Formula 1: How Max Verstappen can avoid worrying about Lewis Hamilton

Max Verstappen may be the underdog, but he can still lock up the 2021 Formula 1 world championship without worrying about where Lewis Hamilton finishes.

There are just two races remaining in what has been a tightly contested Formula 1 world championship battle throughout the 2021 season, and just eight points separate points leader Max Verstappen of Red Bull and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes.

Verstappen still leads the seven-time and four-time reigning world champion despite consecutive victories by the latter.

Hamilton’s two-race winning streak comes in response to two straight wins by Verstappen himself, and the two are impressively on their second streak of four straight 1-2 finishes through 20 races in 2021.

With an eight-point lead, Verstappen obviously has more than just a few ways by which he can secure what would be his first career title.

And there are a number of ways by which he can secure that title without worrying about where Hamilton finishes.

The easiest way for him to do so is with a win and a fourth place finish.

If Verstappen wins one of the season’s final two races (the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at Jeddah Street Circuit on Sunday, December 5 and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday, December 12), he would gain, at worst, six points on Hamilton.

This six-point gap assumes that Hamilton finishes in second place and secures a bonus point for running the fastest lap. Verstappen would score 25 points while Hamilton would score 19.

This would give Verstappen a 14-point lead, and it would also guarantee that he finishes ahead of Hamilton in wins for 2021, as he currently has nine compared to Hamilton’s seven.

This means that Hamilton would need to outscore Verstappen by 15 points, not 14, to win the title. Verstappen could guarantee that this does not happen by scoring 12 points with a fourth place finish in the other race, as a Hamilton win (and fastest lap) in this race would only produce 26 points.

The pair would tie, but Verstappen would win the title due to having more wins (10 to 8).

Verstappen is currently listed by WynnBET as the underdog to win the title at +120, while Hamilton is listed as the favorite at -165.

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This means that a $100 bet on Verstappen would win $120 ($220 total payout) if he wins while a $165 bet on Hamilton would win $100 ($265 total payout) if he wins.

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