Betting odds for the Qatar Grand Prix, start time, TV

Lewis Hamilton could have an advantage on the way to Qatar.

Max Verstappen leads Hamilton three races before the end of the season by 14 points. But as he saw in Brazil less than a week ago, Hamilton has an incredibly fast car on the straight.

Hamilton had to collect a starting place penalty of five places after Mercedes installed a new internal combustion engine in the back of his car before the race weekend. And then he had to start at the back for the sprint qualifying race on Saturday after his car was declared illegal because of the rear wing. In the end, that didn’t matter, because Hamilton came from 20th to fifth place in 24 laps in the sprint race and then drove from 10th to first place for the Grand Prix victory.

Hamilton was routinely 20 km / h faster than other cars on the straight thanks to its engine and DRS – the aero advantage cars have when they are in front of the car within a second. And many high-speed passages on the new Losail route in Qatar could play into the hands of Mercedes again.

We don’t know much about the track where the Qatar Grand Prix will be held on Sunday (9 a.m. ET, ESPN2). It is the first time that F1 has driven it. This is what it looks like in the F1 video game.

If Mercedes found something with their new engine that Red Bull can’t keep up with in the last three races, Verstappen could get into trouble. However, it is not a guarantee. The Honda engine in Verstappen’s car was good enough to keep in touch with Mercedes, and the Red Bull chassis was once again the best in F1.

But Losail, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and the renovated route in Abu Dhabi could favor Mercedes. Hamilton can take the lead from Verstappen for the last three races if he wins them all, no matter what the Red Bull driver does. Therefore, Hamilton and Verstappen are both -115 to win the F1 title despite Verstappen’s 14-point lead.

Here are some bets we made for Qatar racing weekend. All odds are from BetMGM.

Valtteri Bottas drives the fastest lap in FP1 (+250)

The story goes on

If Mercedes has a pace advantage, Bottas should show that in the first practice session.

McLaren as fastest non-Mercedes or Red Bull team (+175)

These quotas are inflated thanks to a price increase at MGM. They are worth taking, even if Ferrari has clearly been the third best team in Formula 1 in recent weeks.

Lewis Hamilton sets fastest race lap (+175)

Here we will trust the quota makers. Big shifts in the odds are not inexplicable. And if we get such odds for a Hamilton fastest lap, we have to take them.

Lewis Hamilton wins pole (-110)

Christian Horner from Red Bull described the top speed of Mercedes in Brazil as “undrivable”. Hamilton could occupy the field with a clear lead in qualifying.

Lewis Hamilton wins the race (-135)

If Hamilton starts over like on Sunday, it is possible that he will go for a win. Verstappen and Red Bull are still a long way off, but we also want a bit of title drama in the last two races.