Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton’s easiest path to the 2021 world title

Lewis Hamilton still controls his own destiny as it relates to winning an eighth Formula 1 world championship this season.

Following two consecutive victories by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton finds himself facing a 19-point deficit in the Formula 1 world championship standings with four races remaining on the 22-race 2021 schedule.

However, he still very much controls his own destiny as it relates to winning what would be a record-breaking eighth title and a record-tying fifth in a row.

Verstappen has nine wins though 18 races this season while Hamilton has five, though the tiebreaker effectively already belongs to Verstappen (even with four races remaining) because the only way by which Hamilton can still claim it (doesn’t necessarily mean he would) would actually guarantee that he wouldn’t need it and would win the title anyway.

For a complete rundown on why Verstappen clinching the tiebreaker is really just a formality, click here.

So for all intents and purposes, Hamilton needs to make up 20 points on Verstappen to win an eighth world championship this year.

And he can do that without worrying about what Verstappen does.

Step one: win the remaining four races.

Even if we assume that Verstappen finishes in second place in each race and secures the point for running the fastest lap in each, this means that Hamilton would outgain him by six points (25 to 19) each race.

This would give Hamilton a five-point lead. So even if Verstappen happens to win the sprint qualifying race for the Brazilian Grand Prix and take an additional three points (with Hamilton failing to finish in the top three and thus not scoring), Hamilton would, at worst, win the world title by two points, provided he wins all four of the season’s remaining races.

Verstappen is listed by WynnBET as the favorite to win the title at -475. Hamilton is listed as the underdog at +300.

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This means that a $475 bet on Verstappen to win would return $575 ($100 winnings) if he wins while a $100 bet on Hamilton to win would return $400 ($300 winnings) if he wins.

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The 2021 season’s 19th race, the Brazilian Grand Prix, is set to be broadcast live on ESPN2 from Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace beginning at 11:55 a.m. ET this Sunday, November 14. Be sure to start your free trial of FuboTV today!