With Max Verstappen long ago claiming the 2023 Formula 1 World Championship title, the focus is now the battle for second place between Red Bull's Sergio Perez and Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton, and the odds are tilting one way with two races to go.
For an overview of the F1 betting outlets, see what they had to say about this year's contest, the consensus seems to be that Hamilton will get the better of Perez despite the latter driving a car that has won 19 of the 20 GP races so far this season.
With Verstappen managing to extract so much from the incredible Red Bull RB19 and setting an unattainable benchmark, Perez should have cruised to second place in the 2023 F1 Drivers' standings. But he has struggled since his form spiralled after a sensational win in Baku.
There the Mexican veteran outdrove Verstappen as he did when he won in Jeddah, but since then the Dutch ace has raised his game while Perez has never been able to find the form he found on those two best days of his campaign.
Now, after a DNF thanks to an opening lap shunt at his home Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday, second place is wide open as Hamilton has closed in, the Briton making up for his own lap one gaffe in Qatar. But is Ao Paulo Perez had a better weekend banking 18 points, tripling Hamilton's score in Brazil.
This means that with two rounds remaining - Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi - Perez is second in the 2023 F1 standings with 258 points and Hamilton third with 226. Still, all to play for but tilting Checo's way as time runs out for Lewis.
Verstappen is outright favourite to win the final two races of the F1 season
After his commanding win at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, odds are that Verstappen is the outright 1/4 favourite to bag his 18th victory of the season, in Las Vegas with Hamilton 8/1 and Perez 16/1; McLaren's Lando Norris splitting the pair on 14/1 to win his first Grand Prix on Sunday in Brazil.
For the return of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, there is a similar theme, Verstappen is again the runaway favourite with Hamilton favoured to do better than Perez there. Same story for the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
For Red Bull, if Perez finishes second in the 2023 F1 World Championship standings behind teammate and World Champ, Verstappen. that would be a first for the team. They have never had their drivers finish one-two in the F1 Championship standings. It would also be Checo's best season.
Perez needs a good run in to end his season on a high, not only to hold on to second place but also to prevent Red Bull from replacing him even before the 33-year-old's contract is up for renewal at the end of 2024. He really needs a couple of fine races to erase the memory of his flagging performances.
Hamilton: It's really mostly dependent on Checo’s weekends
For Hamilton, a seven-time F1 World title winner and 103-time Grand Prix winner, second place in an F1 Championship title race is hardly a reason to get excited, especially with the troublesome Mercedes W14 he and George Russell have to toil with The Briton is adamant that next year he can challenge for what would be an eighth F1 title for him if he can pull it off. For now, P2 will be as good as it gets, if it even happens.
Speaking of his chances, Hamilton spoke of his chances of finishing second in the Championship with twoto go: “It's really mostly dependent on Checo’s weekends. They have the championship-winning car. He's just been unfortunate, I think, in some scenarios.
“Obviously I've lost quite a lot of points in the last two races but he lost points today. So it’s swings and roundabouts. I think coming into the weekend, having lost points last week, I didn't think I would really be in shooting range particularly but after today, yeah, we'll just give it our best shot.
“Honestly, it's not going to make a big difference to my life, whether I come second or third. It's more important to get the team second in the Constructors’ and so that's what I'm focused on. It's a bonus if we get second in the Drivers," declared 38-year-old Hamilton.
For the remaining two F1 races of 2023, the battle for second in the WDC is one of the highlights Fans have to look forward to as the 22-race season hits the final stretch with the Las Vegas-Abu Dhabi double-header up next.
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