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Brazilian Grand Prix: Verstappen Has Healthy Lead

The Dutchman is 19 points Clear of Lewis Hamilton

· Nov 11 - 4 minutes read

The 19th round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship season heads to Autódromo José Carlos Pace (also known as Interlagos) in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The action will kick off on Sunday, marking the first Brazilian Grand Prix since 2019, as last year’s race was canceled due to COVID-19.

The question in everyone’s minds is whether we will see another dominant showing from Max Verstappen, who claimed a convincing victory in Mexico and is the favorite on the F1 betting odds for this weekend. With that, the Mad Max extended his lead to 19 points over Lewis Hamilton, with four races to go.

Max Verstappen races ahead Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez during the Formula One Mexico Grand Prix — PEDRO PARDO / AFP

In this betting preview, we will look at the upcoming race and the online sports betting odds and try to answer which drivers are worth a wager.

Brazilian Grand Prix Preview

Verstappen in Hot Form

Verstappen is fresh off a commanding performance in Mexico, where he has claimed his ninth W of the season and increased his lead ahead of Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship. However, the battle for the title is not over yet, as a maximum of 107 points are still available.

Still, with three bonus points available to the winner of the spring qualifying race on Saturday, it’s fair to say that a lot is at stake ahead of the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix. It’s also worth noting that out of 37 races at Interlagos, 16 (43.24%) have been won from the pole.

This season, 44.44% of all races have been won from the pole, which is something that might suit Hamilton better. That said, the driver who started second on the grid won the race on both sprint qualifying races of the season.

That aside, it’s hard not to look at Verstappen as the main candidate to win, and he is definitely a solid pick for anyone who wants to bet now on the weekend race. He is already 19 points clear of Hamilton, has won the previous Brazilian Grand Prix, and will surely want to extend the lead to the magical 25 points.

Leclerc In Solid Form

Ferrari has found its form of late and managed to collect a big haul of points last time out, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finishing in the points. Leclerc claimed fifth, while his teammate landed in sixth, adding 22 points and helping the Prancing Horses claim third in the Constructors’ Standings, 13.5 clear of McLaren.

“Fifth and sixth is a solid result to take home from this weekend, as the race turned out a bit different to how we had expected,” said Leclerc after the Mexico race.

Ferrari did not disappoint in the United States Grand Prix, as Leclerc and Sainz finished in fourth and seventh, respectively. And if we look back, at the Turkish Grand Prix, Ferrari finished in fourth and eighth.

Leclerc has been a standout performer, claiming three consecutive top-5 finishes. Admittedly, he has not come close to winning a race since the 2021 British Grand Prix (2nd), but he has been improving and is due to his second podium finish.

Brazilian Grand Prix Prediction

There isn’t much to analyze ahead of the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix, and it’s easy to see why Max Verstappen is priced as the betting favorite. The “Mad Max” is in excellent form, has a great car, and has already won here in 2019.

Admittedly, the odds offered on the current frontrunner aren’t great, but even at -175, Verstappen is worth a bet. We’re adding Leclerc to finish on the podium (+400) to our main selection.

The 24-year-old has been improving week after week, and while we don’t expect him to stun the field and claim his first W of the season, a top-three finish is not beyond the realms of possibilities.