The Drivers’ Championship has already been decided in Formula 1 for 2019, with Lewis Hamilton clinching the title with a second-place finish at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. That gives Hamilton his sixth world championship, second only to Michael Schumacher, who has won seven. Valtteri Bottas locked up second place in the championship standings after he grabbed pole position in qualifying and then rode to victory, so the only suspense remaining is the battle for third place on that season podium, with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc vying with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen for that spot. In the midfield, Alexander Albon, also of Red Bull, is getting pushed hard by Carlos Sainz of McLaren and Pierre Gasly (who went down to Toro Rosso when Albon replaced him at Red Bull) in the race for sixth. Now the series moves to Brazil, where the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace will host the Brazil Grand Prix. The course features 15 turns, as well as three generous straights, as the field will complete 71 laps of a 4.3-kilometer course. We have F1 odds for each driver as well as insights on each of the teams.
Formula 1 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix Odds & Betting Preview
Rain on the horizon #BrazilGP #F1https://t.co/8u0WfqOJST
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 14, 2019
Driver Odds to Win the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix
- Lewis Hamilton 7/4
- Max Verstappen 16/5
- Valtteri Bottas 4/1
- Sebastian Vettel 6/1
- Charles Leclerc 14/1
- Alexander Albon 100/1
- Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris 1000/1
- Nico Hulkenberg, Pierre Gasly, Sergio Perez, Kimi Raikkonen 2000/1
- Daniil Kvyat, Lance Stroll 2250/1
- Romain Grosjean, Kevin Magnussen, Antonio Giovinazzi 3000/1
- George Russell, Robert Kubica 7000/1
Where is the Drama?
The real drama in this race will come in the matchup between Max Verstappen of Red Bull and the Ferrari duo of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc (and perhaps the Ferrari driver infighting as well). If Verstappen can deliver a win (or at least finish ahead of both of the Ferrari drivers) he would definitely have something to brag about, as Ferrari has a car that is quicker than the Red Bull vehicle. Verstappen has raced well at the Brazilian Grand Prix, most notably three years ago, when the rains had come (this weekend’s forecast is for dry weather) and then again last year, although he gave up the lead in the late going in both races.
What About Ferrari?
Ferrari has to be shaking their heads after putting on a disappointing performance in Austin, a course that is friendly to cars that can deliver solid performances on straights. The FIA had delivered a technical directive about power units before the race, but Ferrari has said that there was no connection. We will find out if this is true when the teams hit the long flat uphill climb and the straight running through the start-finish line.
Who’s the Favorite?
Hamilton sits as the favorite once again, but it is important to note that he has not done all that well at Interlagos historically. Some of this may have to do with the fact that the series is no longer competitive at this point, with Hamilton having sewn up a title, but Mercedes is a constructor whose cars fare better on courses with more twists and turns than the one at Interlagos. As a result, the combination of course and motivation should mean that someone else will win. Bottas has a similar lack of motivation, as he is locked into second place. Leclerc is an intriguing play, especially at 14/1, because he has bested teammate Vettel several times this year — often to Vettel’s chagrin at having to play in the support role. Given the trouble that Ferrari had in Austin, though, this makes Verstappen a smart value play.
