F1 Betting Update: The entire 2021 F1 season now all boils down to the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
After a crazy, chaotic Saudi Arabia Grand Prix this weekend, Lewis Hamilton took a win and a point for the fastest lap which leaves him level on points with rival Max Verstappen for the crown.
It’s all down to the wire in what is a straight shoot out between the two drivers. Momentum is with Hamilton. Can he close it out?
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F1 Betting Odds 2021 Drivers’ Championship Winner
Lewis Hamilton 1/2, Max Verstappen 13/8
* (Odds recorded at 18:05 GMT on December 6th, 2021 at Bet365)
Can Hamilton make it eight?
Lewis Hamilton is looking for his eighth F1 Drivers’ Championship title, which would make him the most successful driver of all time.
If he gets it this season he will have done it the hard way.
It was looking beyond him halfway through the season.
Hamilton had taken only four wins for the season at the conclusion of the Netherlands Grand Prix, a race in which Max Verstappen claimed his seventh.
But an end of season burst has seen Hamilton win the last three races as he has fought and scrapped for every chance and every point that he can get.
The fact that he is still in the title race is remarkable.
He just now needs to finish ahead of Verstappen on the final weekend at the Yas Marina to get that eighth title.
The bookmakers have given Hamilton a quote of 1/2 to end the season with the title* (Odds recorded at 18:05 GMT on December 6th, 2021 at Bet365).
Verstappen not done
Despite sitting level on points with Lewis Hamilton heading into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Max Verstappen does have an advantage.
He has picked up 9 wins this season, against the 8 recorded by Hamilton.
It means that Verstappen would be crowned champion if both he and Hamilton fail to finish, because of that count-back of victories as a tie-breaker.
Given the clashes between the two drivers already this season, including Hamilton hitting the back of Verstappen in Saudi Arabia on the weekend, that has to be on the mind of the two ultra-competitive drivers.
Verstappen is currently a quote of 13/8 to win his maiden F1 Drivers’ Championship title on the weekend* (Odds recorded at 18:05 GMT on December 6th, 2021 at Bet365).
The Dutchman is known for his aggressive driving style and for not backing down. He will face tremendous pressure having seen Hamilton now close right up on him. Can Verstappen keep a cool head?
Key Facts – Last 10 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Winners
- 2011 Lewis Hamilton
- 2012 Kimi Raikkonen
- 2013 Sebastian Vettel
- 2014 Lewis Hamilton
- 2015 Nico Rosberg
- 2016 Lewis Hamilton
- 2017 Valtteri Bottas
- 2018 Lewis Hamilton
- 2019 Lewis Hamilton
- 2020 Max Verstappen
Race vs crash
There could have been no better storyline to finish this competitive F1 season with. The two title rivals locked on points going to the final race of the season.
Numerous times across the course of the season, Verstappen and Hamilton have come together with penalties having been handed out.
Verstappen took a total of 15 seconds in penalties on the weekend.
It’s fair to say that the limits of safe driving have been pushed this season in an epic title race.
Hopefully, the climax to the season is just a straight race and doesn’t end messily with the two coming together and being taken out.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Max Verstappen won last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for the first time. But Lewis Hamilton has a very strong record at the Grand Prix. The British driver has won it five times before, with Mercedes winning six of the last seven editions.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Winner Odds
Lewis Hamilton 1/2, Max Verstappen 15/8
* (Odds recorded at 18:05 GMT on December 6th, 2021 at Bet365)
