Formula 1 betting, odds: Who can beat Max Verstappen in Azerbaijan?

Formula 1 is back. And Max Verstappen is the favorite again.

Verstappen is -200 to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday (7 a.m. ET, ESPN) after winning two of the first three races of the season. Verstappen won the season-opening race in Bahrain and won the most recent race in Australia on April 2.

Formula 1 had a four-week break during April because of the cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix. The race in China was set to be in the middle of the month but was canceled once again. F1 hasn’t raced in China since 2019.

Verstappen’s Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Perez won the second race of the season in Saudi Arabia and he’s the No. 2 favorite at +450. No one else is close to either Red Bull driver either. Fernando Alonso is the No. 3 favorite at +1000. He’s finished on the podium in each of the first three races.

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton is +1200 to win after Mercedes has spent the April break making changes to its car. Hamilton was second in Australia as the team had some unexpected pace. Will further tweaks to the Mercedes car make the team even faster? It’s possible, but also hard to envision how Mercedes’ straight-line deficit won’t still be an issue in Baku. Verstappen and Perez’s cars are rockets on the straightaways and should be posting extremely quick speeds on the long frontstretch on the street circuit.

If you’re hoping someone other than Verstappen wins the race on Sunday we suggest you don’t bet a specific driver and instead pick the field against him. You can take the 19 other drivers in the field at +140 to win the race. Those are tempting odds. But remember, Verstappen is a massive favorite for a reason.

Here are a few bets that we like ahead of the race weekend. Remember, this is the first sprint race weekend of the season and F1 announced sprint race changes on Tuesday. Qualifying for Sunday’s race will be held on Friday, and Saturday’s sprint race will not have any bearing on Sunday’s starting lineup.

George Russell to finish in the top six (-275)

• Russell looked headed for a very good finish after pit stops cycled through in Australia but an engine issue derailed those plans. His odds would be much shorter if his engine didn’t go kaput in Melbourne.

Valtteri Bottas to finish ahead of Yuki Tsunoda (-140)

• Bottas should have a car very capable of navigating the tight and twisty sections of the course.

Max Verstappen to post the race’s fastest lap (+100)

• Races in Baku have a tendency to get a little hairy. But if it plays out pretty straightforwardly, then this feels like a safe bet.

Fernando Alonso to finish top 3 (+110)

• Mercedes’ advancements could put Alonso’s streak in jeopardy, but we’re banking on the straight-line speed that Aston Martin’s Red Bull imitation car has.

Lance Stroll to finish ahead of Carlos Sainz (+175)

• This one is a bit of a flier, but Stroll could have a car considerably faster than Sainz over the course of a race run.