Spanish Grand Prix 2019
The first four races of the 2019 Formula One season can be summed up neatly using just one word and two numbers: Mercedes 1-2.
Yes, the reigning constructor’s champions have seen their two drivers — reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton and rising star Valtteri Bottas — on the top two steps of the podium in each of the first four races.
Bottas led basically from start to finish last time out to win in Baku, but can he do so again in the Spanish Grand Prix? Hamilton has quite an impressive record in Barcelona and will be eager to improve upon it this weekend — even at the expense of his team-mate.
Talking Points
Mercedes simply untouchable
Mercedes’ start to the season has been simply remarkable. They picked up their fourth consecutive 1-2 finish to start the season in Azerbaijan, beating Williams’ old F1 record of three in a row back in 1992.
It should come as a surprise to no one that Hamilton is performing the way he is. But few could’ve predicted Bottas to be right there with his five-time world champion team-mate in terms of pace.
Aside from his two race wins, Bottas has also outdueled Hamilton in qualifying in each of the last two races. He succumbed to Hamilton fairly quickly in Shanghai, but he was able to hang on in Baku, and it was smooth sailing from there.
Coincidentally, Hamilton and Bottas were not only 1-2 in qualifying in last year’s Spanish GP, but they also finished in that same order.
And given their amazing form at the moment, the Spanish Grand Prix 2019 betting odds on them coming up with a similar performance in this year’s race will certainly be in their favour.
Ferrari’s big move
While Mercedes have been dominating at the top of the grid, Ferrari have failed to keep pace. And when they have shown brief glimpses of what they’re capable of — like with Charles Leclerc in Bahrain — bad luck has gotten in the way.
On the bright side for the Prancing Horse, Sebastian Vettel has picked up back-to-back third-place finishes in China and Azerbaijan. Although, they still have some way to go to catch up to the two Mercedes cars.
But Barcelona could just be where Ferrari finally put things together. For one, it was where their SF90 looked so good during pre-season testing, which raised the optimism surrounding the team.
Moreover, Ferrari made some big Spanish Grand Prix 2019 news by bringing a planned engine upgrade forward a couple of races early as they look to close the ever-widening gap on Mercedes.
If Ferrari can just figure out their recent tyre issues, they might be able to deliver a performance more comparable to those pre-season tests.
History
Lewis Hamilton usually does well in just about any track, but Barcelona is right up there with the Chinese GP in terms of circuits he has consistently dominated. The Brit has won this race in three out of the last five years, which includes back-to-back wins in 2017 and 2018.
Hamilton easily could have made it four wins out of five had it not been for his collision with team-mate Nico Rosberg back in 2016. Rosberg also owns the other non-Hamilton win of the last five years, which shows just how dominant Mercedes have been at this track.
Vettel doesn’t have nearly as impressive a track record in Barcelona as Hamilton, with just one win to his name (2011). However, the German does have a habit of finishing on the podium. He’s gone second or third four times in his career in Spain — the same number as Hamilton.
It should also be noted just how key qualifying will be in Barcelona. Of the 28 Grands Prix held on the circuit, 25 have been won by drivers starting from the front row of the grid. That’s the highest rate out of any track that’s held at least 10 races.
Hamilton has won pole in Barcelona in four of the last five years. Moreover, Mercedes have locked out the front row every year except one since 2013.
What are the odds?
To no one’s surprise, both Hamilton and Bottas lead the way in terms of having the best odds to win in Barcelona. SBOBET odds currently have Hamilton priced at 2.30 while Bottas is at 3.50. And given their current form coupled with recent history, it’ll be hard to bet on anyone other than those two to take the checkered flag.
However, the odds of the two Ferrari drivers — Vettel and Leclerc — are surprisingly close at 5.00, which seems to indicate that there is a decent amount of faith that Ferrari can legitimately score their first win of the season in Spain.
And for a driver with longer odds who could potentially cause a bit of a surprise in Spain, Sergio Perez might be a prime candidate. The Mexican has improved his position in every race to date this season, going from 13th to 10th to eighth all the way to sixth in Azerbaijan.
Perez finished fourth in the Spanish GP back in 2017 with Force India, and his 26.00 odds to break into one of those podium places is certainly intriguing.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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