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Standings Somewhat Stagnant After Monza Mash Up

A lap 26 crash on the inside of turn 2 saw Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton take a brisk stroll back to the pits during an eventful Italian Grand Prix. Verstappen now enters the Russian Grand Prix on September 28th with a three-place grid penalty as stewards ruled the collision was his fault.

So what do the weekend's DNF results mean for the Drivers' Championship standings?

Not much. Although Verstappen did officially make pole after the Sprint on Saturday, giving him what may be a vital two points versus the zero Hamilton left Monza with. The 23-year-old Dutchman remains favourite to win the Championship, although we expect that the odds may shift more towards Lewis Hamilton's favour after the race odds for Sochi are made available.

Before we get into the Drivers' Championship odds; if you bet on Daniel Ricciardo to win the Italian Grand Prix pre-race, congratulations. Your pockets are hopefully deeper this week after the Honey Badger took his first P1 since 2018, capping off the afternoon with a world-renowned 'shoey' at the podium.

Lando Norris kept pace to fend off Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas in the closing stages of the race, leaving his teammate to win the race 1.5 seconds ahead and himself in a well deserved P2. It was a fantastic day for the cars in papaya, having last won a race in 2012, and last winning with a 1-2 in 2010.

Max Verstappen Drivers' Championship Odds

After Monza, Max Verstappen remains the bookies favourite to win the F1 Drivers' Championship in 2021. Red Bull's car has been ultra-competitive with Mercedes this season, and despite multiple DNFs and a couple of splotchy races Verstappen has, for the most part, performed excellently. The three-place grid penalty for Sochi will certainly affect his odds for the race when they are released, and the knock-on effect of that may disrupt his position at the top of the Drivers' Championship odds table.

Paddy Power currently give the Dutch driver 8/13 about a Drivers' Championship win. This represents an implied 61.9% chance. On the opening day of the season he was a best price of 6/4 and has been shortening since with good performances.

Lewis Hamilton Drivers' Championship Odds

Lewis Hamilton's odds to win the Championship have dipped slightly after Monza, likely due to the two points that Verstappen gained from qualifying in pole position on Saturday. However we expect a slight shortening in the Brit's Drivers' Championship odds after the Russian Grand Prix race odds are released, due to Verstappen's three-place grid penalty.

The 36-year-old British driver is currently priced at EVS with William Hill in the Drivers' Championship odds for 2021. This represents an implied 50% chance of winning.

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Russian Grand Prix 2021 Preview

Next up for the Verstappen vs. Hamilton battle is the Russian Grand Prix, taking place in Sochi on September 28th. While no race odds have been released by trusted online bookmakers at the time of publishing, we fully expect that Lewis Hamilton will be heavy favourite, with Verstappen starting at a highest position of 4th with the grid penalty awarded after the Italian Grand Prix.

Many of Sochi's corners across the 3.64-mile street circuit are 90-degree turns. Its best known corner, turn four, is a 180-degree left-hand turn which drivers push throughout, and could make for some more thrilling clashes between the two heavyweight drivers.