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Round 12 of the Formula One season marks the sport’s first trip to Portugal since 1996 when Jacques Villeneuve came out on top ahead of Williams teammate Damon Hill in Estoril, just outside of Lisbon.
This time, the race takes place at the Algarve International Circuit which opened in 2008 and has played host to the Superbike World Championship and the Le Mans Series.
F1 isn’t the only motorsport competition heading to Portimao this Autumn, as the MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix is set for the weekend of November 20-22.
One of Michael Schumacher’s 91 Formula One victories came in Portugal in 1993, and having equalled the German’s record at the Eifel Grand Prix a fortnight ago, Lewis Hamilton is looking for his 92nd triumph in his Portugal debut.
As per usual, Hamilton is a strong favourite to win the race. Most bookies are offering 2/5 about the Brit, but there is some 1/2 out there if you really want to back him. The best odds for wagers like this can often be found on the Betfair Exchange, which you can find out more about in this Betfair review.
After winning in Russia, the last thing that Valtteri Bottas’ title bid needed was a DNF at the Nurburgring. But despite beating Hamilton to pole, it was a nightmare Sunday for the Finn who locked up and allowed Hamilton to pass him on lap 13, before being forced to retire six laps later due to engine issues.
Bottas, a 7/2 shot for success in Portugal, is now 69 points behind his fellow Mercedes driver and will be looking over his shoulder at Max Verstappen who claimed second place last time out to cut his deficit behind Bottas to just 14.
Should Mercedes pull off a 1-2, they will win the Constructors’ Championship for the seventh year in a row unless Red Bull can score five points.
Verstappen did about as well as he could in Nurburg where he did register the fastest lap, and the 9/2 quotes for him to come out on top this weekend might tempt a few. He is 3/1 to earn another fastest lap point.
Daniel Ricciardo finally appeared on the podium for Renault two weeks ago and he is now getting even more respect in the betting markets as a result. The best price for a top-three spot is 3/1, but he remains a massive outsider at 66/1 to win outright.
Racing Point’s Sergio Perez is a 60/1 chance to win for the first time in F1, and 5/1 to be on the podium which after three consecutive top-five finishes, he is getting ever closer to. Top six looks like a banker for the Mexican, and it is unsurprisingly as short as 2/5.
Alexander Albon was unable to finish the Eifel Grand Prix because of a radiator leak, and any momentum gained from his maiden podium in Tuscany appears to have been lost. He was 4/1 for a top-three berth in Russia two races ago, but you can get 15/2 in the same market this week.
Lance Stroll, Charles Leclerc, and Carlos Sainz are all 14/1 for a podium, with Lando Norris just behind them at 16/1.
While it has been a year to forget for Ferrari, Leclerc’s form reads 8-6-7 and is the sort of consistency that at least provides an element of hope for fans. You can get 9/4 on the 23-year-old coming in the top six on Sunday, and he is fancied at 4/7 to end up in the points again.
Sebastian Vettel has five top 10 finishes in 11 outings thus far in 2020, and the soon-to-be Aston Martin man is 10/11 just about everywhere to earn at least a point in Portugal.
Incidentally, Vettel is the favourite to be the first driver to retire at 7/1 – a market usually led by Romain Grosjean, who can be backed at 8/1.