Max Verstappen extended his lead in the drivers standings with a sensational win in Le Castellet in France last weekend to open a rare F1 tripleheader. Lewis Hamilton, who led for the majority of that race, was let down by Mercedes’ one-stop strategy. Which of these two drivers will take the win in Styria? Or do any of the other 18 drivers stand a chance of an upset? We take a look with a detailed breakdown of the F1 Styrian Grand Prix odds below.
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At Sportsbook, Verstappen (+125) and Hamilton (+125) are joint favorites on the F1 oddsboard, followed by Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas (+800), Red Bull’s Sergio Perez (+800) and McLaren’s Lando Norris (+4000).
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Odds to Win Styrian Grand Prix
| Driver | Odds |
|---|---|
| Lewis Hamilton | +125 |
| Max Verstappen | +125 |
| Valtteri Bottas | +800 |
| Sergio Perez | +800 |
| Lando Norris | +4000 |
| Charles Leclerc | +5000 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | +6600 |
| Carlos Sainz | +10000 |
| Pierre Gasly | +10000 |
| George Russell | +10000 |
| Mick Schumacher | +40000 |
| Sebastian Vettel | +50000 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | +50000 |
| Esteban Ocon | +50000 |
| Fernando Alonso | +50000 |
| Lance Stroll | +50000 |
| Antonio Giovinazzi | +50000 |
| Kimi Raikkonen | +50000 |
| Nicholas Latifi | +50000 |
| Nikita Mazepin | +50000 |
Odds as of June 23 at Sportsbook
Previous Race
This F1 championship is starting to intensify because races like Le Castellet are proving so close. Usually, along the long straights of a track like Paul Ricard, you would expect Mercedes to be far too strong. That is changing because this Red Bull car is starting to take the fight to Mercedes, as was the case in France.
Red Bull pulled out the old two-stop strategy that did them in in Barcelona, and switched it around as Verstappen had just far too much strength along the straights, overtaking Lewis Hamilton to complete the win.
Hamilton first took the lead in the early part of the race before he was undercut by Red Bull’s speed in the pits. In the lead, Verstappen went back for his second pit stop and came storming back from third to ease past Hamilton toward the end. Hamilton finished P2 after a one-stop strategy, while Red Bull’s Sergio Perez rounded off the podium spots.
Valtteri Bottas, furious at Mercedes after predicting Paul Ricard was a two-stopper early in the race, finished P4 while Lando Norris finished fifth in the McLaren in yet another stellar race.
Verstappen, Red Bull Too Strong for Hamilton, Mercedes
Verstappen (+125) and Red Bull are proving to be a dangerous combination for the rest of Formula 1 presently. He has been simply outstanding this season, along the straights or even in his masterful defense against some of the better teams in this sport. He should have had a win in Baku as well but for a tire blowout toward the end of the race.
This is the first time that Verstappen is the joint favorite for a race in the F1 odds this season. Red Bull has also moved to favorite status in the constructors championship. After several years of Mercedes rule, could Verstappen actually defy the F1 odds and maintain this unparalleled consistency to steal Hamilton’s thunder? Don’t bet against it, particularly at Red Bull’s home Grand Prix.
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“Once we made the first pit stop, then you could clearly see on the hard tires (the Mercedes) were pushing me hard from behind,” Verstappen said after his win in France. “But once we made the call to do a two-stopper, luckily at the end that paid off. We had to work hard for it, but of course, very rewarding. It was difficult because there were quite a lot of back markers to go through.”
Hamilton, with F1 Styrian Grand Prix betting odds of +125 to win in Styria, is a champion in this Mercedes car and a legend of motorsport. He was quick to accept that Red Bull was just better in France. Mercedes’ strategists and Hamilton’s race engineer also accepted that “this one is on us” after a one-stop strategy just did not work with the tires not providing enough to keep Verstappen at bay.
It was the first time in a few years that Hamilton hadn’t won for three successive races. He is now joint favorite to win the drivers championship this season after a few subpar races. It looks like Red Bull has blistering speed along the straights as well. It is in similar adversity that the champions and legends stand up and overcome these obstacles. From a technical standpoint, Hamilton and Mercedes is still one of the most powerful combinations in Formula 1.
