F1 odds 2023: Somehow, you STILL CAN bet on Max

We are one race into the 2023 F1 season, and already the bookmakers should be taking down their title odds and announcing that this ballgame is over. Only they are not.

Somehow, you can still bet on Max Verstappen to claim a third consecutive drivers' title, and somehow his odds are not yet ludicrously prohibitive.

Verstappen odds tumbling, but not enough

Four days ago we told you how Verstappen at 8-11 looked like terrific value heading into the first race weekend of the new season in Bahrain. For those of you who don't know too much about odds, that's about 90 percent interest on your cash if the Dutchman were to complete the hat-trick. Insane.

Obviously those odds are now long gone after Max duly took the season opener with ease, but Verstappen is still available at 2-7 with UK bookmaker Sky Bet following his dominant win in Sakhir on Sunday. By no means outrageously short.

Mercedes star George Russell said in the aftermath of Sunday's procession that he expects Red Bull to win every race in 2023. So barring a disaster for Verstappen this title looks wrapped up. Great for Red Bull, pretty grim for the sport of F1.

While reality was biting for Russell, it was also looming squarely into view for his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton. We are still not sure how, but he was quoted as 3/1 second favourite just a week ago - despite those testing struggles.

Now though #44 is out to 16/1 to claim an eighth title in 2023. More realistic but still not nearly big enough in our opinion.

Fernando Alonso claiming a third world title at the age of 41 would be some fairytale but even he was well over 30 seconds behind Verstappen on Sunday. The Aston Martin man is second best in the betting at 10/1.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc is third favourite at 12/1 after the Ferrari man started his season with an agonising DNF in the desert, while Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez (second on Sunday) is 20/1.

The only other two drivers quoted at less than three figures are Russell at 33/1 and Leclerc's Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz at 40s.

As markets go this is about as one-sided as it can get. It's Max first, the rest nowhere. And we've only just begun.

Latest 2023 World Drivers' Championship Odds

Latest Sky Bet odds (correct at time of publication) are:

2/7 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

10/1 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)