This weekend sees the Formula 1 season come to a close, and it’s doing so in style. The title still hasn’t been decided, with Lewis Hamilton taking his challenge down to the final day. Can he find a way to topple Nico Rosberg in Abu Dhabi? Ahead of that race, check out our betting tips and predictions and take a look at our odds comparison for the latest prices.
Going into this weekend, Nico Rosberg is still top of the pile. He’s done just enough in the last few weeks and months, but he’s not been able to seal the championship. Lewis Hamilton has cut into his teammate’s lead, which brings us to a dramatic final day in the 2016 season. However, the Brit needs something huge to land the championship for a third straight season.
Rosberg carries a 12-point lead into the final race, which is a huge advantage. His second place finishes may not have sealed the title, but he’s not far off. All the German driver needs now is to finish third, and he is the world champion. The last time he dropped out of the top three was nine races ago, at the German Grand Prix. Surely the title is his from here? The best question is, who will take maximum points in the finale?
No matter who you are backing this weekend, you should take a look at our odds comparison first. It scans through the available odds on each market from the top bookies in the business, and ensures you get the best betting odds going. It’s a simple way to make sure you get the biggest possible returns from your bet in this Grand Prix.
Our odds comparison covers a wide range of markets, from race winner to the championship outright. If you’re getting a bit of withdrawal after the final F1 race of the season, it might be worth checking out the latest betting odds comparison for the 2017 championship.
Looking at the latest betting odds, Hamilton is the odds-on favourite. BetVictor make him 8/13 to take the win in Abu Dhabi, which isn’t surprising given his form. However, Rosberg won this race last year, and he can’t be counted out. Just because third is enough for him doesn’t mean he’s not going to be chasing another GP victory too.
In fact, we can see the German looking to end with a big statement, instead of allowing Hamilton to finish with more race wins overall. Despite the Brit being the race favourite, both have won nine races this season. Who will make it to 10 first? We are going with the leader to take 25 points, which would be a pretty special way to end the season.
Rosberg is the outsider here, with Betfair pricing him at 5/2 to win the final race. He’s had a brilliant season, and he’s been the better driver overall. He’ll want to prove that by winning this weekend, and we’re backing him to do exactly that. Hamilton may be on form, but we’re backing the German to show his class by taking the victory. At such long odds, you have to think that the Drivers championship leader is excellent value ahead of this one.
A top three finish is huge for Rosberg, but it’s also pretty important for Max Verstappen. A place on the podium is pretty new for the youngster, even though he’s been a regular in the top three this season. Can he finish his debut campaign with another top three finish? The stage seems set for the Dutchman to flourish, and he could yet jump into fourth place in the standings. That would be an excellent finish, and we can see it happening.
Verstappen was third in Brazil, while he recorded top two finishes in Japan and Malaysia a few months ago. His breakout season has been filled with controversy, but he’s also a talent who could be the future of the sport. While the current stars are set to battle it out for the title, we’re backing the future star to join them on the podium. Verstappen to finish in the top three is 11/10 with Ladbrokes.
Lewis Hamilton has already won the Drivers Championship and Mercedes have done likewise in the battle between constructors but there is pride and plenty of glory up for grabs in Abu Dhabi in the final race of the season. Read on for our preview of the last race of the Formula One campaign as we bring you our predictions, betting tips and the best live odds comparison.
12 months ago we had the controversy of double points being awarded in this race, which meant the battle for the world championship went right to the wire. There will be no such tension this year though, with the British great a huge 66 points clear at the top of the standings and just the standard 25 points up for grabs on Sunday. That said, after losing out to his teammate Nico Rosberg in the last two Grands Prix, Hamilton will be keen to end the season in style with a win befitting of the magnificent campaign he has enjoyed.
Hamilton won the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last season and, unsurprisingly, is huge favourite to claim an 11th win of the year, priced at best betting odds of just 5/6 with Bet365. His fellow Mercedes driver, looking for a hat-trick of race wins to add a little gloss to an otherwise forgettable campaign, is priced at 11/8 with Coral and there is no doubt that the German will be there or thereabouts. The third favourite in the outright winner betting is Sebastian Vettel, the only other driver to deny the Mercedes pair by winning a single race this season, with the four-time world champion priced at betting odds of 10/1 with Paddy Power.
The Yas Marina Circuit, home of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since its inauguration in 2009, is a popular track, with plenty of interesting turns and lots to keep the drivers on their toes. Vettel has won three times here, in 2009, 2010 and 2014, whilst as well as his success last season Hamilton also won in 2011, with Kimi Raikkonen the victorious driver in 2012.
Hamilton certainly seems to like the day-night race here at Abu Dhabi and we predict he will cap what has been a dominant campaign with yet another win. Odds of just 5/6 may seem short but are actually longer than have been offered on the Brit for some time, in part because the title is in the bag and relatedly because Rosberg has won the last two races.
However, we predict that the world champion will be back to his best here as he seeks to ensure this season is remembered for his racing, and not for a strong finish by his rival Rosberg. Moreover, after criticism of his speed and lack of poles recently – Rosberg has started the last five races from the front of the grid – we fancy the Brit is a good bet to qualify the fastest too.
Hamilton is priced at best betting odds of evens to be on pole and that’s great value considering he has been fastest in 11 of the 18 races to date. Our other betting tip, for those wanting something at longer odds than either Hamilton to win outright or be on pole, is to combine both of those options with the Brit also recording the fastest lap. The hat-trick, achieved by Hamilton four times this F1 season, can be backed at odds of 4/1 with Sky Bet and is worth a punt.