Mercedes is enjoying a fantastic run in this campaign. The German manufacturer is showcasing one of the most dominant performances in the F1 history, as they won all 8 races since the season started.
Lewis Hamilton with six and Valtteri Bottas with two triumphs are dominant in the way just a few expected before the start of the season.
It is why many believe that the fans might witness one of the most boring championships in the previous 30 years. Hamilton is far ahead of all opponents, while Mercedes already now made a huge gap between them and the rest of the caravan.
CLASSIFICATION – FP1
It's @LewisHamilton at the top in a rapidly-roasting Spielberg ?#AustrianGP ?? #F1 pic.twitter.com/8b1iebLEkq
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 28, 2019
But don’t be surprised if the Finnish driver becomes more aggressive and starts to attack Hamilton shortly. After the race in France, he clearly stated that Hamilton “is not unbeatable,” indicating that he has certain ambitions in the future.
To be honest, we haven’t seen these two in a direct duel this season, and things could change pretty radically. According to some sources and interviews, Bottas isn’t anymore the kind of guy who would take orders from the team to let Hamilton win.
Now, what about poor Ferrari. We’ve seen some indications that they made some improvements, but surprisingly not from Sebastian Vettel, but Charles Leclerc. The less famous driver in Italian vehicle really pressured Bottas in the latest race. Most of the experts are saying that the Monégasque driver would have jumped over Bottas if the event lasted for at least one more lap.
Ferrari is implementing several new additions to the car starting from this Grand Prix, and it is interesting to see whether that brings some improvements.
Just to know, Vettel had an intercooler leak last time, and his car was working below the full potential, yet he took the fastest lap in the end.
During the Friday morning training session, Hamilton was first but only one-tenth of a second ahead of Vettel who was driving on medium tires! Hamilton, on the other hand, had soft. Now, this is suggesting a lot of things here. If Vettel shows good pace during the official qualifications and stays away from the crowd, he could reach a nice starting position and be able to see the true power of his engine. According to the sources from the field, his “sausage kerb” wings which are added here for the first time, are providing some sort of an advantage compared to other vehicles.
Red Bulls were also solid and behind Bottas in third and Leclerc in the fourth place, and both Verstappen and Gasly left a strong impression. After all, this track is almost a home one for them. These two guys might be surprised here in Austria, and one of them could even reach the podium if anything odd happens for one of the four first guys.
Ricciardo was seventh, but Hulkenberg didn’t record a good result. Renault announced their big burst for the last race in France, but nothing particular happened.
So to cut to the chase, we are suggesting to stick with the top two teams and their drivers if you want to earn some money here. Though the odds for some of the outcomes are too low, which is why we have to pick some of them who might give you solid profits, but in the meantime, to cut down the risks. It is really hard to believe that Vettel might finish two races in a row without a place on the podium. After seeing today’s training session, we are definitely suggesting to pick him finishing among the top 3 positions, with the odds for that at 0.30.
