Formula 1 returns to North America this Sunday for Round 9 with the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen (-200) is the favorite to win. But with only one win in his last three races, does the world champion merit being odds-on to win the race? We take a closer look at the betting, and tell you the best bets for this weekend, in our latest Formula 1 betting picks.
Lando Norris won the Miami Grand Prix (Round 6), Max Verstappen then won the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix (Round 7), and Charles Leclerc won the Monaco Grand Prix (Round 8).
At the end of Round 5 in China on April 21st, no one would have predicted that Verstappen would win only one of the next three races. But that’s exactly what has happened, and now, given the current situation, do we have a proper World Championship fight on our hands in 2024?
The in-form driver is Charles Leclerc. He won the pole position in Monaco and led from start to finish to take the checkered flag. The win was his first in his home race, but almost unnoticed, it was the third race in a row that the Monégasque has stood on the podium, having finished third in rounds six and seven.
As a result, Leclerc is now on 138 points in the drivers’ championship, just 31 behind Max Verstappen (169). The current situation sees the triple-world champion under the sort of pressure he won’t have experienced since his first championship win in 2021.
How will Verstappen and his Red Bull team react in Montreal? Well, a look back to last year’s race will obviously tell us that Verstappen won, but what else happened?
Max Verstappen took pole position and won ahead of Fernando Alonso in second and Lewis Hamilton in third. The second Red Bull of Sergio Perez was sixth. But Perez had to start from 12th on the grid, thanks to numerous interruptions to qualifying due to rain and red flags, making it hard to get any sort of steer from last year’s race.
Betting to win the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen was slated as the -150 betting favorite to win the Monaco Grand Prix in the week building up to the race. The bookmakers suspected that the Red Bull cars didn’t really suit that circuit, and that played a part in his odds.
This week, the same betting sites feel that the Canadian circuit better suits Verstappen and Red Bull as BetUS has Verstappen at -275 to win the race. Elsewhere, Verstappen is -200.
Second in the betting is Charles Leclerc at +500 and Lando Norris is third at +650.
After outperforming his McLaren teammate in Monaco, Oscar Piastri is the fourth favorite at +1400. The only other driver slated to be in with a chance of winning the race is Carlos Sainz at +2500. Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate, Sergio Perez, is a huge looking +4000.
Betting to win the Drivers’ Championship with and without Verstappen
In the betting to win the 2024 F1 Drivers’ Championship there has been a seismic shift in the betting odds.
Before Monaco, Max Verstappen was the favorite at -10000. After Monaco, Verstappen is still the favorite. But he is now at odds of just -1200. We say just, but considering where this market has been, that is a huge shift.
Also ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Lando Norris was +4000 and Charles Leclerc was +5000. The odds now read Charles Leclerc +800 and Lando Norris +1800.
In the betting without Verstappen, Charles Leclerc is the new favorite at +100. Lando Norris is +160 and Sergio Perez is +500.
Our Pick to win the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix
We feel that this track may suit the two McLarens, especially Lando Norris. In Miami and Monza, Norris finished first and second respectively, and we expect the British driver to be more at home in Canada than he was in Monaco.
After missing out on the position in Monaco, Max Verstappen will be looking to reclaim his authority in Canada. But at odds of -150, we are going to give him a miss, as we believe those odds aren’t good value given the pressure he is now under.
For the pole position, we are making two picks. The first is Lando Norris at +800. The second is Oscar Piastri at +1200.
Lando NorrisTo be on Canadian Grand Prix Pole Position
There is a strong possibility that Max Verstappen will bounce back with a win this weekend. But at odds of -200, we are giving him a miss.
BetOnline is again offering their Max Verstappen vs The Field bet. The Field is +160 to beat Verstappen, and that is our betting pick for the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix.
Dean has been writing betting tips for websites now for over 15 years.
He started out writing and editing his own publications, but has now expanded to publishing articles on various well known websites where he covers everything from hot dog eating competitions to casino reviews.
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