Back Lando Norris and McLaren for a strong finish to the F1 season

Round 23 of the 2024 Formula 1 season is the Qatar Grand Prix from Doha. Lando Norris (+200) is the betting favorite to win the race. According to the bookmakers, the biggest threat to Norris will come from the newly crowned world champion Max Verstappen (+400) and Oscar Piastri (+500). Read on for our Formula 1 betting picks for Sunday’s showdown.

What: 2024 Qatar Grand Prix - Round 23
Where: Lusail International Circuit, Doha, Qatar
When: Sunday, December 1st, 2024
Time: 11 a.m ET
Laps: 57
Track Length: 5.419 km
Race Distance: 308.611

Only two Formula 1 races remain this season. After Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix, the Abu Dhabi race takes place on December 8th, and that’s it for another year.

Max Verstappen has wrapped up the 2024 Drivers’ Championship. His fifth-place finish in Las Vegas last weekend secured his fourth world title. His only title rival, Lando Norris, could only manage 6th place, which was good enough to see Verstappen hold off the challenge from the young Brit and secure his latest championship win.

Max Verstappen is the 2024 Drivers’ FIA Formula One World Champion 👏🏆#FIA #F1 pic.twitter.com/cUQky5AWWh

— FIA (@fia) November 24, 2024

The truth is Norris hasn’t been good enough. He had numerous chances to gain on Verstappen in the second half of the season but blew most of them. Next season could be interesting, though, with Norris a year older and wiser.

Back to the here and now, Mercedes had a 1-2 in Vegas. George Russell dominated the race from start to finish. The 26-year-old started from the pole position, and except for a late charge from his teammate Lewis Hamilton, Russell’s win never looked in doubt.

It was a vast improvement from the Silver Arrows who have been poor in recent weeks.

Who is the favorite to win the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix?

The drivers now switch continents for the final two rounds. Sunday’s Grand Prix in Qatar will be preceded by the final Sprint race of the season on Saturday.

The circuit in Doha was originally built to host MotoGP races. As a result, it has a lot of medium-to-high-speed corners, and that is expected to play into the hands of McLaren - and in particular, Lando Norris.

Ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris were the +225 joint favorites. The odds are all changed this week. Lando Norris is the +200 betting favorite to win the Qatar Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen is +400 and Oscar Piastri is +500. After their team’s improved performance in Las Vegas, Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are both +600. Charles Leclerc is +900 and his teammate Carlos Sainz is +1000.

In the winning car betting, McLaren is the favorite at +100. They are followed by Mercedes at +225 (they were +1400 to win in Vegas), Red Bull at +375, and Ferrari at +475.

Last week Ferrari led the way at +150. So the bookmakers clearly think the Lusail circuit isn't a good match for the legendary red cars.

Full race betting can be found on our odds table. For more information about betting on F1, visit our Formula 1 betting online page. You can learn more about the bookmakers we use on our betting bonuses and promotions page.

Driver
Lando Norris	+200	+200	+200
Max Verstappen	+400	+400	+400
Oscar Piastri	+500	+500	+500
George Russell	+600	+600	+600
Lewis Hamilton	+600	+600	+600
Charles Leclerc	+900	+900	+900
Carlos Sainz	+1000	+1000	+1000
Sergio Perez	+15000	+15000	+15000
Fernando Alonso	+40000	+40000	+40000
Kevin Magnussen	+40000	+40000	+40000
Nico Hulkenberg	+40000	+40000	+40000
Pierre Gasly	+40000	+40000	+40000
Esteban Ocon	+40000	+40000	+40000
Franco Colapinto	+50000	+50000	+50000
Guanyu Zhou	+50000	+50000	+50000
Lance Stroll	+50000	+50000	+50000
Liam Lawson	+50000	+50000	+50000
Alex Albon	+50000	+50000	+50000
Valtteri Bottas	+50000	+50000	+50000
Yuki Tsunoda	+50000	+50000	+50000

McLaren looking to clinch the 2024 Constructors’ Championship

McLaren will be seeking to clinch the 2024 Constructors’ Championship in Qatar. And although it might prove difficult to get the job done this weekend, there is a great opportunity for the British team to leave themselves with very little to do in Abu Dhabi the following week.

McLaren was the -650 betting favorite ahead of the Vegas Grand Prix. Ferrari was +400, and Red Bull +5000.

Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc led Ferrari to a 3-4 finish in Sin City. McLaren could only manage 6-7.

As a result, Ferrari closed the gap by 12 points, to just 24, with McLaren on 608, and Ferrari on 584. This has led to a shift in the betting with McLaren now at -450, and Ferrari at +333. For the record, Red Bull is +10000.

There are still 103 points to play for from the top two finishers in both remaining Grand Prixs, the one remaining Sprint, and the fastest laps from the two races. Following the conclusion of this race, there will be 44 points remaining from the final race.

If McLaren can steal a march on Ferrari this weekend, they could have the Championship as good as wrapped up as they head to Abu Dhabi for the season finale.

McLaren To win the 2024 Constructors’ Championship

-450

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Ferrari To win the 2024 Constructors’ Championship

+333

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Our 2024 Qatar Grand Prix betting picks

McLaren and Ferrari will have their drivers prioritizing winning the Constructors’ Championship over the last two races. Red Bull and Mercedes can focus on trying to win the races.

Nevertheless, we don’t expect to see this make a huge difference to team orders, as any McLaren or Ferrari driver who hits the front will have the license to win the race and gain as many points as he can for his team.

McLaren looks set to be the team to beat this weekend. The bookmakers have their drivers 1st and 3rd in the betting and that is down to the makeup of the circuit.

Oscar Piastri has been out of form in recent weeks. His last three finishes have been P7, P8, and P8 (most recent first). Therefore, it makes more sense to just back Lando Norris to win at +200, as opposed to the shorter odds of +100 on any McLaren.

Lando Norris To win the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix

+200

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