Formula 1 world championship odds removed for one glaring reason

Aston Martin’s — particularly Fernando Alonso’s — blistering start to the 2023 Formula 1 season has led sportsbooks to rethink odds to win this year’s world championship.

Formula 1 preseason testing at Bahrain International Circuit led many to believe that perhaps the “big three” of Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes would have company at the front of the grid throughout the 2023 season, with Aston Martin and their new addition, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, looking strong in more ways than one.

The team finished in seventh place in the constructor standings in both 2021 and 2022 with four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll behind the wheel, but the first laps of the AMR23 provided many reasons to believe that this is a resurgent team capable of competing for podium finishes and even wins on a regular basis.

Skip ahead to the first two practice sessions for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix at the 15-turn, 3.363-mile (5.412-kilometer) road course in Sakhir, Bahrain, and those beliefs have only been strengthened.

Alonso split the two Red Bull drivers at the top of the speed chart in the opening practice session, with Sergio Perez leading the way, and he topped the speed chart in the second, ahead of two-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen.

And the sportsbooks are beginning to come to terms with the fact that the Aston Martin hype is real.

Entering the season, Alonso was listed as the eighth favorite to win the Formula 1 world championship.

He was listed behind the two Red Bull drivers, the two Ferrari drivers, the two Mercedes drivers, and McLaren’s Lando Norris. His odds were +10000 (bet $100 to win $10,000).

World championship odds haven’t yet been updated by any major sportsbook, but when they are, we expect to see Alonso listed in the top five with odds of +1500 or shorter.

UPDATE: FanDuel Sportsbook is listing Alonso as the fourth favorite at +1000. Verstappen remains the favorite at -175, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (+500) and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton (+850).

For this Sunday afternoon’s Bahrain Grand Prix alone, Alonso has skyrocketed up to second favorite behind Verstappen. Verstappen is listed at -150 (bet $150 to win $100), with Alonso listed at +500.

Tune in to ESPN at 10:00 a.m. ET this Sunday for the live broadcast of the Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit. Start a free trial of FuboTV now if you haven’t already done so!