Lewis Hamilton’s F1 Drivers’ Championship Odds Now -240 After Winning Spanish Grand Prix
- Mercedes has placed first and second in every race this season
- Lewis Hamilton has three wins on the season, placing second in his other two races
- Valterri Bottas has picked up two wins, placing second three other times
In a year where Formula One had hoped that the other teams had closed the gap on Mercedes, it turns out that the juggernaut has actually widened the gap. Lewis Hamilton is fresh off a win at the Spanish Grand Prix and is now a -240 favorite in Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship odds. Is he the best bet at this point?
2019 Formula One Drivers’ Championship Odds
| Driver | 2019 F1 Drivers’ Championship Odds |
|---|---|
| Lewis Hamilton | -250 |
| Valterri Bottas | +275 |
| Charles Leclerc | +1600 |
| Sebastian Vettel | +1800 |
| Max Verstappen | +4000 |
*Odds taken 05/15/19. Click on the link in the table above to see odds for all drivers.
Hamilton is in Cruise Control
We’re just five races into the 2019 Formula One season, which means we have 16 races still to go. Even so, it would be an upset if Hamilton didn’t win the Drivers’ Championship this season. That’s because through five races, Hamilton has won three times and in his two “losses”, he’s placed second.
Mercedes is Dominating
While Hamilton is undoubtedly a stud behind the wheel, teammate Valterri Bottas is also benefitting from the stellar cars that Mercedes has produced. Bottas has two wins on the year and has also placed no worse than second.
Valterri Bottas had a good old go and ripping his #Mercedes #F1 tyres to shreds #FOS pic.twitter.com/NBn8mhAkKl
— Goodwood Road&Racing (@GoodwoodRRC) March 1, 2018
What that means is that Mercedes has taken first and second place in every single race this season. That’s absolutely incredible. They already have 217 points, which puts them 96 points ahead of second-place Ferrari. No other team has even reached the 90-point mark. That’s how wide the gap is between first and second.
Where’s the Competition?
In the offseason, we heard about how Ferrari was supposedly closing the gap, that Charles Leclerc was supposed to be a rising star and Sebastian Vettel was supposed to be rejuvenated. Leclerc placed third in Bahrain but has been fifth every other time. Vettel has a pair of third-place results but also has two fourths and a fifth.
Harry knew…?@LewisHamilton had some special inspiration as he powered to victory at the #SpanishGP @MercedesAMGF1 @HarrysPledge5 pic.twitter.com/BMAZnVuxFH
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 12, 2019
It’s actually Max Verstappen of Red Bull that is in third place in the standings as he has a pair of third-place finishes and three other fourth-place results. Even so, he’s merely at 66 points while Bottas and Hamilton are at 105 and higher.
Bet Bottas?
It’s hard to imagine a world where Bottas beats out Hamilton but it seems like this could be the year. He only has one less win than Hamilton but has picked up extra points by earning three pole positions (Hamilton has just one). Each also has been fastest lap once this year.
.@MercedesAMGF1 ‘s @Valterribottas joins in as we celebrate #100GP in #F1veYears. Together we have the #SpeedToLead ? pic.twitter.com/6MiH9IdEt0
— Tata Communications (@tata_comm) April 8, 2017
It’s one or the other this year but Bottas is racing particularly well and you’re getting him at +275. I’d take a small flier on his odds to win the Formula One Drivers’ Championship.
Pick: Valterri Bottas (+275)
For over 15 years, Dave has been working in mainstream media and sports betting. He hosted a station on Sirius Satellite Radio for four years, and is currently a senior writer for AskMen. He's interviewed hundreds of hundreds of high-profile sports stars like Shaquille O'Neal and Floyd Mayweather.
