Kimi Antonelli has a chance to clinch the F1 World Drivers' Championship with five races to spare after claiming pole for the United States Grand Prix in Austin on Sunday.
Antonelli chose a great time to secure his first pole since July when pipping favourite Max Verstappen in qualifying on Saturday but an early F1 title celebration is still out of his hands.
The Mercedes star leads the standings by a whopping 102 points from teammate George Russell but even if he wins today, he needs Russell to finish ninth or lower in the race and Lewis Hamilton to finish fifth or lower in order to pop the champagne corks in Texas.
Antonelli is not the favourite as he bids for a ninth victory of the season, though, as he is a 6/5 shot, while Verstappen heads the market at 5/6.
United States Grand Prix Tips Summary
Best Bet - Charles Leclerc each-way @ 16/1
Alternative Bet - Arvid Lindblad points finish @ 11/8
Bet Builder - Lewis Hamilton Top 6 Finish, Lando Norris Top 6 Finish, Pierre Gasly Points Finish, Max Verstappen Fastest Lap @ 13/2
United States Grand Prix Prediction
Best Bet: Charles Leclerc each-way @ 16/1
Kimi Antonelli upset the odds to claim his first pole position for seven races in Austin on Saturday but the World Championship leader faces plenty of competition in the United States Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen is the favourite after winning the last two races and he lines up alongside the Italian on the front row but Ferrari can also get involved in the fight at the front and 2024 Austin winner Charles Leclerc looks a tempting each-way bet at 16/1, even with only two places on offer.
The Ferrari man was faster than the front two in each of the first two qualifying sessions, and while conditions may have turned against him in Q3 and he qualified in fourth place, he was still only 0.053 seconds slower than second-placed Verstappen.
Leclerc and teammate Lewis Hamilton had looked strong in all the practice sessions, with the Monegasque driver topping the timesheets in both Friday sessions and finishing third to Hamilton in P3, and he looks overpriced to earn his second win of the season after his Silverstone success in July.
Alternative Bet: Arvid Lindblad points finish @ 11/8
Three drivers have been hit with grid penalties for the race in Austin, but while Franco Colapinto and Gabriel Bortoleto have been shunted all the way to the back row, Racing Bulls' Arvid Lindblad has been demoted only five places, from ninth to 14th, and that may not be enough to keep him out of the points.
The only rookie in this year's F1 field has made the top 10 in 10 of the last 12 races and after making it through to Q3 with a time that was not far off drivers from McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull, he should have the car to make a forward move in the race.
United States Grand Prix Bet Builder Tip
- Lewis Hamilton Top 6 Finish
- Lando Norris Top 6 Finish
- Pierre Gasly Points Finish
- Max Verstappen Fastest Lap
Pays 13/2
For a four-leg bet builder on the action in Austin, start by taking Hamilton and Lando Norris to finish in the top six.
The British pair line up in fifth and eighth on the grid and Hamilton has a chance of a strong run in the race for many of the reasons outlined above when discussing his teammate Leclerc's prospects. He has won at the track five times and was fastest of all in the third practice session.
Norris was disappointed with his qualifying performance as he said his car had the potential to challenge for the top three, but he could be seen to better effect in the race and has finished second at this track in two of the last three years.
Pierre Gasly can finish in the points for Alpine after qualifying 10th, with his team and the Racing Bulls looking clearly the best of the rest after the leading four teams.
Add Verstappen to set the fastest lap. The Dutch driver recorded the best lap of the race when winning the relocated Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang in Malaysia earlier this month and the race favourite has been close to the pace all weekend in Texas.
Learn more about how Bet Builders work in our Bet Builder guide.
Key Race Stats
- Mercedes have won 11 of this season's 17 races
- Max Verstappen has won the last two races
- Verstappen has won four of the last five races at the Circuit of the Americas
- Lewis Hamilton has won the United States Grand Prix six times (five at Austin)
- Lando Norris has been second in this race in two of the last three years
- Arvid Lindblad has finished in the points at 10 of the last 12 races
Read more F1 betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
