F1 French Grand Prix 2019 Odds & Picks

• Following a controversial victory at the Canadian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton has emerged as a heavy favorite to claim his sixth victory of the season at this weekend’s French Grand Prix
• Ferrari teammates Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc shared the podium for the first time this season at Montreal, but face a massive challenge in their bid to keep pace with Mercedes
• Red Bull’s Max Verstappen turned in a gutsy performance on his way to fifth-place finish at Montreal, and has emerged as an intriguing +2500 bet to claim his first win of the season

Lewis Hamilton will be looking to extend his growing lead atop the Formula One driver standings with a fourth straight victory when he hits the track at this weekend’s French Grand Prix as a heavy -118 favorite.

2019 French Grand Prix Odds

*Odds taken 06/16/19

Hamilton Extends Lead with Controversial Montreal Win

Hamilton continued his domination of this year’s F1 circuit with a controversial victory at the Canadian Grand Prix, and now returns to Europe sporting a 29-point lead over Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas atop the standings.

The 34-year-old Englishman benefited from a five-second penalty handed to Sebastian Vettel for unsafe re-entry onto the track at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve that almost resulted in a crash between the rivals. Vettel eventually finished the race ahead of Hamilton, but his 1.342-second margin of victory over Hamilton was not enough to avoid him being relegated to second place, denying him his first victory since last season’s Belgian Grand Prix.

RT IWC “lewishamilton wins in Montreal, and it’s his 7th #CanadianGP. valtteribottas ends in P4. Congratulations to mercedesamgf1 for the 7th win of the season. #IWCRacing pic.twitter.com/v2c5KAA3KH“

— Luxury Reviews (@GetReviewedByUs) June 9, 2019

Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc rounded out the podium, recording his second third-place finish of the season after failing to finish in his home race at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Mercedes Running Away with F1 Constructors’ Title Race

However, with Hamilton and Bottas combining to take the checkered flag in all seven races so far this season, Mercedes has opened a massive 123-point lead on the F1 Constructors’ standings, vaulting the German squad to massive -10000 favorites in F1 Constructors’ Championship odds.

Hamilton returns to France as defending champion after powering to an easy victory a year ago in the first edition of the race since 2008.

In addition, Hamilton returns to France as defending champion after powering to an easy victory a year ago in the first edition of the race since 2008, outpacing second-place finisher Max Versatappen by 7.090 seconds.

The #F1 World Constructors' Championship standings after the #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/vIXNbckoJY

— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) June 9, 2019

Bottas sits second to Hamilton on the odds to win the French Grand Prix at +275, ahead of Vettel at +450, while Leclerc rounds out the favorites at +550. Bottas is coming off his worst performance of the season at Montreal, finishing a distant fourth after starting sixth on the grid, ending a stretch of six straight podium including wins at Melbourne and Azerbaijan that marked his first victories since 2017.

The 29-year-old Finn turned a disappointing seventh-place performance at the 2018 French Grand Prix, but showed promise in qualifying at this event a year ago, starting from the front row.

Hope Remains for Ferrari as Scene Shifts to Europe

Despite being plagued by technical issues and controversial calls through the first third of the 2019 F1 campaign, hope remains for Ferrari as the Formula Once circuit moves back to Europe. After claiming two of the three top spots in qualifying at Montreal, Ferrari will be gunning for a record 18th all-time victory at the French Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel with teammate Charles Leclerc on the podium, yesterday in Montreal 😄🤝

📸 https://t.co/EFQp970ge9 #CanadianGP 🇨🇦 #Seb5 #F1 pic.twitter.com/VtMVmTOq64

— #DankeSeb ♡ (@sebvettelnews) June 10, 2019

Vettel and Leclerc claimed two of the top three spots on the grid at Montreal, where they also shared the podium for the first time this season, and will look to build on that performance in France. Vettel started in the second row in France a year ago, on his way to a fifth-place finish, while Leclerc will look to improve on a 10th-place finish in France in his rookie season with Alfa Romeo Sauber.

Steady Results, Engine Upgrade Make Verstappen Intriguing Dark Horse

Further down the French Grand Prix odds, Max Verstappen remains an intriguing +2500 bet. The 21-year-old continued to produce consistent results at Montreal, battling his way into fifth place after starting at no. 9 on the grid. Verstappen’s second-place run in France signaled the beginning of a steady stretch run to the season that featured two victories and four second-place finishes.

Verstappen may also benefit from Red Bull’s planned Honda engine upgrade ahead of the French Grand Prix.

In addition, Verstappen may also benefit from Red Bull’s planned Honda engine upgrade ahead of the French Grand Prix, which could lead to more grid penalties for the rising Belgian star and his teammate Pierre Gasly.

However, increased horsepower and an aggressive race strategy could pay dividends and lift Verstappen to a long-awaited first win of the season.

Pick: Max Verstappen (+2500)