Australian Grand Prix 2024 Predictions: Leclerc good price for podium

Max Verstappen has made the perfect start to the 2024 Formula One season having dominated the two races so far. Now motorsport's greatest circus heads Down Under for the third round, with the race scheduled to get underway at 04:00 on Sunday morning.

For those setting their alarms in the UK tuning in for a competitive race for top spot, you may be left disappointed. Already it looks like the Red Bull driver is set to storm to another title, even if his future at the team is looking less certain than ever before. We’ll focus on the action on the track for now, and so here are my Australian Grand Prix 2024 predictions. 

Race winner - Max Verstappen @ 1/4

This one is obvious and straightforward, so I'm not going to waste too much time on it. Simply put, he’s the best driver in the best car - by a mile. The distance between Red Bull and the other teams doesn’t seem to have shrunk, despite promises of progress over the winter. 

He’s been 35 seconds quicker than his teammate over the two races, and Sergio Perez has been the only one able to get close to him. He won here last season amid the red flag chaos, and I’d be shocked to see anything other than another Verstappen win on Sunday morning. 

Podium finish - Charles Leclerc @ 4/5 

I’ve been relatively impressed with Ferrari so far this season, and despite the slight gap between them and Red Bull, they do look like they can challenge. In Bahrain they finished third and fourth, with Carlos Sainz taking the final spot on the podium. Last time out in Saudi Arabia, the Spaniard was replaced by teenager Oliver Bearman due to his appendicitis, and Leclerc took third. 

The Monegasque driver was ‘only’ 18 seconds behind Verstappen which is more than respectable, and I believe his pace will see him secure a top three finish. We aren’t sure how good Sainz will be after his surgery, even though he is expected to return here - so that gives Leclerc a clear path to third position. 

Points finish - Kevin Magnusson @ 5/2 

The bottom half of the pack has been intriguing to say the least so far. The underperformance of Kick Saubar and RB has been stark and both teams have seriously struggled. Meanwhile, Williams saw progress with Alex Albon in Saudi Arabia as he finished 11th, ahead of Kevin Magnussen in 12th. 

What we saw from Haas was impressive however, with Nico Hulkenburg picking up the final points position. The team look as though they may be top of the bottom half at this moment in time, and although they profited from Lance Stroll’s crash, I believe they can pick up some more points here. This time I’m plumping for the experienced Magnussen to pick up 10th position, at a decent price of 5/2. 

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