2020 Formula 1 Best Futures Bets – 3 Guys Who Could Take Down Lewis Hamilton

• Lewis Hamilton opens the 2020 season as a heavy favorite to claim a seventh career Formula One title
• Valtteri Bottas, Charles Leclerc, and Max Verstappen are among the best bets to challenge Hamilton’s dominance
• Get all the odds and insight on which F1 drivers to watch in the story below

As the countdown continues toward the start of the 2020 Formula One season (coronavirus postponements pending), Lewis Hamilton maintains his familiar perch atop the F1 championship odds as a strong -200 favorite.

2020 Formula One Drivers Championship Odds

*Odds taken on March 12th

Hamilton Chasing History

Hamilton waltzed to a third straight F1 title in historic fashion last season, racking up a record 413 points, and enters the new campaign poised to match the legendary Michael Schumacher’s record of seven career Formula One Drivers titles.

While Hamilton remains the man to beat, it is unwise to overlook the other elite drivers that could present a serious threat to the 35-year-old Englishman’s domination of the F1 circuit.

Only 10 F1 drivers have 3 or more F1 titles 

Michael Schumacher 7
Lewis Hamilton 6
Juan Manuel Fangio 5
Alain Prost 4
Sebastian Vettel 4
Jack Brabham 3
Jackie Stewart 3
Niki Lauda 3
Nelson Piquet 3
Ayrton Senna 3 pic.twitter.com/44MHvHjAuj

— FanClubNelsonPiquet (@ofcnelsonpiquet) March 8, 2020

In fact, sports bettors do not have to look far to find one of Hamilton’s closest competitors. After enjoying a breakthrough campaign in 2019, Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas returns to action sporting attractive +650 odds to claim his first career F1 title.

Bottas Coming Off Impressive 2019 Comeback

After failing to record a victory in 2018, Bottas made a dramatic turnaround last year, taking home the checkered flag on four occasions on his way to a second-place finish on the F1 Drivers Standings, 87 points back of Hamilton.

The 30-year-old Finn built his career year on a strong start, reaching the podium in nine of his first ten races, including wins at the Australian Grand Prix and Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

FINAL CLASSIFICATION: Round 4, Azerbaijan

Bottas wins and takes the drivers' championship lead 🏆#F1 🇦🇿 #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/ZS4JTzooLc

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 28, 2019

McLaren Racing withdraws from the 2020 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix. pic.twitter.com/BZvHVKQoev

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) March 12, 2020

However, the postponement of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix comes as a blow to Bottas. The season-opening race has been called off due to growing concerns over the widening coronavirus outbreak.

Bottas has enjoyed recent success in Melbourne, earning a spot on the podium in two of the past three years, capped by last year’s dominant win, and will now be denied the opportunity to defend his title at the event.

Leclerc, Ferrari Snakebitten in 2019

Conversely, an uncertain start to the season may be just what Charles Leclerc needs. The 22-year-old Ferrari driver opens the schedule alongside Bottas as a +650 bet after enduring a difficult year in 2019.

Leclerc went into 2019 amidst high expectations, but was plagued by a steady stream of technical issues that limited him to just one trip to the podium over his first six outings, capped by a disappointing performance in his home race at Monte Carlo, where he was forced to retire after colliding with an inside wall.

. @Charles_Leclerc : "The target I’ve set myself for this season is to perform more consistently in the races. I’ve been working on this already since the second half of last season and I expect to make progress compared to 2019."

📸 : Getty Images#F1 #AusGP 🇦🇺 #Charles16 pic.twitter.com/KvitR1yBSv

— Charles Leclerc Fan Page (@LeclercNews) March 12, 2020

Leclerc provided a taste of the spectacular driving that F1 fans can expect from him with a strong second half, which featured his first two career F1 wins, and podium finishes in five of his final nine outings. The key to the success for both Leclerc and teammate Sebastian Vettel is whether Ferrari has overcome last year’s technical problems.

The Italian team once again struggled to keep pace with Mercedes in preseason testing, but, unlike their German rivals, showed no indication that reliability would be an issue with their rides this time around.

Verstappen’s Star on the Rise

The greatest challenge to Hamilton’s dominance is looking increasingly likely to come from Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, who opens the season pegged as a +500 second favorite.

A model of consistency throughout last season, Verstappen emerged as a constant threat on race day. The 22-year-old Dutchman recorded top five finishes in each of his first 12, a run that closed out with a spectacular duel between Verstappen and Hamilton at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Verstappen’s season was not without disruption. Decisions by Red Bull to make a power unit upgrade and demote driver Pierre Gasly in favor of rising star Alexander Albon led to some mixed results down the stretch. But Verstappen subsequently closed out the schedule on a winning note, claiming victory in Brazil and finishing second in Abu Dhabi. That steady performance makes Verstappen worthy of consideration as a high-value +500 bet.

Pick: Max Verstappen (+500)