The third Grand Prix of the Formula 1 season gets underway on Sunday with all eyes at the top of the driver’s standings.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have both traded blows so far in Bahrain and Emilia Romagna, leaving us with even money atop the market this week.

The Algarve International Circuit is a tricky one to navigate with plenty of demanding turns, meaning we could be in for our fair share of drama on race day.

To help you come up with a betting strategy, you can find our best bets in our 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix Preview here!

Race Winner

The battle atop the driver’s standings paints a pretty compelling picture.

Lewis Hamilton currently leads the charge by a single point thanks to a fastest lap at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, but after Max Verstappen’s success at the Imola Circuit, it’s likely the Mercedes team are beginning to feel the pressure.

Portugal was the site of Hamilton’s famous 92nd Grand Prix win last year that saw him pass Michael Schumacher on the all-time list, but it is fair to say the car isn’t quite what it was 12 months ago.

Mercedes has already admitted that they’re at a power disadvantage compared to Red Bull, and we did see glimpses of that at Imola when Verstappen flew past Hamilton off the grid to take the lead.

Verstappen finished third at this Grand Prix last year after qualifying in the same position in a much weaker car, so with confidence beginning to grow, I think there’s a good chance Red Bull comes out on top again this weekend.

Tip: Max Verstappen at $2.25

Double Top 6 Finish

Mercedes and Red Bull aside, this is also a huge weekend for McLaren as the team hopes to bridge the gap between third and second in the constructor’s poll.

Lando Norris landed on the podium at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix a fortnight ago, while Daniel Ricciardo wasn’t far behind in sixth – a nice bounce-back performance from the pair after things didn’t really go to plan in Bahrain.

The new-look duo has done well to land in the points on both occasions so far, but it’s fair to say the best is yet to come with both drivers getting more accustomed to the new engines.

Lando showed two weeks ago the potential the McLaren power unit has, and with more opportunities to overtake at Algrave than there are at Imola, we should see Ricciardo somewhere in the mix also.

Tip: McLaren at $2.25

Number of Classified Drivers

The Algarve Circuit is easily one of the most demanding on the Formula 1 calendar, largely due to its tight turns and long home straight.

Different levels of elevation also plays a part throughout the course, which leads me to believe we’re in for our fair share of accidents this weekend.

Tip: Under 16.5 at $2.03