Sports betting on Formula 1 basically involves choosing one of the top five drivers in the sport, at least right now, because the bottleneck at the top is a tight one. Part of this has to do with the fact that each of the teams has a top driver, and the function of the other members of the team is to keep the road safe for the leader and, at times, do more work to slow other drivers down than to get the best time themselves. Also, three of the constructors, or teams, have separated themselves from the rest of the pack when it comes to competing for the title over the course of the season. We’ve got the latest odds for the 2019 Formula 1 driving title as well as the constructor’s championship, awarded to the best team, as well as our thoughts on the contenders.
Formula 1: Updated Championship Odds April 19
We got the 1000th. China, thank you for the incredible support and atmosphere, I’m so happy guys 🏆 . Huge thanks to everyone in the team, let’s celebrate!! #P1 #TeamLHChina #Race1000 #ChineseGP @MercedesAMGF1 pic.twitter.com/KqvwoDush4
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) April 14, 2019
Driver Odds
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 4/7
- Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 10/3
- Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 4/1
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 11/2
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 20/1
Constructor Odds
- Mercedes ¼
- Ferrari 5/2
- Red Bull 28/1
The odds here significantly favor Mercedes in the constructor’s championship and Lewis Hamilton overall. Hamilton, of course, won the whole thing last year running away, but Valtteri Bottas is delivering a challenge. At the Chinese Grand Prix last week, for example, Bottas finished just six seconds behind Hamilton and seven seconds ahead of Sebastian Vettel, the top driver for Ferrari. Charles Leclerc came to Ferrari this season and has won at every level below F1, so he intends to push Vettel hard this year. Max Verstappen is the top driver not associated with Ferrari or Mercedes, as he shows with his occasional podium finishes with Red Bull.
Here is how the current Formula 1 standings look:
- Lewis Hamilton (68 points, two wins)
- Valtteri Bottas (62 points, one win)
- Max Verstappen (39 points, no wins)
- Sebastian Vettel (37 points, no wins)
- Charles Leclerc (36 points, no wins)
The domination that Mercedes has shown in the first three races of 2019 is approaching historic levels. Mercedes has finished one-two in all three races, with Hamilton winning two and Bottas winning one. That has not happened since 1992, when Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese were driving for Williams-Renault. Their superiority was based on having a car with a better technical package, back when the cars used active suspensions. Mansell would win the fourth and fifth races before Ayrton Senna interrupted the streak.
In 2019, though, the opposition is stronger than it was in 1992. When the Grand Prix was in Bahrain, Ferrari dominated the qualifying process and looked like they were headed to a huge win, with Charles Leclerc looking to be in command. However, there were several technical problems for Ferrari in the race that opened the door for Mercedes, who also won in China and Australia.
Red Bull looks to be coming on, as we see Max Verstappen in third place in the standings. The team switched to Honda this year, and the results are showing out on the courses. So as Ferrari continues to tinker with their own technical issues, Red Bull looks ready to push Mercedes as well.
Does this mean that you should go with value and pick Ferrari or Red Bull in the constructor’s championship? I would not recommend that at this point, because there is a difference between pushing Mercedes and beating Mercedes regularly enough to take the constructor’s title away from them. With respect to the driver’s title, Hamilton basically dominated from wire to wire a year ago and looks well on his way to do it again, and this year he does not have Vettel as a foil from Ferrari, at least not yet. His primary foil appears to be his own teammate. But would Bottas really mount the sort of mutiny that it would take to unseat Hamilton? It’s hard to argue that right now.
