Formula 1 French Grand Prix Betting Preview: Can Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton Recover From Disastrous Race In Baku?

The 2021 Formula 1 season enters its seventh race of the season at Circuit Paul Ricard in France.

Last race at Baku, chaos ensued for the two championship leaders Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton as both suffered problems at the end of the race. Verstappen blew a tire and lost a very comfortable lead while Hamilton overshot the first corner on the restart. Sergio Perez won his first race with Red Bull with Sebastian Vettel and Pierre Gasly joining him on the podium.

Entering France, Verstappen holds a narrow four-point gap over Hamilton in the driver standings while Red Bull extended its lead over Mercedes in the constructor championship to 26. However, Hamilton is still considered the championship favorite at -150 according to BetMGM. Verstappen is at +110 while Mercedes leads the constructor betting odds at -135. Red Bull is +100 despite leading the standings.

French Grand Prix: Hamilton is the favorite to win in France. He is 2-2 in the win category at the track and Mercedes dominated both races in 2018 and 2019. Hamilton won both from the pole while Valterri Bottas qualified second. Hamilton is the favorite at +110 to win while Verstappen is at +150, according to Bet365.

The two favorites are no surprise as they have dominated the 2021 season.

Perez is +1000 to win while Bottas is +800. Bottas has disappointed this season and is thought to be fighting for his job at Mercedes. He needs a good qualifying effort and race to boost Mercedes in the constructor standings. If either of the top two experience trouble, Bottas and Perez should be right in line to pick up the win.

Other bets to watch: Head-to-head teammate bets are always ones to watch in F1. For the most part, one teammate is always a justified heavy favorite, but that can change with a mistake during the race. One pairing to keep an eye on is the Apline duo of Estaban Ocon and Fernando Alonso. Ocon has beaten out Alonso in five of the six races this season and is +140 to do it again.

As for other bets, BetMGM and other sportsbooks offer bets on qualifying, fastest lap, the number of drivers to lead a lap, margin of victory, and much more.

The 2021 French Grand Prix starts at 9 a.m. EST on Sunday, June 20 on ESPN.