French Grand Prix Betting: Can Lance Stroll Trouble The Elite?
Grab your berets and baguettes – it’s almost time for the French Grand Prix at the Paul Ricard in Le Castellet. With the drivers’ title race thrown wide open last week in Austria after the resurgence of Charles Leclerc, French Grand Prix betting is the place to be for the coming action.
There are plenty of unknowns around what to expect about this race in France. Of course, the Paul Ricard circuit is a track with which most drivers are familiar, but both Red Bull and Ferrari are suffering from reliability issues over the first half of the season, and Mercedes is finally looking like it’s getting on top of its car’s bouncing and performance issues.
The FIA will also introduce new rules to control porpoising from the French Grand Prix, which may affect some of the front runners.
With that in mind, there are chances of a six-way battle emerging for the win in the French summer heat.
But while all eyes are on the front of the grid, plenty is going on in the back, too. Haas’ Mick Schumacher appears to be revving up into a hot streak after shaking off the troubles plaguing him earlier in the season. He’s scored points in the last two Grands Prix and won Driver of the Day thanks to his brilliant battles with Lewis Hamilton.
A little further behind, the Aston Martins are locked in their latest battle with the Williams cars – a fresh fight that will certainly not be the last. So far, the British team is leading by 15 points, thanks mainly to the efforts of Sebastian Vettel. His Canadian teammate, Lance Stroll, has picked up a few points, too, putting him in 19th place in the standings.
But can the Canadian mount a comeback in France? Bodog is here to take a look to f1 betting Canada.
Lance Stroll French Grand Prix Odds
Lance Stroll’s odds for the French Grand Prix currently stand at +100000. Yes, you read that correctly – plus one hundred thousand!
He doesn’t have the worst odds though, as his more experienced teammate also sits at +100000, while Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi are even further back at +200000 and +300000, respectively.
These dismal odds reflect that the Aston Martin car has really underperformed this season. The team has completely overhauled its aero design in the last few months, following a path more akin to Red Bull’s efforts.
But while this has helped, there’s still a long way to go before Stroll and Vettel have a chance to make it beyond the back half of the grid. Of course, a wet weekend could give the Aston Martin drivers a chance, but right now, the forecast is for sunny weather all weekend and temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius.
French Grand Prix: The Favourites
While Stroll is likely to be making up the numbers at the back of the grid, a lot of action will occur at the front of the pack, too. As we’ve already touched on, rule changes, reliability issues, and improvements from Mercedes mean we have several strong contenders.
Let’s take a look at their F1 betting odds for the Paul Ricard race:
Max Verstappen +110
Max Verstappen hasn’t taken a bad step all season, and he appears to have risen to an entirely new level of performance after winning his first championship in 2021. And yet, early in the season, he was hampered by several DNFs due to breakdowns that cost him valuable points.
He clawed them back with consistent wins but had two disappointing races in a row after floor damage in Silverstone and tire wear issues in Austria.
At +110, Verstappen has the best F1 odds for the French Grand Prix. He is the clear favourite, but concerns about his engine, tires and the rule changes stop the odds from being even shorter.
Charles Leclerc +140
Hot on Verstappen’s heels is Charles Leclerc, with French Grand Prix betting odds of +150. After getting an early lead in the championship at the start of the season, the Monegasque has suffered with a spin, strategy mistakes, and reliability problems, handing wins to his Dutch rival.
Leclerc’s win at the Red Bull Ring in Austria seemed to be a reset of his title campaign as he had so much pace that he could comfortably hand the lead back to Verstappen to make pit stops, knowing he’d be able to overtake him on fresh rubber.
Provided Ferrari isn’t affected too much by the new anti-porpoising rules that will come into effect in Paul Ricard, Leclerc has a strong chance of winning the Grand Prix.
Nicholas Latifi Hopes
Of course, Stroll isn’t the only Canadian competing at the French Grand Prix, joined by his compatriot, Nicholas Latifi. The 27-year-old will start his 51st Grand Prix when the lights go out at Paul Ricard, hoping to reboot his 2022 campaign.
At present, the Iranian-Canadian is the only driver (aside from Nico Hülkenberg who filled in for Vettel in the first two races of the season) not to have scored points this season. So far, his best finish is 12th place, though he has most frequently ended the races in 16th.
We did see something similar from Latifi last season, right before he had a good run of results in Hungary and at the washout Belgian Grand Prix. Unfortunately for his team, in France last year, he could only manage 18th on his first outing at the circuit.
Can he improve this time around? Maybe, but an absolute best-case scenario for him is likely to pick up a solitary point from 10th place. This is reflected in his odds of +300000.
Can Lance Stroll upset the likes of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc with French Grand Prix betting? Perhaps not, but a topsy turvy race packed with safety cars, wet weather, and a bit of luck would lead to quite the payout with his odds of +100000. Whoever you’re backing, be sure to get your slips in early so you can sit back and enjoy the race.