Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton too good to pass up at these odds?

With six races remaining to go in the 2021 Formula 1 season, Lewis Hamilton remains the world championship underdog to Max Verstappen.

After each of the last seven Formula 1 races, the gap between the two world championship protagonists has been no more than eight points in the driver standings.

Both Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton have led by exactly eight points during this span, and the lead has been exchanged among them four times in the last six races.

Following the most recent race, last Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix, it is Verstappen who leads by six points over Hamilton. There are six races remaining on the 22-race 2021 calendar.

Verstappen has been the betting favorite, according to WynnBET, throughout much of the summer and into the fall months, and that is still the case.

Take a look at the current odds.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS

• Verstappen: -150 (bet $150 to win $100)
• Hamilton: +110 (bet $100 to win $110)

HAMILTON VS. VERSTAPPEN H2H

• Verstappen: -165
• Hamilton: +120

WynnBET Promo: Bet $1, Win $100 if any NFL or college football team scores. Claim offer now.

PRO TIP: If you’re betting on Verstappen, bet on the world championship odds, where he is listed at -150; he is listed at -165 in the Hamilton vs. Verstappen H2H odds. If you’re betting on Hamilton, bet on the Hamilton vs. Verstappen odds, where he is listed at +120; he is listed at +110 in the world championship odds. It literally makes no sense not to, given that the championship fight is between these two.

So at +120 (or even +110), is Hamilton too good to pass up?

We have seen Red Bull make massive gains on Mercedes, the seven-time reigning champions, this season, but Mercedes seem to have found something over the last few races that has made them the team to beat again.

Make your pick now at WynnBET!

In Monza, Valtteri Bottas dominated the sprint qualifying race but couldn’t start from pole due to a grid penalty. So while McLaren won it with Daniel Ricciardo, Mercedes had the clear edge over Red Bull.

Then in Sochi, a Mercedes stronghold, Hamilton came through late, at the expense of McLaren’s Lando Norris. Verstappen made the most of what Red Bull expected to be a struggle, however, finishing in second place after starting in last due to his grid penalty.

Most recently in Istanbul, Bottas dominated from pole and won, and Hamilton probably would have done the same had he not taken a grid penalty that ultimately robbed the P1 starting position from him.

So that’s three races in a row where Mercedes have had the upper hand in the world championship battle, and Hamilton is still the underdog.

On one hand, it makes sense. Mercedes have had the upper hand for three straight races, yet during that span, Hamilton has just one win and has actually lost three points to Verstappen — a winless Verstappen, interestingly enough — in the title fight.

But that’s in the past now, so the key question becomes this: are Red Bull really going to be that much better at the remaining six tracks?

Even for the next race, next Sunday’s United States Grand Prix, Hamilton is listed as the early favorite (-104) over Verstappen (+155). So clearly the oddsmakers see Mercedes having the edge here.

So again, is Hamilton really a +120 underdog for the title?

But the remaining venues make things interesting. Verstappen has historically been strong in Mexico and Brazil, and he ended Mercedes’ dominant run in Abu Dhabi in last year’s season finale with a dominant effort of his own, a performance which truly opened the eyes of many to the battle that would ensue in 2021.

The two other venues are two new additions to the calendar in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, so it’s anybody’s guess how they will play out.

The United States Grand Prix is set to be broadcast live on ESPN from Circuit of the Americas beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET next Sunday, October 24. Start your free trial of FuboTV today if you have not done so!