Lewis Hamilton is on the brink of clinching his sixth Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship this weekend as the Grand Prix circuit heads to Austin, Texas. The course in Mexico last week did not seem suited to Hamilton’s Mercedes last week, but he still took the win. Sebastian Vettel did a pit of self-sabotage but still ended up taking second place, and then Valtteri Bottas put together a solid race after needing some early repairs and took the third spot on the podium. All Hamilton needs is four points at the Circuit of the Americas. Can he do it? Or will he have to wait another week? We have the F1 odds for each driver as well as thoughts about the top teams to win the 2019 United States Grand Prix.
F1 2019 United States Grand Prix Odds & Preview
We can’t wait to roar round @COTA 😍 Sound ON! 🔊#USGP 🇺🇸 #F1 pic.twitter.com/N0CVrZysle
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 1, 2019
Driver Odds to Win the 2019 United States Grand Prix
- Lewis Hamilton: +180
- Charles Leclerc: +250
- Sebastian Vettel: +400
- Max Verstappen:+550
- Valtteri Bottas: +750
- Alexander Albon: +8000
- Daniel Ricciardo: +100000
- Daniil Kvyat, Lando Norris, Pierre Gasly, Kimi Raikkonen, Nico Hulkenberg, Sergio Perez: +150000
- Antonio Giovinazzi, Lance Stroll: +200000
- Romain Grosjean, Kevin Magnussen: +250000
- George Russell: +400000
- Robert Kubica: +500000
Who Are the Favorites?
Mercedes now has 100 victories as a manufacturer in Formula 1, 62 with Lewis Hamilton at the wheel. All he would need to do is coming in with the top eight to earn those four points and seal the driver’s title. Circuit of the Americas is one of his favorite tracks; he has won all of his races here except for two since Circuit of the Americas became a part of the Formula 1 schedule seven years ago. As far as Valtteri Bottas, who is Hamilton’s teammate and who sits in second place, he would need to win out all the way and hope that Hamilton never cracks the top eight before the end of the calendar.
Ferrari has benefited greatly from the addition of Charles Leclerc, who picked up yet another pole in qualifying in Mexico, giving him seven for his career. However, the team still has issues when it comes to strategy, not the least of which involves the duel between Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel that has kept the team from driving at its most competitively against the rest of the field. Vettel has not wanted to go from being the team’s top driver to helping Leclerc out, leading to some encounters that have embarrassed the Scuderia. Where Ferrari has hope in Austin is that long straight before Turn 12, which could give the speedy SF90 the boost they need to make their passes.
Did you know that Alexander Albon has outpointed Max Verstappen since he came to Red Bull?
That shows Verstappen’s struggles this year as well as the stellar way Albon has come on in his rookie campaign. Verstappen made some crucial errors that kept him off the pole in Mexico, and then some contact with both Hamilton and Bottas in the early going and then a hamfisted attempt to get around Kevin Magnussen were just some of the disappointments for Red Bull in Mexico. In 2018, Verstappen carried out a stunning defense against Hamilton to keep him from clinching the title, and Red Bull now can just hope to get someone on the podium.</p.
As far as the middle teams go, McLaren was disappointed in Mexico as Lando Norris got no points thanks to a retirement. Carlos Sainz will make his 100th start in Formula 1 on Sunday. They sit in fourth place in the constructors’ championship, which would give them bragging rights as the “best of the rest” — those other teams not named Mercedes, Red Bull or Ferrari.
Now driving with Toro Rosso, Pierre Gasly picked up points in Mexico, but overall his team fell relative to Renault in the constructors’ championship. The two teams are just nine points apart, but Toro Rosso may have the advantage given the number of tight turns at Circuit of the Americas.
