The ten Formula 1 teams return to the familiar stomping ground of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this weekend for the Spanish Grand Prix and it looks like the two familiar front-row faces of 2022 will be battling it out for the 25 points awarded to the winner.

Lewis Hamilton has won the last five Spanish Grand Prix but even with Mercedes’ improvement this weekend it is unlikely he’ll bag a sixth successive win.

The last non-Hamilton winner was a certain Max Verstappen in 2016, but he was pipped to pole by Charles Leclerc on Saturday after the Red Bulls suffered another reliability issue in Verstappen’s second run in Q3.

Spanish Grand Prix betting tips

Charles Leclerc to win at 6/4

There is no denying that the Spanish Grand Prix is often a rather dull affair in terms of racing. The sheer volume of laps the teams put into this track in testing mean they all know how to extract maximum performance out of their cars and overtaking is difficult.

With none of the top ten lining up alongside their teammate, it does seem the new cars have thrown a little uncertainty into the mix but it is also worth noting that most teammates are no further than two positions apart so punters should not expect too much of a mix up at the front and Charles Leclerc is well-placed to take the momentum back from Red Bull.

28 of the 31 Grand Prix at Catalunya have been won from the front row and 23 of them have come from pole. Max Verstappen is undeniably a brilliant racer but he will start on the dirty side of the grid and could have Leclerc’s teammate, Carlos Sainz, bearing down on him from third.

Add that to the ongoing reliability issues and it is a surprise to see Leclerc priced as second favourite.

Carlos Sainz to finish 3rd at 9/4

Carlos Sainz would love to get his maiden Formula 1 win in his home Grand Prix but in all likelihood we will see Leclerc and Verstappen disappear off into the Spanish sunset once again and leave Sainz battling Sergio Perez and a possible Mercedes for the final spot on the podium.

Providing he avoids any first-lap mishaps, this one is Sainz’s to lose. He will gain a slight advantage from the home crowd and he was two-tenths clear of both Perez and George Russell in qualifying.

Alex Albon to finish in the points at 6/1

While the Spanish Grand Prix can often turn into a procession, Alex Albon has been dragging a poor Williams car up the standings this season and he cannot be discounted to improve, despite qualifying down in 19th.

The former Red Bull driver has not finished lower than 14th since joining Williams and has finished tenth, eleventh and ninth in his last three races.

In two of these races he started from the back of the grid and in Miami, where he finished ninth, his fastest lap was only good enough for 18th.

He is unlikely to be able to make up the places on track but with some clever strategy decisions and a slice of luck he looks a big price to add to Williams’ meagre points tally.

23/1 Race match bet accumulator

Alex Albon to beat Nicholas Latifi

Alex Albon is clearly the superior driver to Nicholas Latifi and is yet to finish behind his Canadian teammate since joining Williams, with there being at least three positions between them in all five races.

Charles Leclerc to beat Carlos Sainz

Carlos Sainz is an excellent racer but his teammate is on another level entirely. Leclerc starts from pole and has finished ahead of his teammate in every race so far this season.

Esteban Ocon to beat Fernando Alonso

The Alpines had a tough day on Saturday but Esteban Ocon managed to get into Q2 and starts the race 12th, five positions ahead of Fernando Alonso in 17th. Shockingly, the young Frenchman has finished ahead of his veteran teammate in all five races this season.

Kevin Magnussen to beat Mick Schumacher

Kevin Magnussen put in another phenomenal display and while the gap is narrowing between him and the improving Mick Schumacher it is still very much present.

Lando Norris to beat Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo just cannot get his form back and he has struggled against Lando Norris ever since arriving at McLaren. This season he has been beaten by his teammate in two of the three races both drivers have completed, including a podium for Norris at Imola while his teammate suffered down in 18th.

George Russell to beat Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton has had his fair share of bad luck this season but that takes nothing away from George Russel. He is the only driver to finish in the top five in every race so far and he has finished ahead of Hamilton in the last four Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen to beat Sergio Perez

Like Leclerc alongside him, Max Verstappen is so far ahead of the rest of the pack it’s like a different sport at times. The only times he has failed to beat Sergio Perez this season were when he retired from the race and the two frontrunners are often at least ten seconds ahead of the trailing pack.

Yuki Tsunoda to beat Pierre Gasly

Yuki Tsunoda outqualified his more experienced teammate again on Saturday and while radio messages hinted at a car issue for Pierre Gasly it is worth noting that Tsunoda has beaten Gasly in three of the four races in which both of them have started.

Sebastian Vettel to beat Lance Stroll

The new-look “Green Red Bull” didn’t show any sort of pace in qualifying but Sebastian Vettel should at least manage to beat his teammate. He has only completed one race this season due to Covid and car issues but he clearly has the beating of Stroll on his day.

Valtteri Bottas to beat Guanyu Zhou

It was another spectacular performance from Valtteri Bottas in the Alfa Romeo on Saturday as he qualified seventh, while rookie teammate Guanyu Zhou is down in 15th. Bottas has been comfortably ahead of Zhou in the four races he has completed and clearly has the advantage in pace and experience.

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