FanDuel and DraftKings are no longer offering Formula 1 world championship odds, and we are just eight races into the 22-race 2023 season.
Two-time reigning world champion Max Verstappen has kept up his championship form to start the 2023 Formula 1 season, winning six of the first eight races to open up a huge 69-point lead in the standings over Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.
Verstappen’s only two non-wins this year are runner-up finishes, and they came amid extenuating circumstances. He was forced to start in 15th place in Jeddah after a driveshaft issue in qualifying, and he lost the lead in Baku due to an untimely safety car. Perez earned both victories.
Nevertheless, the 25-year-old Dutchman has emerged as the clear favorite to win a third consecutive title. He has won 20 of the 27 most recent races going back to last season and appears to be in a good position to potentially break his own single season wins record of 15 from last year.
Until the most recent race in Montreal, which marked Verstappen’s fourth straight win overall and third straight win from lights out to the checkered flag, you could still bet on him to win the world championship (though the crazy -4000 odds made it somewhat counterproductive to set aside that money for at least the next several months).
Now, however, that is no longer the case.
FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook are now only offering odds for the Formula 1 world championship that do not include Max Verstappen.
FanDuel calls it simply “betting without Max Verstappen” under their 2023 outrights category, while DraftKings calls it “drivers’ championship with Max Verstappen” under their 2023 world championship category.
It’s an alarming sign that these sportsbooks no long feel the need to offer real world championship odds, considering there are still 14 races left to run.
Here are the top five favorites at FanDuel.
- Sergio Perez, Red Bull: -175
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes: +300
- Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin: +300
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari: +18000
- George Russell, Mercedes: +42000
Here are the top five favorites at DraftKings, which is currently offering fans an instant $150 just for betting $5.
- Sergio Perez, Red Bull: -165
- Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin: +275
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes: +330
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari: +25000
- George Russell, Mercedes: +50000
The full point standings are accessible here. Odds and availability subject to change.
Some sportsbooks have even gone a step further, offering odds for the constructor championship without Red Bull, which have scored as many points as the second and third place constructors combined so far this year.
Here are the favorites.
Note that these odds are not necessarily the odds to finish in second place, since Verstappen and Red Bull still haven’t mathematically secured the titles and could still theoretically end up in second.
They are simply the odds to finish highest among drivers not named Max Verstappen — and the odds to finish highest among constructors not named Red Bull.
The ninth race on the 2023 Formula 1 schedule is the Austrian Grand Prix, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday, July 2. The race is set to be broadcast live on ESPN from the Red Bull Ring beginning at 8:55 a.m. ET. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don’t miss it!