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The start of the 2024 Formula 1 season is drawing ever closer. The Drivers’ Championship last year wasn’t the most exciting. And this year, we desperately hope for better. So let’s look at what the latest Formula 1 futures markets tell us and see if we are likely to see Max Verstappen’s domination challenged in the new season.
- What; 2024 Formula 1 Season
- When; Saturday, March 2nd – Sunday, December 8th
- Drivers’ Championship Winner; Max Verstappen
- 2024 Betting Favorite; Max Verstappen -375
We wanted to start by saying F1 is never boring, but then remembered last year was. Nevertheless, the off-season has been anything but boring.
BREAKING: Lewis Hamilton to join Ferrari in 2025!#F1 @LewisHamilton @ScuderiaFerrari pic.twitter.com/M5QrB5pM8G
— Formula 1 (@F1) February 1, 2024
First, there was news of Lewis Hamilton’s deal to join Ferrari in 2025 in pursuit of an elusive eighth Drivers’ Championship. And then there was the rather unsavory news about Christian Horner that has thrown his Red Bull future into doubt.
The issues surrounding Horner, we won’t be going into. But if he has to leave Red Bull, will the team continue to be the well-oiled machine we have been used to seeing dominate the sport for the past two seasons?
Time will tell there. But it doesn’t seem to have affected the betting on Max Verstappen to win the Drivers’ Championship. After dominating in 2023, he is odds on favorite to win the title again this year. And if he does, it will be Max Verstappen’s fourth title in four years.
Betting to win the 2024 F1 Drivers’ Championship
Max Verstappen is the favorite to win the F1 Drivers’ Championship again in 2024. The best Formula 1 betting sites made him -375 for the 2024 title within days of the 2023 season ending. And despite the controversy surrounding Horner, Verstappen is still -375.
There have been changes behind Verstappen, though. Lando Norris was the early second favorite (+700). But Norris has now been replaced by Lewis Hamilton, who is +750.
Norris is now out at +1600, making him the third favorite, just ahead of Hamilton’s teammate George Russell (+2200). Then comes Charles Leclerc (+2500) of Ferrari and Oscar Piastri (+3300) of McLaren.
Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull, Sergio Perez, is +4000, with the deposed (from Ferrari in 2025) Carlos Sainz at +5000 and Fernando Alonso at +6600.
Along with Hamilton and Norris, the other significant movers in this F1 futures market are Piastri, Leclerc, Perez, and Alonso. Oscar Piastri has seen his odds crash from +2000 to +3300. Leclerc has been cut from +3300 to +2500. Perez has gone from +2800 to +4000, with Alonso drifting from +4000 to +6600.
Full Drivers’ Championship odds are available on our F1 betting table. When you’ve looked at that, why not check out our best sportsbook sign-up bonuses for the best offers currently available from the sites listed on our odds table?
| Driver |  |  |  |
| Max Verstappen | -375 | -375 | -375 |
| Lewis Hamilton | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| Lando Norris | +1600 | +1600 | +1600 |
| George Russell | +2200 | +2200 | +2200 |
| Charles Leclerc | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Oscar Piastri | +3300 | +3300 | +3300 |
| Sergio Perez | +4000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Carlos Sainz | +5000 | +5000 | +5000 |
| Fernando Alonso | +6600 | +6600 | +6600 |
| Lance Stroll | +20000 | +20000 | +20000 |
| Alexander Albon | +25000 | +25000 | +25000 |
| Esteban Ocon | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Pierre Gasly | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Valtteri Bottas | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Guanya Zhou | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Kevin Magnussen | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| Logan Sargeant | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
Our F1 Betting Pick to win the 2024 Drivers’ Championship
It’s as predictable as calling the winner of a race in 2023 was. Max Verstappen has to be the pick to win the Drivers’ Championship again in 2024.
Betting to win the Drivers’ Championship without Max Verstappen
This is a far more interesting F1 futures market. According to BetOnline, the current favorite is Sergio Perez at +100. But the Mexican driver’s results in the second half of 2023 were poor, at best.
Behind Perez, Lando Norris is second in the betting at +450, with Lewis Hamilton at +500. Charles Leclerc is in the mix at +600, with George Russell at +1400 and Oscar Piastri at +2500.
The inconsistencies in this market compared to the Drivers’ Championship market are stark. But they make for some better value picks, that’s for sure.
Our Pick
We are not going near Sergio Perez at +100. Absolutely. No. Way.
When Lewis Hamilton announced he was going to Ferrari in 2025, he may have inadvertently triggered off a driver transfer merry-go-round. And when it starts, it’s hard to see Perez staying in the same seat at Red Bull.
We think he will be out of the door. And that may mean his 2024 fizzles out into another disappointing year. On the flip side, it could inspire him to do better things. But we still aren’t prepared to take that chance.
The moment you’ve all been waiting for…
The SF-24 is here!! ❤️💛 pic.twitter.com/KVEcU5929j
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) February 13, 2024
Instead, we are going for Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque didn’t have a bad second half to the 2023 season. He was the third-highest points-scoring driver in the second part of the season. Had it not been for bad luck in the USA (he was disqualified for a plank infringement) and a couple of other poor strategy calls, he may well have outscored Lando Norris.
With Hamilton’s imminent arrival at the Italian team, we expect both an improvement in team strategy and reliability and also a further improvement from Leclerc himself. He is said to be one of the fastest guys on the circuit. And he may want to make a point to his team and Lewis Hamilton ahead of the 2025 season.
Season Matchup F1 Betting Pick
One final pick ahead of the 2024 season is for George Russell to beat Carlos Sainz in the season matchups.
Russell is -175, Sainz is +145. Sainz is out of the Ferrari door at the end of the season to make way for Hamilton. That will be telling when it comes to team orders, no matter what Ferrari says publicly.
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