Lewis Hamilton looks to have wrestled control of the F1 season after his slow start. The British driver has now made it back to back wins for the season. He landed his first win at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on April 29, albeit aided by a bit of good fortune in seeing his teammate Valtteri Bottas getting a puncture when he was leading the race and looking set for the win. But last time out at the Spanish Grand Prix it was all down to the class of Lewis Hamilton who held off the challenge of his teammate to secure top spot.
So now Lewis Hamilton is top of the F1 standings with 95 points and that leaves him 17 points clear of second-placed Sebastian Vettel. The German driver actually hasn’t even been on the podium in any of the last three races the season, so now momentum has fully shifted on to Hamilton in his Mercedes. It is the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend and it is one of the most iconic races in the F1 calendar, and Hamilton is the 11/4 odds second-favourite with bet365* (betting odds taken at 6:47 p.m. on May 23rd, 2018) to land the success in the Principality.
Will the former Mercedes continue?
Mercedes didn’t do very well at Monaco last year and there is once again a hint that the track may not suit their car. Mercedes may well have the edge in straight-line speed over their rivals, particularly in Hamilton, however both the Red Bull and Ferrari teams are likely to be stronger through the slow corners, which are a big feature of the Monaco Grand Prix, than the Mercedes are. Whereas Mercedes had a great weekend in Spain last time out, things are going to get tougher for them in Monaco.
It was Ferrari on top a year ago with Sebastian Vettel taking the win ahead of his teammate Kimi Raikkonen and the Ferrari’s have shown pace this season. Vettel is the 7/4 odds* (betting odds taken at 6:47 p.m. on May 23rd, 2018) second favourite in Monaco Grand Prix betting for the weekend. You get the feeling that Vettel really needs a result here to start bouncing back and to stop the gathering momentum that Hamilton seems to be getting.
The threat of the Red Bull team
But the top two in the Championship going into the weekend could well come under pressure from the Red Bull drivers of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen. This is a track at which the Red Bull team should be able to excel at and therefore it is one of those weekends where it may be worth opposing the right favourites and plumping for a bigger odds each way option in one of the two Red Bull drivers. Just back in 2016 Ricciardo should have gotten the victory in Monaco for Red Bull.
However, the team screwed up tyre change which blew his chances and Hamilton got the win instead. With Ricciardo having won in China this season then he is not an unappealing shot at 4/1 odds with bet365* (betting odds taken at 6:47 p.m. on May 23rd, 2018) in the Monaco Grand Prix outright right winner market. He certainly has more consistency and a far better temperament than his teammate Max Verstappen.
Sebastian Vettel got the win for Ferrari then in last season’s edition, and that was his second win in Monaco adding to his 2011 success for Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton is also a two time winner are the Monaco Grand Prix, his first coming back in 2008 for McLaren before taking that 2016 title. Mercedes have actually won four of the last five editions of the Monaco Grand Prix, with Nico Rosberg proving the expert on the street track with three straight wins between 2013 and 2015.
Monaco Grand Prix 2018 outright winner odds*
Sebastian Vettel 7/4, Lewis Hamilton 11/4, Daniel Ricciardo 4/1, Max Verstappen 4/1, Valtteri Bottas 11/1, Kimi Raikkonen 12/1, bar 200/1* (betting odds taken at 6:47 p.m. on May 23rd, 2018)
Monaco Grand Prix 2018 prediction
Vettel needs to bounce back win this weekend and he should be in pretty good shape to do so. The Ferrari hasn’t been lacking speed and this court should be more suited to and it was out in Spain last time around when they couldn’t compete with the straight line speed of Mercedes. Vettel looks the strongest option heading into this weekend, and also worth consideration in your Monaco Grand Prix betting at bet365 is Daniel Ricciardo in his Red Bull.
