Prior to the final race of the 2017 F1 season, a number of changes for the 2018 season were announced.
The most visible was a new F1 logo but the most telling could be the reduction from four to just three engines per team each race weekend – if more are used, penalties will be incurred. That is going to hit those teams hard who have less reliable power units. Unsurprisingly, Mercedes have supported the change and Ferrari have also endorsed the move but Red Bull didn’t want to lose a back-up, claiming that a 21-race programme already places an unnecessary strain on engines and the mechanics who maintain them.
After a slow start, Red Bull were never in the hunt in the Constructors’ Championship this year and eventually finished more than 150 points behind second-placed Ferrari. They have already contacted Renault to see if they can upgrade their engines for 2018 but the gap to Mercedes and Ferrari is clearly huge at present, especially in terms of reliability. Performance-wise, Red Bull did win three races in 2017 but bookmakers aren’t expecting much change in the status quo next season with Lewis Hamilton only a best 6/4 with Stan James to win a fifth Drivers’ Championship and a fourth in five years.
Hamilton was outshone by team-mate Valtteri Bottas in the final three races of the 2017 season but had already wrapped up the title by then and tends to take his foot off the gas once targets have been achieved. Bottas is a general 14/1 to be F1 champion in 2018 but only won three races compared to Hamilton’s nine this year, though matched his team-mate’s podium finishes. Hamilton, however, started from pole in 11 of the 21 races while Bottas was only at the front of the grid four times. Surprisingly, Sebastian Vettel was on the front row more times than Hamilton but the Ferrari ace only went on to win five races.
Vettel is 7/2 with Stan James to be F1 champion in 2018 but Michael Schumacher was the last driver to steer the Prancing Horse to the title and that was back in 2004. Vettel, himself, hasn’t won the Drivers’ Championship since 2013.
2018 F1 Drivers’ Championship Best Odds
Lewis Hamilton 6/4, Sebastian Vettel 7/2, Max Verstappen 5/1, Daniel Ricciardo 8/1, Valtteri Bottas 14/1, Fernando Alonso 20/1, Kimi Raikkonen 33/1, Stoffel Vandoorne, Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg 100/1, Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez 200/1
