Bryce’s Bets: Monaco GP and Indy 500
This weekend is one of the best weekends for racing fans. There’s great action to be had in every major series in the world.
NASCAR is racing in Charlotte, MotoGP is racing in Mugello, and two of the biggest races in the world are this weekend's main events.
Early Sunday morning, Formula One's Monaco Grand Prix and later in the morning, the Greatest Spectacle In Racing, the Indianapolis 500, are two of the three races in racing’s triple crown. The other race is the 24 hours of Le Mans. Monaco is full of glitz and glamor with the celebrities and their yachts surrounding the historic circuit around Monaco.
The Indianapolis 500 is a staple in American racing, with the 2.5-mile track set to host over 300,000 fans on Sunday for the first time since 2019.
Before we look at the best bets for each race, let’s look back at last week’s race at Barcelona in Formula One and how the bets played out. A cash sign $ means the bet hit. An X means it did not.
Charles Leclerc +140 to Win X
This bet was an awful beat. Leclerc started from pole and led from the start of the race until lap 26 when he lost power in his car and had to retire. Leclerc had a 10-second lead at the time of his retirement. He would’ve easily won with these great odds. Hopefully, the Ferrari is reliable for the rest of the year for Leclerc’s championship hopes.
George Russell +170 Top Three Finish $
Russell looked great from the start, climbing up to third on the first lap of the race. He even held the lead for a few laps before both Red Bulls passed him and Russell crossed the line third. Russell continues to outperform his teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Mick Schumacher +120 Top Ten Finish X
Schumacher started 10th and got as high as sixth early in the race. Unfortunately, he could not keep the pace up and finished 14th. Schumacher remains one of two drivers without a point so far this season.
Fernando Alonso +160 Top Ten Finish $
This bet looked doomed to fail. Alonso got sent to the back of the grid because Alpine put a new power unit in his car. Despite this, Alonso had phenomenal pace and finished ninth. An inspiring drive for the 40-year-old Spanish driver.
Record for the Week: 2-2 with money being won.
Record for the Year: 8-6
Once again, all odds are taken from the SI Sportsbook:
Now it's time for this week's bets:
F1 at Monaco Bets
Carlos Sainz –188 Top Three Finish
Sainz will start second behind his teammate Charles Leclerc. The odds aren’t amazing for this bet but it should cash because Sainz and the Ferrari cars have had great pace all weekend. Sainz has been top three in all sessions in Monaco so far. Track positioning is so key at Monaco because it is so hard to pass. Sainz should finish in the top three for the fourth time this season.
Charles Leclerc –110 Fastest Lap
This is my favorite bet of the weekend. Leclerc has been fast at this circuit before but hasn’t been able to get his car to the checkered flag. This year should be different. Leclerc will have unmatched pace and should pick up both the fastest lap and the race win. The only thing that could ruin this bet is if the race is wet then all bets are off.
Valtteri Bottas –110 Top Ten Finish
Bottas is starting the race 12th. It is concerning that he hasn’t had great pace so far this weekend. However, trust Bottas to score points with his solid race pace. Expect him to pick up positions somehow, whether it’s from pit stops, crashes in front of him or the occasional pass. Bottas has scored points in five out of six races and expect him to continue to do so at Monaco.
Pierre Gasly +250 Top Ten Finish
Put a half unit on this one. Gasly had a brutal qualifying session and he’s only starting 17th. Qualifying was surprising because Gasly didn’t finish lower than seventh in any of the practice sessions. If Gasly can get lucky with pit strategies and cautions, he may be able to sneak into the top ten with his pace. Don’t risk too much on this one though.
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Indy 500 Betting
Scott Dixon +540 to Win
Dixon starts from pole for the fifth time and therefore has the lowest odds. The 41year-old Aussie has only won the 500 once, but has led the race in 14 of his 19 starts. In his only race win in 2008, Dixon also started from pole. Take Dixon as he will be close to the front throughout the race.
Tony Kanaan +2000 to Win
Kanaan is tied with Dixon with one Indy 500 win each, and the most years leading the race with 14 years. Kanaan has finished in the top five nine times at Indy. Expect him to be upfront with some other Chip Ganassi drivers, as four of the top six starters are CGR drivers (with the fifth driver, Jimmie Johnson, starting 12th).
Ed Carpenter +2400 to Win
Carpenter has finished in the top five three times, including fifth last year. These odds are fantastic for a man starting the race in fourth.
Santino Ferrucci +8000
Ferrucci has a great record at Indianapolis so far. In three starts at the 500, Ferrucci has finished no worse than seventh. He’s starting midpack in 15th place. But these odds and his track record is worth playing.
Best of luck with the bets and enjoy the beautiful day of racing!