Final update: Hamilton claimed the checkered flag. He was followed by Verstappen in second although Verstappen did claim the fastest lap bonus. Hamilton remains in second in the points standings but has turned the deficit into single digits heading into the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix in two weeks. Fernando Alonso finished third
Lap 46 update: Hamilton is going to cruise to a wire-to-wire victory while Verstappen is going to finish in second.
Lap 33 update: And now Bottas has a punctured tire and Pérez has moved into third place.
Lap 32 update: Hamilton has a sizable lead over Verstappen, but the latter has cut it from eight seconds to just over six seconds. Bottas is 48 seconds back of Verstappen so once again this is a two-person race.
Lap 8 update: Verstappen has slowed a bit due to some concerns about sparks, but remains in second place.
Lap 5 update: Verstappen moved into second place and started gaining some ground on Hamilton.
Lap 4 update: Gasly ran wide on a turn and Verstappen moved past him into third.
Lap 2 update: Verstappen got off to a quick start and has climbed from seventh to fourth in a matter of two laps.
Formula One has entered the final stretch of its 2021 season. The circuit is headed to the Middle East for three races to determine the season-ending points champion. The slate opens on Sunday with the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix at Losail International Circuit.
F1 added the Qatar Grand Prix this season to replace the Australian Grand Prix, which was canceled due to COVID-19. The Qatar Grand Prix will not run next year, but then will become a permanent part of the schedule at a new track in 2023.
The race gets underway at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN2. We’ll have a full rundown of the winner and other podium finishers when the race wraps up closer to 11 a.m. In the meantime, here are some notable odds we’ll look to compare the finishers with this afternoon.
Pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton entered race week as the favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook and has turned into an overwhelming favorite on race day due to a pair of big grid penalties.. He opened at -140, moved to -300 after qualifying, and now sits at -450 with the race getting underway. Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas were set to open in the front row with him, but Verstappen was assessed a five-position grid penalty and Bottas was assessed a three-positional penalty. They both came due to failing to slow for yellow flags.
Max Verstappen opened at +135 and has moved all the way to +550 on race day. He is -280 to claim a podium finish. Valtteri Bottas opened at +1600 to win and now sits +850. He is -165 to claim a podium finish. Pierre Gasly and Fernando Alonso moved into the front row with Hamilton. Gasly is now +200 to claim a podium finish while Alonso is +650.
You can also bet on the winning margin, and a larger win is the favorite. Over 8 seconds is -190, under 4 seconds is +350, and between 4 and 8 seconds is +380.
Below is the full list of opening and race day odds, along with starting position. We’ll add in final race position when the Qatar Grand Prix comes to a close.
2021 Qatar Grand Prix odds
Finish | Driver | Start | Opening odds | Post-qualifying odds | Race day odds |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Finish | Driver | Start | Opening odds | Post-qualifying odds | Race day odds |
1 | Lewis Hamilton | 1 | -140 | -300 | -450 |
2 | Max Verstappen | 7 | +135 | +330 | +550 |
3 | Fernando Alonso | 3 | +25000 | +6500 | +6500 |
4 | Sergio Perez | 11 | +2000 | +8000 | +8000 |
5 | Esteban Ocon | 9 | +25000 | +20000 | +20000 |
6 | Lance Stroll | 12 | +30000 | +25000 | +25000 |
7 | Carlos Sainz | 5 | +6500 | +8000 | +8000 |
8 | Charles Leclerc | 13 | +5000 | +25000 | +25000 |
9 | Lando Norris | 4 | +6500 | +6500 | +6500 |
10 | Sebastian Vettel | 10 | +25000 | +20000 | +20000 |
11 | Pierre Gasly | 2 | +6500 | +5000 | +2000 |
12 | Daniel Ricciardo | 14 | +10000 | +25000 | +25000 |
13 | Yuki Tsunoda | 8 | +30000 | +20000 | +20000 |
14 | Kimi Raikkonen | 16 | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
15 | Antonio Giovinazzi | 18 | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
16 | Mick Schumacher | 19 | +50000 | +80000 | +80000 |
17 | George Russell | 15 | +50000 | +50000 | +50000 |
18 | Nikita Mazepin | 20 | +50000 | +80000 | +80000 |
19 | Nicholas Latifi | 17 | +50000 | +80000 | +80000 |
20 | Valtteri Bottas | 6 | +1600 | +650 | +850 |
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