 460 points, 238 ahead of second place Ferrari and a whopping 288 points ahead of Red Bull.
Ferrari enter this weekend with an upgrade package, but it remains to be seen how much it will help Hamilton or Charles Leclerc, the only two drivers in the field besides Max who have won at Spa.
Arguably the most important thing to keep an eye on this weekend is the weather, with some rain predicted. Spa is notoriously rainy and in fact, the 2021 race was reduced to just three laps because of wet weather.
This is also a Sprint weekend, so there will be just one free practice session.
Belgian Grand Prix Betting Tips
Best Bet
Both McLaren Cars to finish on the Podium $1.36 (BYO Sportsbet)
Admittedly there isn’t a ton of value here, but it might suit a multi just fine. Norris and Piastri have shared the podium in 9 of this season’s 12 races and they’re equal favourites to win this weekend.
Next Best
Lando Norris $2.60 (Outright Betting)
So here we are again with Lando and Oscar both priced the same in the Outright markets. Neither has won the Belgian Grand Prix and although Norris has struggled at Spa – never finishing better than 5th in 6 attempts – he does come in having won two races in a row.
Piastri Bet
Oscar Piastri $2.60 (Outright Betting)
Norris has reclaimed the ‘top dog’ position at McLaren from Piastri, but it wasn’t that long ago that the roles were reversed. In truth, there is very little between these two and a mistake here and a bad strategy call there can make all the difference. Oscar has performed well in his two races here at Spa (2nd last year after Russell’s DQ and 6th in 2023) so this might be his time to shine again.
Value Bet
Max Verstappen $5.00 (Outright Betting)
As mentioned earlier, Max has won 3 of the last 4 here at Spa but he comes into the weekend off two bad results, a 5th in Britain and a DNF in Austria. He’s also got all the Red Bull drama to contend with. But if anyone can shut out the noise and get on with his race it’s the four-time world champion on a track he loves. Max is also great in the wet, so if the heavens do open, it could play into his hands.
Belgian Grand Prix Australian Times
Practice 1: Friday July 25, 8:30pm AEST
Sprint Shootout: Saturday July 26, 12:30am AEST
Sprint Race: Saturday July 26, 8pm AEST
Qualifying: Saturday July 26, 11:55pm AEST
Race: Sunday July 27, 11pm AEST
Odds are subject to change