BETTING GUIDE: Who are the favourites as F1 returns to Mexico City for the second part of this triple-header?

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Mexico plays host to the second part of this late season triple-header, and that means the pressure is firmly on Sergio Perez’s shoulders as the home hero. But what can the Mexican do to beat his very in-form team mate? Max Verstappen is on a run of three straight wins and stopping him is going to be a tough ask. Does Perez have a chance? Here are what the odds have to say…

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

Verstappen is understandably favourite for the win, as he has been pretty much all season. With 15 race wins from just 18 Grands Prix, the Dutchman has been totally dominant in 2023. But there were signs in Austin last weekend that the field are starting to catch up.

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Although he was disqualified post-race, during the Grand Prix itself Lewis Hamilton gave Verstappen cause for fright with his pace, and Lando Norris was also in the mix, leading early on. So, there are certainly signs that this weekend could be a closely contested affair.

Max Verstappen 1.20
Lando Norris, Sergio Perez 15.0
Oscar Piastri 19.0
Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton 26.0
Carlos Sainz 29.0
Fernando Alonso 81.0
Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon, Kevin Magnussen, Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson, Logan Sargeant, Nico Hulkenberg, Pierre Gasly, Valtteri Bottas, Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu 601

AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 22: Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull

Verstappen is on a run of three straight wins

The odds for who will be fastest in qualifying

Verstappen didn’t have it all his own way over one lap last weekend, being pipped to pole by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver now has three pole positions to show for his season, although he hasn’t been able to convert any of them into a win. His team mate has fared slightly better, Carlos Sainz turning his two poles into a win and a podium.

Norris has a number of front row starts this year, but none of them from that P1 grid slot. Hamilton does have a pole to show for his season, but Mercedes have often struggled in qualifying to get their tyres working over one lap. What of a Perez pole? It would be extremely popular – but after grabbing two poles earlier on, his qualifying has been hit and miss to say the least.

Max Verstappen 1.35
Lando Norris 9.00
Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc 11.0
Oscar Piastri 12.0
Sergio Perez 15.0
Fernando Alonso, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton 67.0
Alex Albon 151
Esteban Ocon, Kevin Magnussen, Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson, Logan Sargeant, Nico Hulkenberg, Pierre Gasly, Valtteri Bottas, Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu 601

READ MORE: Norris 'can compete' with the likes of Schumacher and Alonso says McLaren boss Stella

The odds for a podium finish

The Mexico City Grand Prix often proves attritional thanks to the high altitude, with engines straining throughout the 71 laps of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. As such, could someone from the midfield spring a surprise and get on the podium?

AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 22: Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL60 Mercedes

Norris will be hoping the track suits his car as he hunts that elusive first F1 win

Fernando Alonso hasn’t had a rostrum since Zandvoort, but might be more interested in seeing the chequered flag after retiring with floor damage last time out in the US.

His Aston Martin has fallen back in the pecking order of late, but it did have some new upgrades for Austin, which the team weren’t able to fully test out thanks to the lack of practice time. If they can get those working here, Alonso will be hoping to catapult himself back into the reckoning.

Max Verstappen 1.10
Lando Norris 1.60
Sergio Perez 1.75
Oscar Piastri 2.50
Lewis Hamilton 3.80
Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc 5.50
George Russell 6.00
Fernando Alonso 10.0
Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly 67.0
Kevin Magnussen, Liam Lawson, Valtteri Bottas, Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu 151
Logan Sargeant, Nico Hulkenberg 301

WATCH: Five great Mexican Grand Prix battles from the F1 archive

The odds for fastest lap

AlphaTauri sprung a surprise – not least to Yuki Tsunoda – by going for the fastest lap bonus point last weekend, and it was a masterstroke that netted the team a much needed extra point. But who might be inspired to do likewise in Mexico?

AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 22: Second placed Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes looks on in

Hamilton finished on the podium here last year - and the track could suit the Mercedes

There are plenty of teams down the order who need the point – but they do have to be running in the top 10 to claim it, and have a margin on the cars behind if they want to pit for a set of soft tyres.

Max Verstappen 1.60
Lando Norris, Sergio Perez 7.00
George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri 13.0
Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc 21.0
Fernando Alonso 67.0
Alex Albon, Lance Stroll 151
Esteban Ocon, Kevin Magnussen, Liam Lawson, Logan Sargeant, Nico Hulkenberg, Pierre Gasly, Valtteri Bottas, Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu 251

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What are the odds for which team will take the most points?

Unsurprisingly, Red Bull are favourites to take home the most points – with the fans hoping that Perez bags the biggest haul of all. McLaren are second favourites, with Oscar Piastri looking to bounce back from a difficult weekend in Austin.

AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 22: Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing looks on in the

Perez normally does well on home soil

As for Ferrari and Mercedes, they remain locked in their battle for second in the constructors’ – with Ferrari capitalising on Hamilton’s disqualification last weekend to close the gap.

Red Bull 1.15
McLaren 7.50
Ferrari 12.0
Mercedes 13.0
Aston Martin 51.0
Alfa Romeo, AlphaTauri, Alpine, Haas, Williams 301

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The odds for a Safety Car appearing during the race

The Safety Car had a weekend off in Austin, and there wasn’t a VSC either during the US race. Will that change this weekend? With the altitude a concern, and a fair few teams starting to run out of PU components without triggering grid penalties, there could be some quite old engines out there – and if reliability is a factor, the Safety Car could be called into action.

Yes 1.60
No 2.20

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