How the bookies are calling the Monaco Grand Prix
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It’s the sixth round of the 2018 F1 season on Sunday, and it could be a thriller around the streets of Monte-Carlo.
Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull are all in the mix for victory, in what is shaping up to be an unmissable event.
So ahead of the famous street race, we’ve tasked our Formula One trader and all-round motorsport guru Denis Yusuf to give us the insight from the trading floor…
Ladbrokes News: Who are the punters putting their money on to win in Monaco this weekend?
Denis Yusuf: “He hasn’t won a race for five years, but Kimi Raikkonen is causing us the biggest headache in the office at the moment.
Punters are strongly remembering his qualifying performance from last year, and how he only had victory snatched from him by a dubious team call to allow Vettel to get ahead.
Kimi and Fernando Alonso are the biggest dangers in the book this weekend for us.”
LN: Qualifying is always crucial in Monaco – how’s the betting looking for Saturday?
DY: With the race normally decided by the first corner on Sunday, qualifying is all important for this blue ribbon event.
That’s something the customers are plenty aware of, and they’re largely going for Sebastian Vettel to grab pole position thanks to his shorter wheelbase Ferrari.
Kimi is again a popular pick, but so often the Finn gets pipped by his German team-mate.
And looking at the markets and the money coming in, it’s also clear that our customers are not fancying Mercedes much, after they struggled in Monaco last season.
LN: What about for the points finish market?
DY: The biggest bet leading up to the event has been for Romain Grosjean to finally get a points finish.
He has had a very poor start to the season so far in a highly competitive Haas car. He and Sergey Sirotkin have no points yet.
We’ve got a number of customers thinking RoGro is due some points sooner rather than later, starting this Sunday.
LN: What about alternative bets?
DY: This is where the beauty of #GetAPrice comes in. We’ve had a request for a very particular set of results to all happen this Sunday.
It’s Hamilton to win, Ricciardo on the podium, Sergio Perez to finish in the top six, Fernando Alonso to finish in the top 10 and Max Verstappen not to be classified.
We’ve gone 400/1 on that so we’re facing a bit of a payout if it comes in!
LN: Finally, what’s the pick from the trading floor this weekend?
DY: While Hamilton’s performance in Spain may suggest and indeed persuade customers to back him again, it’s Red Bull who could be the cars to beat in Monaco.
They were quick in the twisty final sector in Barcelona, and that’s often a good indicator for Monte-Carlo.
My money is down on Ricciardo for qualifying and the race win. He should be in the right car and he has great form at Monaco.
He was brilliant in 2016, taking his thus-far only pole position. He should have won the race too but for a disastrous pit-stop by the team.
All odds and markets correct as of the date of publishing
