Over for Ferrari, Mercedes?

The main story here is how Ferrari appeared to have no chance of overtaking Mercedes. Ferrari struggled with the hard tires and even Lewis Hamilton was surprised to see it lagging. Speaking of the seven-time world champion, he also said Red Bull was the “fastest car” he’s ever seen – even against Mercedes during their title runs.

Ted Kravitz believes Lewis Hamilton is CORRECT that the Red Bull is the fastest car ever seen in F1 🤯 pic.twitter.com/PjNHeCapFK

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) March 20, 2023

Hamilton failed to win a race last season, while it took Mercedes until the penultimate Grand Prix for George Russell to capture the checkered flag. Given Mercedes’s and Ferrari’s shortcomings, it will be tough to make them F1 picks to win anything. The Australian Grand Prix is next and the best driver out of Ferrari, Leclerc, is at 18-1 to win while Hamilton is at 22-1.

At some point, either Ferrari or Mercedes will make adjustments to improve their chances. But given how fast and efficient Red Bull has been, catching up to the defending champions is a pipe dream at best. Not only that, but the emergence of Aston Martin presents another threat.

Diehards who insist on siding with either Ferrari or Mercedes with their F1 predictions will find them at 18-1 and 22-1 to win the title. Ferrari is tied with Aston Martin via these odds, even if Mercedes is currently tied with the British constructor in terms of points. But as far as their Las Vegas odds, they have an implied probability of five percent to find a way to win the title.

Can Aston Martin Maintain Momentum?

For a brief while, the British constructor appeared to have a good shot at repeating Bahrain’s rousing results. Fernando Alonso had a hot start and even led the race until settling in second behind Perez before ultimately conceding to Verstappen for another third-placed finish.

His teammate, Lance Stroll, was fourth at one point. But an issue with his vehicle assumed to be one with the hybrid system, forced the Canadian to retire. Had Stroll stayed in the race, he may have had a good shot to finish in the top five. Thanks to his retirement, Mercedes tied Aston Martin for second in the constructors’ standings (38 points each).

That’s a bad beat for folks who bet online on Aston Martin to have both drivers finish in the top six. Still, the team appears to be in a good spot and is taking advantage of Ferrari’s and Mercedes’s issues. It has little-to-no shot at catching Red Bull, but Aston Martin could just finish second in the standings when the season finishes.

Red Bull’s Real Rivalry: Verstappen vs Perez

As for Red Bull, the constructor is now as short as -2500 to win the constructor’s title. Max Verstappen is also favored at -550 on the driver’s side, with his teammate Sergio Perez (+1000) as his closest competitor. The two should be constant favorites to finish on the podium, given how much faster Red Bull is than its competitors.

Fans can grab the popcorn and wait if some drama builds up between the teammates. No one will forget last season’s Brazilian Grand Prix, where Verstappen seemingly cost “Checo” a chance to finish second in the drivers’ championship. Perez, of course, had some unflattering things to say about it.

Both have now won one race apiece, and Verstappen is one point ahead thanks to recording the fastest lap in Jeddah. The online sports betting lines favor Verstappen significantly as he looks to solidify his position as the alpha of the team.