2018 Russian Grand Prix Betting Preview

This weekend, Formula 1 heads to the Black Sea, as the roads around the Olympic Village in Sochi form the course for the Russian Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton heads into the race with a 40-point advantage over Sebastian Vettel, after he cruised ot upset wins in Italy and Singapore. This could be the weekend when Hamilton starts to salt away his trophy as the top driver in Formula 1 for 2018, but it could also be the start of a furious comeback. Let’s take a look at the information you need to know as you consider your 2018 Russian Grand Prix odds for this race.

2018 Russian Grand Prix Betting Preview

When in Russia… 🇷🇺 The fans bring the gifts 👌 #RussianGP pic.twitter.com/jZ9m5vmq99

— Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) September 27, 2018

2018 Russian Grand Prix Odds

• Lewis Hamilton                                                                                                         13/10
• Sebastian Vettel                                                                                                        11/8
• Valtteri Bottas                                                                                                           8/1
• Kimi Raikkonen                                                                                                         10/1
• Max Verstappen                                                                                                        35/1
• Daniel Ricciardo                                                                                                       50/1
• Esteban Ocon, Kevin Magnussen, Romain Grosjean, Sergio Perez                  1000/1
• Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Nico Hulkenberg                                      1500/1
• Fernando Alonso, Pierre Gasly                                                                               2000/1
• Marcus Ericsson                                                                                                       2500/1
• Brendon Hartley                                                                                                        3000/1
• Lance Stroll, Sergey Sirotkin, Stoffel Vandoorne                                     5000/1

It looked like Ferrari would win in Italy and Singapore, thanks to the emphasis that the courses there play in minimizing the raw engine power that Mercedes brings. However, Hamilton was still able to drive his Mercedes to victory, and now the circuit moves to a course where Mercedes has won all four of the Russian Grand Prix, with Hamilton taking first in 2014 and 2015 and Nico Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas winning the past two years. But is Hamilton a lock? Bottas was terrific at Sochi in 2017 in taking the win, and he was on the podium with Hamilton and Rosberg in 2014 when he was driving on the Williams team. He finished fourth here in 2016 and would likely have been on the podium in 2015 if Kimi Raikkonen hadn’t made a disastrous turn that ended up wiping out Bottas on the last lap. Bottas has said that he is willing to be a team player (i.e. keep the track clear for Hamilton). So I don’t expect him to go all out when holding back could keep the pressure off Hamilton, but this is something to consider, as Hamilton has that 40-point advantage in the driver standings. Vettel almost took first place last year, losing by just 0.6 seconds as Vettel mounted a furious chase of Bottas in the final lap, only to end up just short. Vettel has taken some disappointing results in Monza and Singapore, but he could end up right back on top in Sochi. He’s already won in Silverstone and Canada this year — races that Mercedes was expected to win comfortably. The Red Bull drivers are likely to feature the “Spec B” Renault engines in Sochi instead of the “Spec C” engines that gave them some trouble in the last two races. That would lead to grid penalties for both Ricciardo and Verstappen. Also, Sochi has never been a terrific track for Red Bull, as none of their drivers have ever finished better than fifth on this course. Pit strategy will be a key here for the drivers. No one has ever finished in the top four at this race when they took more than one pit stop. So drivers will be thinking about the best way to get the most out of one stop and stay in the race. Also, the first lap is a crucial one to survive, because half of all of the retirements at this course have taken place in the first lap. The chaotic start in 2016 was just one example of some of the drama that has ensued in the opening trip around the course. And what about the course? It’s 5.7 kilometers, fourth longest in Formula 1. Turn 3 is a constant radius left-hand turn that lasts 750 meters and goes right into the tight Turn 4, which sends drivers to the right. That was where Raikkonen and Bottas had their accident that we we mentioned before. A lot of the corners are medium-speed, which drivers tend to appreciate, and the last sector starts with an interesting brake point for Turn 13 and then provides a technical adventure to the end.