Trader Talk: Verstappen Eyes 4th Consecutive Drivers’ Title at Las Vegas Grand Prix

Posted on: November 20, 2024, 10:21h. 

Last updated on: November 20, 2024, 10:48h.

Mark Keast Read More
Expertise: Canadian Gaming, iGaming, Las Vegas, Sports Betting, NFL, Boxing, UFC.

Former F1 driver Mika Hakkinen is looking for a three-team Battle Royale along the streets of Sin City this weekend during the Las Vegas Grand Prix, scheduled for Saturday at 10 p.m. local time.

For Europeans who love car racing, and who might have money on the race, that start time means they can watch the event with a cup of coffee early Sunday morning. On the East Coast of the US, that puts the start time past midnight.

Formula One
Redbull driver Max Verstappen in a practice session for the Las Vegas Grand Prix last year. (Image: AP News)

Verstappen Betting Favorite

Las Vegas Grand Prix CEO Renee Wilm says the start time was all about compromise, to max out the potential viewership.

The nighttime race does make for some odd viewing for people used to daytime racing, but there’s no denying the dramatic effect of a lit-up Strip, with its tapestry of colors and the nighttime desert sky as a backdrop.

All eyes will be on Max Verstappen who’s gunning for this fourth consecutive drivers’ title this weekend. The Dutchman won the inaugural Las Vegas race last year and is coming off a dominant win at a frenetic Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil on November 3.

That race, which Verstappen started in 17th place, featured intense rainfall and marked the Dutchman’s first win since June.

Top Speeds Along Strip Section

Verstappen, who drives for Red Bull Racing, leads the standings by 62 points over McLaren’s Lando Norris, and 86 points over Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. He’s in the driver’s seat to take the series title even if he doesn’t win Saturday’s race outright.

Hakkinen, the Finnish former F1 driver, wrote on Unibet’s website this morning:

“Las Vegas is also an unusual track, very quick including on the flat-out 1.9kms run from Turn 12 to Turn 14, but also with slow speed corners such as Turns 7 to 9 which go around the famous Las Vegas Sphere.

The desert climate means the nighttime is cold, and with Las Vegas keeping to its late-night format including the race on Saturday at 10pm local time, getting the tyres up to temperature and managing that aspect of performance is critical as always.

In an ideal world Lando will be pushing for the win with Oscar (Piastri, Norris’ McLaren teammate) acting as his wingman, keeping Max even further behind, but it won’t be easy. There is a reason Max is leading this championship – he is a formidable driver and knows how to get the most out of his car.”

Teams Use Data to Better Prepare

Hakkinen says the Las Vegas Strip Circuit — the second longest track on the F1 schedule behind Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium — features a flat-out section along the Strip where cars hit 350 KPH (217 MPH), followed by heavy braking zones. It’s a track where overtaking is possible, Hakkinen wrote, and teams coming this weekend will be better prepared because they have data from last year’s race, to maximize their performance.

Traders are taking note, especially as the track configuration and conditions will factor into the lead Verstappen has in the drivers’ standings.

Traders: Drivers’ Title Wrapped Up

“We are not taking a penny (since) he [Verstappen] has the championship pretty much in the bag now and currently priced at 1/40 (-4000) there is no interest at all,” said Glen Hyslop from BetVictor. “It’s pretty much the same with the Constructors’ Championship. McLaren 1/7 (-700) is not attracting any business at all.”

Hyslop added that “Brazil pretty much put any potential last-day dramas to bed with Max winning from 12th then Norris finishing 6th from pole. The season was shaping up nicely until this point, but it now feels like everything is wrapped up and there will not be any twists.”

In terms of betting on Saturday’s race, Hyslop says the early business is more on the other Red Bull driver, Sergio Perez, 100/1 (+10000) to win the race.

Two Races Left in F1 Calendar

“That price seems ridiculous considering how Red Bull has been over the past few seasons,” Hyslop said. “To see them priced in any of the cars at 100/1 to win a race is a reflection on his form this season, and the big improvements at McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes – he is behind all these drivers in race pace. If it came down to it as well, if he needs to sacrifice his race for Max to get the points needed to win the championship, the orders will be given.”

Hakkinen, meanwhile, sees a three-way fight between Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari this weekend.

The only way Norris keeps his title quest alive, at least for another week, Hakkinen says, is if he wins outright and sets the fastest lap time (1 bonus point) while Verstappen finishes out of the Top 10. That would cut Verstappen’s lead to 36 points, with just two more races and a sprint on the F1 calendar.

A fourth consecutive drivers’ title would put Verstappen in some heady company, joining all-time greats Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, and Juan Manuel Fangio. Michael Schumacher holds the ultimate record with five consecutive driver’s titles.