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BETTING GUIDE: Who are the favourites as F1 heads to Hungary?
Can anyone dethrone Red Bull? That’s the question everyone is asking as the F1 circus descends on Budapest for the 11th race weekend of the season. Who do the odds predict will be the closest challengers to the Bulls, with so many upgrades now coming into play?
188BET’s odds are presented in decimal form: for every $1 wagered you would win the figure represented by the odds; so, if Verstappen is favourite at 1.50, you would win $1.50 for every dollar bet.
The odds for the win
It’s no real surprise to see Max Verstappen as heavy favourite to take the win this weekend, given he is on a streak of six straight victories. His team mate hasn’t won since Azerbaijan but Sergio Perez remains the second favourite here, although he will need to sort out his problematic qualifying to stand a chance of taking the fight to the Dutchman.
The bookies like the experience of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, with the Mercedes man having appeared on the podium last time out and desperate to end his win-less run that stretches all the way back to 2021.
• Max Verstappen 1.40
• Sergio Perez 11.0
• Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton 13.0
• Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris 19.0
• George Russell 26.0
• Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Oscar Piastri, Pierre Gasly 151
• Daniel Ricciardo 301
• Alex Albon, Kevin Magnussen, Logan Sargeant, Nico Hulkenberg, Valtteri Bottas, Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu 601
The odds for who will be fastest in qualifying
Verstappen’s six straight wins isn’t quite matched by his qualifying record, but he isn’t far off with five straight pole positions, plus P1 in the Sprint Shootout from Austria in the bag. The competition is definitely heating up over one lap though, with Ferrari proving strong on Saturdays, and McLaren’s new upgrade package doing the business for them in Silverstone where they had two cars in the top three on the grid.
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Alonso’s found himself pushed down the order of late, but the Spaniard can never be discounted in any format. Nor can his team mate, who does still have that pole position to his name. And with the potential of rain around on Saturday, Lance Stroll might be one driver who will fancy his chances if qualifying runs in the wet.
• Max Verstappen 1.40
• Charles Leclerc 7.50
• Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez 13.0
• Lewis Hamilton 17.0
• Lando Norris 21.0
• George Russell 34.0
• Oscar Piastri 151
• Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly 201
• Alex Albon, Daniel Ricciardo, Kevin Magnussen, Logan Sargeant, Nico Hulkenberg, Valtteri Bottas, Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu 601
The odds for a podium finish
Silverstone saw Lando Norris claim his first podium of the year, and in that upgraded MCL60, anything looks possible. He’ll have his work cut out though, as this track is expected to favour a few others. Ferrari are still trying to get on top of their race pace, while Mercedes think this circuit could be one that suits their strengths.
Alonso will be keen to get back on the rostrum, that early season run somewhat stalling in the last two races. Carlos Sainz has still yet to finish in the top three this year, and George Russell only has one podium to his team mate’s four.
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• Max Verstappen 1.15
• Sergio Perez 1.80
• Fernando Alonso 1.90
• Lewis Hamilton 2.20
• Lando Norris 3.50
• Charles Leclerc 3.75
• Carlos Sainz 4.50
• George Russell 5.00
• Oscar Piastri 17.0
• Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly 51.0
• Daniel Ricciardo 67.0
• Alex Albon 101
• Yuki Tsunoda 151
• Kevin Magnussen, Nico Hulkenberg 201
• Logan Sargeant, Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu 251
The odds for fastest lap
It’s another category Verstappen is comfortably leading, the Dutchman with five fastest lap bonus points so far this season. Much will depend on the state of the race though, and who has some fresh tyres towards the latter stages. With Pirelli testing out a new format in qualifying, there should be more sets of soft tyres on hand for the race itself, so anyone who finds themselves with a free pit stop late on may fancy a tilt at the bonus point.
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• Max Verstappen 1.60
• Sergio Perez 6.50
• Fernando Alonso 8.00
• George Russell, Lewis Hamilton 13.0
• Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc 15.0
• Lando Norris 17.0
• Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Oscar Piastri, Pierre Gasly 201
• Alex Albon, Daniel Ricciardo, Kevin Magnussen, Logan Sargeant, Nico Hulkenberg, Valtteri Bottas, Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu 251
What are the odds for which team will take the most points?
Red Bull remain favourites to take home the most points, buoyed by Perez’s recent strong drives in the races themselves. If the Mexican can make Q3, then the constructors’ leaders should be well placed to hoover up a hatful of points. But they won’t have it all their own way, with Oscar Piastri proving that he has what it takes to mix it near the front after finally getting his hands on McLaren’s upgrades last time out.
• Red Bull 1.23
• Aston Martin, Mercedes 10.0
• Ferrari, McLaren 13.0
• Alpine 67.0
• AlphaTauri 151
• Alfa Romeo, Haas, Williams 201
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The odds for a Safety Car appearing during the race
With the possibility of rain – albeit showers looking more likely on Saturday – there is always the chance of a Safety Car. There was one last time out in Silverstone thanks to Kevin Magnussen’s stricken Haas, and with a few teams starting to look short of PU components and running older parts, you never know what might happen.
• Yes 1.52
• No 2.35
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