Singapore Grand Prix Preview: Verstappen to seal the deal?

The F1 travels to Singapore this weekend for another action-packed race day under the Marina’s lights. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen looks to seal off the season, currently bettering second placed Charles Leclerc by 115 points.

We preview the race below.

The leaders

Verstappen has had a phenomenal season by anyone’s standards, making it 11 wins from 16 following the Italian Grand Prix, a joint record with Lewis Hamilton for the most wins in a season. There are now just six races left in the season, and Red Bull have flown away from the competition, clearing Ferrari by 139 points.

All is to play for this weekend, however, as Red Bull have had less than impressive results when visiting Singapore’s track historically, not having won there since 2013. Despite Red Bull’s apparent bad luck at the circuit, Max Verstappen heads the betting as the 4/7 favourite.

Ferrari topped the podium at first and second when the F1 last visited Singapore in 2019, with Sebastian Vettel winning the race and Leclerc finishing second, which he will hope to top this weekend. He is currently the favourite at 13/8 to win the qualifier which would put him in prime position heading into the main race, in which he is the second favourite at 7/2.

Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz may be discouraged by the Ferrari chairman’s comments earlier this week, and while he is still a top-class racer, this season just hasn’t gone his way. Despite sitting fifth in the rankings on 187 points, the Spaniard will be the third favourite heading into this race at 9/1.

Seven-time champ Lewis Hamilton will be disappointed with how this season has shaped up both for him individually and for his team, Mercedes. He has never finished a season without a win, and with Mercedes’ cars improved performance, the team will certainly be eyeing up a win this weekend.

Despite his underperformance thus far, he is the fourth favourite heading into this weekend at 10/1, and at EVS to finish on the podium. Which begs the question, can he pull something out the bag to impress the crowds this weekend?

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The rest of the field

Mercedes’ George Russell is quietly fancied at 14/1, which is no surprise given his relatively strong performance this season which has landed him fourth in the individual driver rankings on 203 points. The Brit is also 1/6 for a points finish, and with the Mercedes suited to a twisty circuit like Singapore’s, maybe he can pull off a shock finish.

Verstappen’s partner at Red Bull, Sergio Perez, is an unlikely winner here at 18/1, but can aim for a podium finish at 12/5. The Singapore track can be unpredictable and is typically one of the slowest circuits, with the fastest time to complete it being 1 hour and 51 minutes. This can open up opportunities for outsiders to shine, and Perez is priced at 12/1 to have the fastest lap.

Check out all the latest Formula 1 betting odds at William Hill