With Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen taking the top 2 podium spots for the second consecutive race, the battle for the Constructors Championship seems all but over just three weeks into the 2023 season. However, could there be more of a struggle than anticipated at the top of the driver standings? And is Perez proving to be a genuine contender for the world championship as Red Bull’s No. 2 driver? Let’s take an updated look at the Formula 1 odds for the 2023 Drivers Championship.
2023 Formula 1 Betting Odds Update & Predictions
You can find where the Drivers Championship odds stood prior to the season-opening race in Bahrain here. Since then, while the top spot remains unchanged, the rest of the field has swung dramatically given what was on display at the first two races of the 2023 season.
Check out the odds to win the Drivers Championship below, from DraftKings Sportsbook:
Even with Perez taking first in Saudi Arabia, Verstappen is still a massive favorite to win the Drivers Championship, sitting at -550 to Perez’s second-place +1000. That is not surprising given Verstappen was -120 to win the title before the season started and the Red Bulls have proven to be even more dominant than expected.
What is a bit surprising is Perez and Fernando Alonso being in the same ballpark odds-wise. Perez is currently trailing Verstappen by only 1 point in the driver standings and cleared Alonso (who finished third) by over 20 seconds. While Aston Martin’s car is probably the second-fastest on the grid, it is clear that, it is not even remotely close to hanging with Red Bull at the moment. Verstappen proved that when he effortlessly moved up from 15th on the grid to second and no one really batted an eye.
Perez has very little shot at knocking off Verstappen long term; Verstappen is simply a faster driver. But Perez is much closer to Verstappen than anyone else is to Perez, so it likely will not be long before the chasm widens between No. 2 Perez and the rest of the non-Red Bull field.
Unless something drastic changes with Ferrari, Charles Leclerc‘s chances at a podium finish are looking slim. The Ferraris do not look especially fast and appear well behind Aston Martin. They may be around the same level as Mercedes, but George Russell and Lewis Hamilton blew by Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz and held off him and Leclerc en route to placing fourth and fifth in Jeddah. For now, Ferrari looks to have the fourth-best car, and thus Leclerc is not close to contending with Verstappen anytime soon.
All told, barring some crazy, unforeseen circumstances, Verstappen’s third consecutive world championship appears to be a given, with Perez slotting comfortably into second.
