Azerbaijan Grand Prix

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The streets of Azerbaijan host this weekend's installment of the F1 circus, and Friday saw some exceptional pace from young Max Verstappen as the Dutchman went fastest in both sessions.

He blew his rivals away by almost half a second in FP1, before edging out a close pack behind him in FP2. With an upgrade brought for this race, the pace looked genuine, with teammate Daniel Ricciardo also well in the hunt in 2nd and 3rd during the sessions.

While Ferrari look in decent shape too, Mercedes look to be struggling with the operating range of their tyres, and it could be a tough weekend for Lewis Hamilton as a result.

Nevertheless, the Brits is just 2/1 to win this weekend, so we'll pass over him and board the Verstappen express at 9/1 with Paddy Power, with each way bets paying at 1/3 odds for a top 2 finish.

Ricciardo also appeals at 5/2 to finish on the podium at 5/2. It's a feat he has achieved in each of the last three races, and he's also banked a 4th and a 5th this season, so on a track which plays to the strengths of the Red Bull, it looks very long. That price is with William Hill or Stan James.

Finally, with the long lap we see here - pole time will be slower than 1m 40s, there is every chance the qualifying winning margin might be higher than usual - something which may have escaped Victor Chandlers attention, who offer 15/8 on the qualifying margin being over 0.2 seconds. It looks worth a small bet.

1pt e/w Verstappen to win at 9/1 (Paddy Power)

2pts Ricciardo to finish on the podium at 5/2 (Hills or SJ)

1pt Qualifying Winning Margin over 0.2 Seconds at 15/8 (VCbet)

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