US Grand Prix betting tips: Mercedes bid to regain advantage
Preview and odds for Sunday’s race
Max Verstappen has reclaimed the lead from Lewis Hamilton in a gripping battle for the World Championship as we head to Texas, so we look at some US Grand Prix betting tips.
In a season that just gets better, Valtteri Bottas secured his first race victory in more than year at the Turkish Grand Prix, but the race is really on for the drivers’ championship.
This is the first of six remaining races in the closest battle for the title in many years, and the action starts on Sunday at 8pm and is live on Sky Sports.
Mercedes can dominate again
Mercedes had the upper hand at Istanbul Park but Hamilton’s grid penalty for an engine change meant he could only finish fifth, so Red Bull were happy with second and third, as Verstappen took a six-point lead over the seven-time world champion.
The City of Americas circuit in Austin, Texas, has been a Mercedes stronghold in the past and Hamilton, who has won this race six times, will hope to secure maximum points, as the upcoming Mexico and Brazil tracks will play to Red Bull’s strengths.
Hamilton is 5/6 to win in Austin, with Verstappen, who gained a 12th podium in 16 races with a fine second place, second favourite at 7/5.
Austin is a track that both the drivers and teams love. It has an iconic first turn and a major overtaking opportunity on turn 12, while its undulations and high-speed tests mean the 100,000 in attendance this weekend will see plenty of excitement.
Aside from the drivers’ championship, this season has also seen a great fight for the constructors’ championship, with Mercedes leading with 433.5 points to Red Bull Racing Honda’s 397.5 points and it could also go down to the wire.
Outside of Mercedes and Red Bull Racing Honda, a recent power upgrade from Ferrari paid dividends in Turkey, with Charles Leclerc taking his third top-three start of the year and he showed plenty of pace in slippery conditions to run a comfortable third early on, while Carlos Sainz fought his way through the field from the back to finish eighth.
Leclerc is 18/1 in the US Grand Prix betting tips while Sainz is a 28/1 chance. Ferrari have won the most US Grands Prix with 10, their last coming in 2018 with Kimi Raikkonen. Ferrari are 16/1 to be the winning car in the race.
Bottas bids to follow up
Bottas won here in 2019 and he is 14/1 to follow up his latest victory and gain an 11th of his career.
The Finn gained a chunk of points for victory and also had the fastest lap in Turkey, which helped minimise the damage in the constructors’ championship fight.
Mercedes are 4/6 to win the race in US Grand Prix betting tips, with Red Bull at 5/4.
Bottas set the fastest qualifying lap time in 2019 and his 1:32.029 could well be bettered this time. He is 7/2 to be the man to do it, but Hamilton (7/4) and Verstappen (5/2) are the two who come to mind when looking for the fastest lap time.
Daniel Ricciardo came close to rescuing points in Turkey, having started at the back of the grid due to engine component changes, before ultimately finishing 13th.
McLaren’s advantage over Ferrari in the fight for third place in the constructors’ championship is now down to 7.5 points, and having led home a 1-2 at Monza, Ricciardo is 10/11 to gain a top-six finish this time.
No less than 50 per cent of the races won at the City of Americas circuit have come from pole position and the odds to be fastest qualifier mirror those for the race itself, with Hamilton 10/11 to be the fastest qualifier with Verstappen at 2/1.
All odds and markets correct at the time of publication
