Formula One 2019 Spanish Grand Prix Odds & Picks
- The Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas lead the way on Spanish Grand Prix odds following four straight one-two finishes
- Bottas is enjoying a breakthrough campaign with two wins to lead the F1 Drivers’ Standings, but Hamilton has earned the win in the last two races at Barcelona
- While Ferrari continues to struggle, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen continues to turn in consistent performances, and sits as an intriguing bet to claim his second career win at Barcelona
The Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas will be aiming to extend their dominance on the Formula One circuit so far this season as the scene shifts to Barcelona for next week’s Spanish Grand Prix.
After finishing one-two in each of this year’s first four races, marking the best start to a season by a team in F1 history, Team Mercedes travel to Spain atop the Spanish Grand Prix odds. Hamilton leads the way as a +130 favorite, just ahead of Bottas, who sits second at +200 in motor sports futures betting.
2019 Spanish Grand Prix Odds
| Driver | 2019 Spanish Grand Prix Odds |
|---|---|
| Lewis Hamilton | +130 |
| Valtteri Bottas | +200 |
| Sebastian Vettel | +400 |
| Charles Leclerc | +400 |
| Max Verstappen | +1600 |
| Pierre Gasly | +15000 |
| Carlos Sainz Jr. | +100000 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | +100000 |
| Kimi Raikkonen | +100000 |
| Lando Norris | +100000 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | +100000 |
| Sergio Perez | +100000 |
*Odds taken 05/04/19
Bottas Enjoying Breakthrough Season
Bottas continued what is shaping up to be a breakthrough campaign with his second win of the season last time out at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. After qualifying on the pole, just ahead of Hamilton, Bottas enjoyed an impressive run to victory edging out Hamilton by a narrow 1.524-second margin to reclaim top spot on the Formula One Drivers’ Standings.
FINAL CLASSIFICATION: Round 4, Azerbaijan
Bottas wins and takes the drivers' championship lead ?#F1 ?? #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/ZS4JTzooLc
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 28, 2019
The winner at Baku a year ago, Hamilton’s second-place performance this time around put the brakes on a two-race win streak, and also leaves him lagging one point behind his Mercedes teammate on the Drivers’ Standings. However, with wins in 10 of his past 15 races, the 34-year-old Englishman remains pegged as a heavy -200 favorite to claim a third straight F1 title, well ahead of Bottas at +250.
Mercedes Dominance Stoking Concerns Over Potential Feud between Bottas, Hamilton
With Mercedes looking unstoppable, concerns have emerged that the rivalry between Hamilton and Bottas could turn bitter, and cast a pall over the team’s impressive campaign. And with good reason. Hamilton engaged in a notorious feud with former teammate Nico Rosberg the last time Mercedes dominated the F1 circuit during the 2016 season, which ended with Hamilton’s unsuccessful attempt to thwart Rosberg’s bid for the F1 title during the final race of the season at Abu Dhabi.
Valtteri Bottas's resurgence at the start of 2019 has prompted comparisons to Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton's 2016 rivalry. Can Mercedes avoid another intra-team feud? Scott Mitchell and Glenn Freeman discuss in our latest video
Watch now: https://t.co/uoDgevG0Vb pic.twitter.com/9Wo17rgtfx
— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) May 2, 2019
The competition between the two teammates has remained friendly for now. However, with Bottas displaying newfound confidence since seeing a lengthy winless drought end with wins in two of four races this season, the potential for the relationship to sour remains real.
Hamilton has taken the checkered flag in Barcelona after starting in the front row in each of the past two years.
Both Hamilton and Bottas have enjoyed previous success at Barcelona. Hamilton has taken the checkered flag in Barcelona after starting in the front row in each of the past two years. Bottas turned in a career-best second-place finish at the event last year, finishing 20.593 seconds back of the winner, and has started from the top two rows in each of the past two years.
Ferrari Searching for Answers in Barcelona
While the Mercedes teammates have divided up the spoils of their early-season wins, Ferrari continues to look for answers. However, despite facing season-long issues, veteran Sebastian Vettel sits third on the Spanish Grand Prix odds at +400, just ahead of his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc at +450.
Charles Leclerc locks up and crashes into the wall at the castle section at Azerbaijan GP qualifying
Credit: F1#F1 #Charles16 #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/tjXIxM1Ucc
— Eau rouge (@Insidef1) April 27, 2019
What promised to be a breakthrough weekend in Baku for Ferrari quickly turned to more disappointment for the Italian team. Leclerc looked poised for a breakthrough following a third-place finish at the Chinese Grand Prix. However, the rising star from Monte Carlo crashed out in the second round of qualifying, leaving him to start from the fourth row.
Vettel fared far better in qualifying, earning the no. 3 spot on the grid, but was unable to keep pace with his Mercedes rivals, settling for a distant third-place finish, 11.739 seconds back of Bottas.
Ferrari Plagued by Technical Issues, Questionable Team Orders
Ferrari’s struggles at Baku come on the heels of early-season race issues with the new Ferrari SF90, which performed exceptionally well in preseason testing, but has failed to live up to expectations in race conditions. Plagued by tire issues, Vettel finished a disappointing fourth to open the season at the Australian Grand Prix, and slipped to fifth in Bahrain before taking the final podium spot. Leclerc was robbed of his first career win by engine trouble at Bahrain, and has also been hampered by team instructions that favor Vettel.
'Ferrari can't shake off its history with team orders' – Autosport https://t.co/OA2A6Z1zEm
— UK Sports News Bot (@UKNewsBot1) April 15, 2019
With the Ferrari teammates quickly losing ground to their Mercedes Rivals on the Drivers’ Standings, they have also faded on the F1 championship odds, where they both now sit at +700.
Verstappen Quietly Emerging as a Threat
While the focus this season has remained on Mercedes’ dominance and Ferrari’s woes, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has quietly put together a respectable campaign, and enters the Spanish Grand Prix as an intriguing +1600 bet.
Throwback Max… #voetbalisvoorwatjes Verstappen's Maiden Win | Spanish Grand Prix 2016 https://t.co/dsPED54hsV
— Rowdy (@RowdyBass666) January 28, 2017
The 21-year-old has demonstrated consistency, turning in three straight fourth-place finishes after opening the season with a third-place run at Melbourne. Verstappen also has a pair of podium finishes to his credit at Barcelona including his a record-setting victory as the youngest driver to ever win an F1 race back in 2016, and has to be considered a dark horse worth considering if he can come out of qualifying with strong positioning on the starting grid
Pick: Bottas (+200)
Daniel has been writing about sports and sports betting for over 23 years. The seasoned pro has contributed to the likes of Sports Illustrated, Sportsnet, NESN, Bleacher Report, OddsShark, the Globe and Mail, and The Nation magazine.
