Emilia Romagna betting tips, odds and f1 predictions: McLaren one-two and Colapinto to impress on Alpine debut

Formula One state of play 

F1 might be about raw speed, adrenaline, and precision, but it’s also about pressure, about who can be the very best when pushing themselves and their machines to the ultimate limit – who will be a matter of millimetres away from a wall, who will break latest going into a hairpin? 

Who will crack and who will flourish?

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Let’s start with our Championship leader Oscar Piastri, who at the tender age of 24-years-old and with just two years’ experience in Formula 1, is showing remarkable maturity and an ability to soak up pressure, both on track and off it, if the Miami Grand Prix is anything to go by. 

He’s won four of the first six races of the season, leads the championship by 16 points, and even did the “griddy” to celebrate his win in Miami. 

Is Lando Norris fairing as well? The answer is a resounding no, just judging by his performance. The McLaren car is clearly the fastest on the current grid but he’s only been able to take a Gran Prix win once this season, in Australia. 

Read: Formula 1’s new beginning: Expanding betting markets

To be a real threat for the title this year he knows he has to eliminate the tiny mistakes, especially when the margins are so close.

Elsewhere, the pressure pot that is Alpine has boiled over since Miami, with young Aussie rookie Jack Doohan being rotated out of his seat, in place of Argentine Franco Colapinto. Which was quickly followed by a statement revealing team principal Oliver Oakes had resigned. 

It seems like drama just follows that team, no matter which name it’s racing under.

F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix odds

F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix predictions 

However, pressure doesn’t come much greater than racing in front of the Tifosi – the Italian fans – at the first Italian round of the season; especially if you’re Lewis Hamilton or Kimi Antonelli. 

For Hamilton, racing in front of the Tifosi representing Ferrari for the first time – or if you’re Antonelli, stepping into his Mercedes F1 car and racing just miles from where he was born and raised. 

READ: How Lewis Hamilton can overturn a 12-point deficit to Charles Leclerc

It will be a tough test for both men and the Tifosi will be there willing both men on, cheering or jeering every moment. I must also mention Charles Leclerc here too, Lewis’s teammate, and with the force of Ferrari spurring them on, a good result is a must for the fans and team alike.

Imola returned to the F1 calendar in 2020, as a result of COVID-19, and is a firm fans favourite, although this year might be its last as it has no contract to continue past 2025.

Hamilton won for Mercedes in 2020, but since then Max Verstappen has been unstoppable in Imola, winning every event since and has to be in with a fair chance of making it four in a row this year.

However, the McLaren duo will have something to say about that, and with Piastri’s record so far this season, (4 wins from 6) it's hard to bet against him.

With the longest pit loss time of the season, nearly 30 seconds, strategy is everything in Imola. It’s highly likely to be a one stop race so timing that perfectly will be the challenge. 

Overtaking is rated as hard, so qualifying performance is key. Pirelli will bring its softest tyres to the race, and I expect teams to mostly start on the medium changing to the hard. A smattering of drivers could choose the reverse strategy starting on hard and then medium. Chances of a safety car are high.

FIRST’s top tip for the F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

McLaren might have the fastest car but with the form Max Verstappen brings into this round, it wouldn’t bet against him being the fastest car in qualifying. I’m not so sure I'd back him for the race win though with the speed of that McLaren.

Pick: Fastest qualifier - Max Verstappen 3/1 (Coral)

Extra tips

• Safety car odds are looking good with it featuring in 4 of the last 5 races, an 80% chance

Safety car: Yes - 2/5 (Coral) / 21/50 (BetMGM)

• Fastest lap with Pirelli bringing the softest tyre they have – the C6 – a qualifying lap time to be the quickest ever. The current record is 1:13.609 set by Valtteri Bottas in 2020.

Fastest lap - Lando Norris - 6/4 (Ladbrokes)

• Fastest pit stop Ferrari set the fastest pit stops in five of the first six races, only broken by Sauber in Miami, could the Prancing Horse reclaim this crown, cheered on by the Tifosi?

Keep tabs over at DHL inMotion for the current standings.

• Franco Colapinto back in an F1 car and with a point to prove, he needs a good weekend. I’m backing him to collect points on his debut for Alpine?

Price boost: Points finish: Franco Colapinto - 9/2 (was 7/2) (Ladbrokes)

• McLaren seem to have the edge this year. I wouldn’t bet against them getting a 1-2 on Sunday. The odds are suggesting it’s Piastri’s to lose – the Aussie was 4th last year.

Price boost: Tricast: 1st Piastri, 2nd Norris, 3rd Verstappen 11/1 (was 7/1) (Ladbrokes)

Both cars podium finish - McLaren - 2/5 (10bet) 

Formula 1 standings (Drivers)

Formula 1 constructors standings (Constructors)

Odds correct at the time of writing.