2018 Italian Grand Prix Odds & Prediction

This weekend, Formula 1 racing heads to Monza, for the 2018 Italian Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel picked up a huge win in Belgium to deliver a big jolt to the chances of his pursuit of a championship in 2018. The track in Monza is a fast one, which is generally good news for Mercedes and their powerful engines. This team has won each of the last four races at Monza, known as the Temple of Speed. Ferrari has emerged as a significant challenger to Mercedes this season, and Vettel’s win last week showed that he could deliver elite speed on the straightaway. Vettel took seven championship points to close in on leader Lewis Hamilton. As you consider your Formula 1 odds for this event, take a look at the odds as well as our thoughts about the track and the contenders.

2018 Italian Grand Prix Odds & Prediction

Sixty-eight years of #ItalianGP history… How much do you remember? >> https://t.co/zVlSYR8aqs pic.twitter.com/NYItvMXchT

— Formula 1 (@F1) August 30, 2018

2018 Italian Grand Prix Odds 

• Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 10/11
• Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 2/1
• Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 13/2
• Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 10/1
• Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 20/1
• Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) 66/1

The course at Monza has 11 turns — and long straightaways. So the cars that focus more on increased downforce make their hay in the corners and actually suffer on the straightaways. More than three-quarters of each lap is at full throttle, which is the higher percentage of any course so far this year. Many cars approach an average of 190 miles per hour on the track, which is why it has such a reputation for speed. One additional quirk of the track is the pit lane, where a lot of drivers are cited for speeding violations. The pit lane has a speed limit of 50 miles per hour, but the start-finish straight features speeds averaging 217 miles per hour, and that drop makes for some driver errors. Finally, there’s the challenge that comes with braking. The track just has six braking zones, but each is significant, especially Turn One, where cars have under three seconds to slow down from that starting average of 217 mph to 43 mph. So there are some places where chaos can break out — but also places where the savvy drivers can take advantage of errors by their competitors.

Who’s the Favorite Car for the 2018 Italian Grand Prix?

Ferrari is the favorite here, but they have not won in Italy in eight years, when Fernando Alonso took the victory. That had ended a four-year drought that had begun after Michael Schumacher’s win in 2006. However, Vettel picked up a significant amount of momentum in Belgium, with Vettel now just sitting 17 points out of the top position in the table. The SF71H engine that Ferrari is using this year will be quite suited to the track at Monza. However, if Vettel doesn’t win, Ferrari still could get a win of Kimi Raikkonen, who has a lengthy absence from the winner’s circle. His last victory came at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix, meaning that he has more than five and a half years without a victory. His car is the fastest, and he has a considerable amount of experience on this track. Qualifying will prove crucial for his chances on Sunday’s race, though. He definitely has some motivation, as he does not have a contract with Ferrari after this season. As we look at the Red Bull crew, we see that Daniel Ricciardo could use a big race. He delivered some early wins and has already signed a contract with Renault for the 2019 campaign. However, he has not made it to the podium in seven consecutive races, and he has not even made it all the way to the finish line in three of the last five outings. He has a bit of a challenge ahead of him this weekend, as the downforce Red Bull generally does not do well on the speedy sort of track that Monza offers.