Formula 1 sees dramatic shift ahead of Qatar Grand Prix

All of a sudden, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are practically co-favorites to win the 2021 Formula 1 world championship.

There are three races remaining in the 22-race 2021 Formula 1 season, and the world championship battle is far from over.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen holds a 14-point lead over Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, the four-time reigning and seven-time world champion, heading into this Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix at Losail International Circuit.

Despite Verstappen’s 14-point lead, both drivers still control their own destiny, meaning that they can secure a certain set of results over the course of the season’s final three races and lock up the title no matter where their rival finishes.

However, last weekend produced quite a dramatic shift.

Ahead of last Sunday afternoon’s Brazilian Grand Prix at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, Verstappen had a 19-point lead over Hamilton, and he extended that to a 21-point lead in the sprint qualifying race with a second place finish; Hamilton finished in fifth and did not score any points.

But Hamilton, who had initially taken the pole position for the sprint qualifying race before a disqualification led to him starting in 20th (last), bounced back.

Despite a fifth place finish in the sprint qualifying race, he started the main event in 10th place due to a five-place grid penalty which he knew he would be forced to take ahead of the weekend due to an engine change.

He still went on to win the race ahead of Verstappen in second place, meaning that he overcame a total of 24 positions in grid penalties to trim Verstappen’s lead from 19 to 14 points over the course of the weekend.

While a net change in five points over the course of a weekend during which Hamilton was dominant may not seem like much at all, the fashion in which he was able to pull off what he pulled off led to a massive shift in betting odds.

Prior to the race, Verstappen was listed by WynnBET as the favorite to win the world championship at -475, while Hamilton was listed as the underdog at +300.

This meant that a $475 bet on Verstappen would win $100 ($575 total payout) if he wins, whereas a $100 bet on Hamilton would win $300 ($400 total payout) if he wins.

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But now things have changed drastically, and the two are nearly co-favorites. Verstappen is still listed as the favorite, but only at -125, while Hamilton is listed at -115.

This means that a $125 bet on Verstappen would win $100 ($225 total payout) if he wins, whereas a $115 bet on Hamilton would win $100 ($215 total payout) if he wins.

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Interestingly, Verstappen is still listed as the slight title favorite despite the fact that Hamilton is listed as the favorite to win this coming Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix at -115; Verstappen is listed as the second favorite at +165.

The Qatar Grand Prix is set to be broadcast live on ESPN from Losail International Circuit beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, November 21. Start your free trial of FuboTV today!