Left-Field F1 Betting Predictions for Styrian Grand Prix
Bottas (+800) had a solid race in Le Castellet but was still beaten by Red Bull as he finished fourth. An angered Bottas was heard yelling in frustration at his team that he should have been heard after accurately picking early that he would need two stops.
After he was overtaken by Perez, he could have tried to change tires and go for the fastest lap but it was another Mercedes gamble that didn’t work. F1 odds of +800 for any driver in this Mercedes car, particularly for one with plenty of historical success, is not a bad choice.
“Well, we thought maybe Perez gets a penalty for overtaking outside of the track limits, so we said stay within five seconds, so it was really balancing between that penalty and maybe getting fastest lap. So we gambled; we lost,” team principal Toto Wolff said. “Lots to learn, because we need to understand – I mean, they are doing phenomenal out-laps – why did we misjudge the undercut? Maybe something we need to look at.”
Perez (+800) has been so consistent for Red Bull, exactly what Christian Horner was looking for as a replacement for Alex Albon. That’s also why his F1 odds have shortened to +800 as this season has progressed. He won in Baku and finished third in France to increase Red Bull’s lead in the constructors championship. Although unlikely, a fight between Hamilton and Verstappen could give Perez the lead in the race because he is arguably the best of the rest, based on recent evidence and form.
Lando Norris (+4000) has remained one of Formula 1’s most consistent drivers. He just doesn’t quite have the pace to overtake Red Bull and Mercedes but he is surely putting McLaren in prime position in the sport’s race for the best of the rest. He finished fifth again in France to throw his hat in the ring for a podium finish.
History of the Styrian Grand Prix
The Red Bull Ring was created in 1995-96 when Hermann Tilke was entrusted with making the Osterreichring a newer track. The original Osterreichring was created in 1969 as a replacement for the Zeltweg airfield circuit.
Race Technicals
The circuit length at the Styrian Grand Prix will be 4.318 kilometers, with a total race distance of 306.452 kilometers, divided into 71 laps of high-octane racing. The lap record at this circuit was set in 2020 by Carlos Sainz with a time of 1:05.619.
The uphill and downhill areas of this circuit will pose a bit of a challenge for some engines, but there are several key straights that will aid the stronger engines of Mercedes and Red Bull. In fact, there are three detection zones along the straights that will aid overtaking: the first just after the starting line ahead of turn 1, the second between turns 2 and 3 and the third along the short straight between turns 9 and 10.
There are a few high- and medium-speed corners, including turn 1, that will be imperative to the classification of drivers because it’s unlikely there will be 20 classified drivers two races in a row in Formula 1.
Weather Conditions
The weather in Spielberg can often dictate the approach and strategy of teams. There have been some spectacular F1 races at this track as a result of some precipitation during the race in previous years. There is a six percent probability of thunderstorms on Sunday with a 25 percent chance of precipitation. If it does indeed rain, there is a high chance that it will come during the short two-hour window for the race, between 2 and 4 p.m. on Sunday.
Betting Strategy for Styrian Grand Prix
The Styrian Grand Prix will be Red Bull’s home race. However, the team has won just twice here. Verstappen has previously had power issues at this circuit, while Hamilton has proved to be too strong along the straight here. However, in terms of recent form, there is no doubting Verstappen has had the upper hand on Mercedes and Hamilton.
According to Odds Shark’s calculator, both Verstappen and Hamilton have a 44.44 percent chance of winning this race. Their F1 odds are over +100, which means you don’t necessarily need to pick an outright Sportsbook without safely hedging your bet.
Simply because of the form of Verstappen, I’d be dividing my investment into two halves and placing a half on each driver. If Verstappen didn’t have as much confidence, that may have changed, but there is a very impressive driver in that Red Bull car. You will see a much lower payout, but the risk is almost entirely eliminated because even if one of them has a bad race, the other should comfortably take P1.
The timing of your F1 bet will also matter. I wouldn’t place it without first seeing how both drivers perform at free practice. So wait, have a look at their speeds along the straights on Friday and then you can place your bets.
We’ll be back next week to update you about the F1 odds for the third part of the tripleheader as the calendar moves to the Austrian Grand Prix.
