Monaco Grand Prix 2019
Mercedes’ reign of dominance in this 2019 Formula 1 season continued in Spain as they clinched their fifth consecutive one-two finish.
With help from Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton was able to overtake pole-sitter and team-mate Valtteri Bottas in the very first corner to claim his third win of the season.
But according to the Monaco Grand Prix 2019 betting odds, Mercedes’ remarkable run of one-two finishes could be in serious threat at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Red Bull have been Mercedes’ big rivals at the Principality in recent years and appear to have a great shot at ending the Silver Arrows’ amazing streak this season.
Talking Points
Red Bull ready to challenge Mercedes
Mercedes have gone pretty much unchallenged through the first five races of the season. And while that’s a credit to their excellence, it’s also an indictment on Ferrari’s inability to keep up.
Despite making moves to improve prior to the Spanish Grand Prix, Ferrari principal Mattia Binotto admitted that the upgrades they made were “insufficient.”
With Ferrari well off the pace, it’s Red Bull who are widely tipped to be Mercedes’ main competitors for the chequered flag in Monaco.
Red Bull have historically performed very well at the Principality. Since 2010, they have had the same number of victories as Mercedes at Monaco with four. Daniel Ricciardo won last year’s race, the team’s first at the track since 2012.
He also could’ve claimed another win in 2016, where he started at pole. But a slow pit stop allowed Hamilton to swoop in to take the lead, which he wouldn’t relinquish.
With Ricciardo now languishing with Renault, though, Max Verstappen is the Red Bull driver who could find himself on the top step of the podium this year.
The Dutch driver has had a brilliant season thus far, finishing in the top four in all five races this year, with two third-place finishes. Monaco should be a great opportunity for the 21-year-old to climb even higher up the podium — at the expense of a Silver Arrow.
Leclerc looking to win home race
Ferrari’s chances of making noise in Monaco may be overshadowed by Red Bull, but the Scuderia are still involved in one of the big storylines in this year’s race. That is, of course, Charles Leclerc looking to get his first career Formula 1 win on his home race.
Leclerc’s first F1 experience at Monaco last season did not end too well as he crashed out with less than 10 laps remaining. But the 21-year-old will be eager to make up for that this year and could end up making some Monaco Grand Prix 2019 highlights as a result.
Leclerc has shown flashes of excellent driving this season. He was particularly brilliant in Bahrain, where an unlucky engine problem cost him what should’ve been that first-ever win. He’s finished fifth in four of the five races, though, as he’s been unable to get the better of team-mate Vettel.
It will be a tough ask for Leclerc to get the better of Mercedes and Red Bull, who both appear to have the superior cars for Monaco. But the Monegasque has said Ferrari will “give it everything” to get a good result on his home race, which will definitely be something to watch out for.
History
Monaco has been one of few races on the F1 calendar that’s been immune to Lewis Hamilton’s dominance over the years. Not only does the Brit have a mere two wins at the Principality — coming eight years apart — but he’s also claimed pole just once.
Fellow multiple-time world champion Vettel has a similar record with two wins and a pole. Vettel’s victory in 2017 is Ferrari’s lone win in Monaco since 2001 when Michael Schumacher won the last of his five Monaco titles.
Of the current crop of drivers, Renault’s Ricciardo and Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen have actually won the most poles in Monaco with two apiece.
Grabbing pole position is of utmost importance in Monaco. Since 2009, the pole-sitter has won seven of the 10 races. And only once has a winner come outside the front row — Hamilton won from third in 2016.
What are the odds?
Despite his less than stellar record in Monaco, SBOBET odds still have Lewis Hamilton installed as the favourite to win the race at 1.90.
Meanwhile, there’s a very tight competition right behind him between Mercedes team-mate Bottas, who is priced at 3.50 and Verstappen at 4.00.
Bottas has been strong in qualifying this season and has won pole in each of the past three races. But he hasn’t fared too well in Monaco, where he’s failed to finish on the podium in six tries.
Leclerc, maybe due to a hometown bump, notably has slightly lower odds of 10.00 than his team-mate, Vettel, who is priced at 11.00 to win.
With Mercedes and Red Bull likely to battle it out for the win, perhaps the most realistic surprise podium finisher will be Ricciardo. The Aussie has finished in the top three in four of the last five Monaco GPs, so despite his struggles this season, his 23.00 odds to end up in the podium are still quite tempting.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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