2019 Formula 1 Drivers Championship Odds: Lewis Hamilton Heavily Favored

• Lewis Hamilton is a heavy -140 favorite to win the 2019 F1 Drivers’ Championship
• Charles Leclerc finished well and now might be a real threat as he joins Ferrari
• Will Leclerc push Sebastian Vettel to new heights in 2019?

There are some new changes to Formula 1 this season as some tweaks to the aerodynamics rules and some changes behind the wheel could make things interesting.

“Interesting” is the operative word because it’s been anything but for bettors of late as Lewis Hamilton has won four of the last five Drivers’ Championships while Mercedes has been the Constructors’ Champions five years in a row. Will anything change in 2019?

2019 F1 Drivers’ Championship Odds

Pay Attention to the Preseason

If you’re thinking of betting against Mercedes, the first thing you’ll want to pay close attention to is the preseason. That will be our first look at Renault and Honda, and that will tell us if they have any shot of making some noise here. Remember that Mercedes has a huge technological lead on these guys right now.

In case you missed it overnight, we fired up the STR14!

Take a listen! ?? pic.twitter.com/cJpa6zp6rA

— Toro Rosso (@ToroRosso) February 9, 2019

If not, that basically means that it’s down to Mercedes and Ferrari. While Ferrari has a chance, Mercedes has proven to be the fastest, most reliable car in recent history.

Can Leclerc Spark Vettel… Or Win it All Himself?

Charles Leclerc is the talk of the town heading into the 2019 F1 season. We’re talking about a driver that had a sensational rookie season, finishing with six points in each of his final three races, and now he’s joined Ferrari. Going from Sauber to Ferrari is a huge jump.

Your week, by @Charles_Leclerc ????#MondayMotivation #F1 pic.twitter.com/cunnUQrYET

— Formula 1 (@F1) January 14, 2019

The main questions people want answered with Leclerc is two-fold: can he win it all himself? And if not, can he light a fire under four-time champ Sebastian Vettel? Answering the first question, nobody is sure yet. There were small expectations for Leclerc at Sauber last year. Now he enters the year as a driver who can legitimately win it all. How will he handle those expectations?

Fernando Alonso Hunts down Lewis Hamilton – Canada – Epic Battle

Hamilton Post-race Interview: “Being hunted down by Fernando is like being chased down by a bull.” We were very close, it was a good battle and he was very fair.#F1 pic.twitter.com/3RLcI3dUn9

— Eau rouge (@Insidef1) February 9, 2019

While that’s more of a wild card, what should happen is that Leclerc pushes Vettel a little bit harder. Remember that things started out well for Vettel last year as he notched wins in the first two races and four of the first 10.

Vettel lost a bit of motivation down the stretch. Maybe having a young, up-and-comer like Leclerc sparks a fire under Vettel.

Ferrari packed it in from that point, though, winning just one of the final eight races. The suggestion is that Vettel lost a bit of motivation down the stretch. Maybe having a young, up-and-comer like Leclerc sparks a fire under Vettel.

Hamilton is the Heavy Favorite

Like the Golden State Warriors to win the NBA Championship, like Rafael Nadal to win the French Open, there’s a reason why Lewis Hamilton is such a big favorite. He’s won four of the last five F1 Drivers’ Championships and Mercedes seems to have the edge over everyone else right now.

Is it possible that Leclerc continues his rapid ascent and pushes for a championship? Maybe. Is it possible that Leclerc pushes Vettel back to the top? It’s possible. Is there a chance Max Verstappen or someone from the non-Mercedes/non-Ferrari world pushes for a title? It could happen.

Three crucial adjustments ?

In under half a second ⏱

At over 200 km/h ?

You don’t *have* to have superhuman skills to be an F1 driver ?‍♂️

But it helps ?@awscloud @LewisHamilton #F1 pic.twitter.com/h5GwmoV8Lt

— Formula 1 (@F1) February 10, 2019

What we do know is Hamilton is the best, he’s in his prime and he’s driving a Mercedes, which is the best in this business. That’s why he’s my bet at -140.