Lewis Hamilton will bid to equal Michael Schumacher’s record of 91 Grand Prix victories when he battles for glory in the Eifel Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver has been installed as the odd-on favourite to seize the chequered flag at Nürburgring on October 11. Hamilton was denied victory in Sochi last weekend, following the controversial decision to slap him with a 10-second penalty, but he has been in formidable form this year.

The British star remains 44 points clear of teammate Valtteri Bottas at the top of the Drivers’ Championship standings. He looks all but certain to clinch a seventh title, which would see him draw level with Schumacher in the history books, and he could also match the German driver’s tally of 91 wins by prevailing in the Eifel Grand Prix.

However, Bottas will put up a fight, and you can never write off Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Hamilton will have to be at the peak of his powers if he is to secure victory in this eagerly anticipated race.

Eifel Grand Prix Odds

Hamilton is the clear favourite to secure a record-equalling 91st Grand Prix victory when he heads to Nürburgring. Teammate Bottas is the man most likely to deny him, according to the leading Formula 1 betting sites, while Verstappen could also gatecrash the party. Every other driver has been assigned huge Eifel Grand Prix winner odds:

These Formula 1 odds were compiled from Bet365, William Hill and 888 Sport, three of the best sports betting sites for Formula 1 betting. We offer competitive bonuses on each of these sites at ThePlayer.com.

Race Background

The Eifel Grand Prix will be the 11th race of this surreal Formula 1 season. The campaign was due to begin with the Australian Grand Prix in March, but the Covid-19 pandemic wrought havoc upon proceedings.

F1 chiefs scrambled to create a contingency plan, and they ended up with a 17-race season running from July 5 to December 13. All of the races are taking place in Europe and the Middle East due to travel restrictions. Tracks such as the Red Bull Ring in Austria and Silverstone in Britain have hosted back-to-back races to make up the shortfall, while some long forgotten tracks are returning to host their first Grands Prix for many years.

Hamilton has won six out of 10 races so far, and he holds a comfortable lead at the top of the Driver Standings. However, he was denied victory in Sochi last weekend after being handed a 10-second penalty for carrying out practice starts in an incorrect spot.

That allowed Bottas to clinch his second victory of the season, with Verstappen second and Hamilton third. Bottas is now 33 points ahead of Verstappen in the standings, but he still trails his teammate by 44 points.

Lance Stroll of McLaren Renault is a distant fourth, with 65 points. Alexander Albon, Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull, is on 64. The Ferrari has been desperately disappointing this year, and Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel are well off the pace.

Mercedes are top of the Constructor Standings with 366 points, followed by Red Bull with 192, McLaren Renault with 106, Racing Point with 104, Renault with 99 and Ferrari with 74.

Nürburgring Details

Nürburgring is gearing up to host its first Grand Prix since 2013. The German Grand Prix alternated between Hockenheimring and Nürburgring for several years from 2009, but Nürburgring then pulled out of hosting the event in 2015. That left Hockenheimring as the sole host of the race.

However, Nürburgring is making a welcome comeback this year. The race will take place on the Strecke track, which is between 10 and 25 metres wide, featuring seven left turns and 10 right turns. It is by no means as treacherous as the infamous Nürburgring-Nordschleife track – the scene of Niki Lauda’s near fatal accident in 1976 – but the drivers were full of praise for Nürburgring-Strecke when they last visited in 2013.

“It’s a fantastic circuit, one of the classics, and it hasn’t lost that feel of an old classic circuit,” said Hamilton at the time. Mark Webber called it “a beautiful little circuit”. It runs through the Eifel forests and demands great skill from drivers.

Webber won on the track in 2009, Hamilton took the chequered flag in 2011, and then Vettel won the race in the Red Bull in 2013. That year marked the end of Red Bull’s dominance, with Mercedes ruling the roost ever since.

Can Anyone Stop Hamilton from Winning?

Hamilton has been in devastating form once again this year. He is bidding for a fourth consecutive Drivers’ Championship title, and it is hard to see anyone denying him. The Mercedes is quicker to any other car on the grid, and Hamilton has consistently proven his superiority over Bottas.

It seems that only strategic errors and penalties can prevent him from winning. Hamilton was penalised for a minor collision when Bottas won the Austrian Grand Prix. He was handed the wrong tires when second to Verstappen in the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. He was dominating the Italian Grand Prix until he was penalised for being called in for a stop when the pit lane was closed.

A minor offence then denied him victory in the Russian Grand Prix last weekend. Hamilton has won the other six races of the season in dominant fashion. He has already won at Nürburgring during his McLaren days, and he has a much more impressive car and team at his disposal now. Hamilton will be determined to reassert his dominance over his rivals by winning the Eifel Grand Prix.

The odds on Hamilton clinching victory are pretty short, but that simply reflects his supremacy. It is very rare for Hamilton to go two races without a win, so it would take a brave bettor to oppose him in the Rhineland on October 11.

Who Might Finish on the Podium?

Bottas is a supremely calm and consistent driver, which makes him the perfect foil for Hamilton at Mercedes. The Finn has earned eight podium finishes from 10 races so far this year, including two wins and three runner-up finishes.

He appears the most likely to capitalise if Hamilton slips up, so backing Bottas each-way might appeal. Formula 1 bookmakers like Bet365 and William Hill will pay a third of the odds if a driver finishes second on an each-way bet, so you would still generate an overall profit on Bottas if he finishes second at odds of 7/2.

The Red Bull appears to be the only car that can rival the Mercedes. Verstappen is vastly superior to teammate Albon, which is why he sits comfortably third in the Driver Standings. He has one win, four runner-up finishes and two third-place finishes from 10 races this year, so he looks like another interesting each-way shot. 888 Sport is offering a market leading 9/2 on Verstappen.

Do Any Long Shots Have a Chance of Success?

The odds on the Eifel Grand Prix suggest it is shaping up to be a three-horse race. It is pretty astonishing to see such long odds on every other driver, but the F1 season has followed a predictable pattern this year.

The only outlier was the Italian Grand Prix. Mercedes made a string of errors, costing Hamilton and Bottas a chance of success, while mechanical issues forced Verstappen to retire.

That allowed Pierre Gasly to seize an unlikely triumph, ahead of Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll. Yet that trio have finished outside the top three in every other race. The only other drivers to climb onto the podium are Leclerc (twice), Lando Norris and Albon. It is therefore easy to see why there are such long odds on the rest of the field.

Albon looks the most interesting of all the long shots at 100/1. He secured a maiden podium in the Tuscan Grand Prix, but struggled badly with the short corners in Sochi. Albon had previously shown signs of progress, and he could perform a lot better at Nürburgring.