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BETTING GUIDE: Who could stop Red Bull's record-breaking run in Belgium?
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Fresh from his victory in Hungary, Max Verstappen heads to Belgium chasing more records as he seeks to extend both his and his team’s winning run. It will be virtually a home race for the Dutchman whose mother hails from Belgium, with plenty of orange-clad Dutch fans likely to journey across the border to cheer on their man. But who do the odds say might challenge Verstappen this weekend?
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
Understandably, Verstappen has the shortest odds for the win on Sunday. But Lando Norris, fresh from his back-to-back podiums, is second favourite. He can also claim Spa as something of a home race and has been in mighty form ever since McLaren bolted those season-defining upgrades onto his car in Austria.
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Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez are next up – with Hamilton still chasing a first win since 2021 after breaking his pole draught last weekend. He’s tasted victory here four times in his career, but with such a long straight and Red Bull’s DRS still the pick of the field, he might need weather to come into play to stand a chance on Sunday.
• Max Verstappen 1.30
• Lando Norris 11.0
• Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Perez 13.0
• George Russell 21.0
• Oscar Piastri 26.0
• Charles Leclerc 34.0
• Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso 41.0
• Lance Stroll 251
• Alex Albon, Daniel Ricciardo, Esteban Ocon, Kevin Magnussen, Logan Sargeant, Nico Hulkenberg, Pierre Gasly, Valtteri Bottas, Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu 601
Verstappen goes into the weekend as heavy favourite for the win
The odds for who will be fastest in qualifying
Verstappen didn’t hook his lap together in Budapest, losing out to Hamilton. With qualifying set to take place on Friday thanks to Belgium being a Sprint weekend, who does that favour? Once again Norris is up there, looking to add to the one pole position he has scored to date. He came close at this track in 2021, looking like one of the favourites before crashing heavily in Q3 in wet conditions.
Sergio Perez finally broke his run of Q1 and Q2 eliminations in Hungary but could do with qualifying closer to the front to leave himself less to do in the race.
• Max Verstappen 1.30
• Lando Norris, Sergio Perez 10.0
• Lewis Hamilton 11.0
• George Russell 17.0
• Charles Leclerc 21.0
• Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, Oscar Piastri 29.0
• Lance Stroll 151
• Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly 201
• Daniel Ricciardo, Kevin Magnussen, Logan Sargeant, Nico Hulkenberg, Valtteri Bottas, Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu 601
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The odds for who will be fastest in the Sprint
Verstappen cleaned up in the last Sprint, taking P1 in the Shootout and the Sprint itself back in Austria. He is the favourite to do so again, although the odds shorten on Fernando Alonso, who often takes more risks in the Sprint than some of the other frontrunners.
Norris is on a good run of form, having scored podiums at the last two races
The Spaniard is desperate to climb back up the order after Aston Martin slipped slightly off the pace in the last few races, mostly thanks to the improvements that McLaren have made that jumped them up the order.
• Max Verstappen 1.35
• Lando Norris, Sergio Perez 11.0
• Lewis Hamilton 13.0
• Fernando Alonso 23.0
• Charles Leclerc, George Russell 29.0
• Carlos Sainz, Oscar Piastri 34.0
• Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly 301
• Daniel Ricciardo, Kevin Magnussen, Logan Sargeant, Nico Hulkenberg, Valtteri Bottas, Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu 501
The odds for a podium finish
The usual suspects look the most likely to finish on the podium in Belgium – but watch out for Oscar Piastri. He has been keeping his team mate honest, and with those upgrades has been a force to be reckoned with. A maiden podium can’t be far away for the rookie.
George Russell hasn’t stood on the podium since Spain, Carlos Sainz hasn’t stood on it at all in 2023 – while Alonso’s incredible run came to a shuddering stop after Canada. Could any of those three upset the odds to finish in the top three?
• Max Verstappen 1.15
• Sergio Perez 1.65
• Lando Norris 1.70
• Lewis Hamilton 2.45
• George Russell 3.75
• Oscar Piastri 4.00
• Fernando Alonso 5.50
• Charles Leclerc 6.00
• Carlos Sainz 7.00
• Alex Albon 10.0
• Lance Stroll 67.0
• Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly 101
• Daniel Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda 151
• Kevin Magnussen, Logan Sargeant, Nico Hulkenberg, Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu 251
Piastri will be keen to keep building on a string of good results
The odds for fastest lap
Who will have a spare set of softs to bolt on towards the end of the race to go for a hot lap of this epic circuit? So much will depend on how the race pans out, although at such a long track, it is easy to see big time gaps developing and someone having a ‘free’ pit stop as a result.
Verstappen took the bonus point in Hungary, and is in such a rich vein of form, it’s difficult to see past the Dutchman. That point would come in handy in the midfield though, where the gaps are tightening, and one point could make all the difference come Abu Dhabi.
• Max Verstappen 1.65
• Sergio Perez 6.50
• Lando Norris 8.50
• George Russell, Lewis Hamilton 11.0
• Fernando Alonso 19.0
• Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri 21.0
• Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly 201
• Daniel Ricciardo, Kevin Magnussen, Logan Sargeant, Nico Hulkenberg, Valtteri Bottas, Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu 251
Can Ferrari climb back into contention this weekend?
What are the odds for which team will take the most points?
This one is interesting, with McLaren now second favourites to pick up the most points. That’s all credit to the consistent performances Piastri has put in of late. Mercedes are next up, although they did struggle for race pace at times in Hungary. Ferrari are one team in need of a strong weekend, after finding themselves falling back to the lower reaches of the top 10.
• Red Bull 1.10
• McLaren 8.00
• Mercedes 8.50
• Ferrari 21.0
• Aston Martin 34.0
• Alpine 151
• Alfa Romeo 251
• AlphaTauri, Haas, Williams 301
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The odds for a Safety Car appearing during the race
As always, the Safety Car could well feature on Sunday – especially given that rain is forecast. This race is being held in July rather than its usual end of August spot, but that doesn’t seem to have helped the forecast one bit. The Safety Car was out as early as the second lap last year, thanks to Valtteri Bottas spinning out as he tried to avoid a stricken Williams.
• Yes 1.30
• No 3.20
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