The 2016 season of Formula One racing is well and truly off and running with five exciting races already behind us. Somethings never change, and as sure as the sun rises in the east, Mercedes has already taken a firm grip on their position as the best Constructor in the competition thanks to the impressive performances of their drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. The two Mercedes drivers restarted their rivalry as soon as the season got underway but Hamilton has fallen off the pace of Rosberg after the latter managed to win four of the five races held to date. To give credit where it’s due, Hamilton did manage podium finishes in three of these races to occupy third place in the drivers leaderboard, but I’m sure the Briton will not be satisfied with a place as low as this.
The elegant city of Monaco is the next stop for the teams as they try to do their best in the extremely challenging street-circuit. Ahead of the main race on the 29th of May, we’re going to try our best and give our readers an idea of what to expect from the Monaco Grand Prix by trying to predict who could end up highest on the podium.
【2016 Monaco Grand Prix Winner Odds】
※ Current Odds Date & Time: May 26, 1:00 p.m. (GMT)
Lewis Hamilton
British driver Lewis Hamilton heads into the Monaco GP as the favourite at bookmaker 188BET to win the race with odds of 2.50. Hamilton is a true icon of modern-day motorsport with nine years of experience at the top level during which he’s won a whopping 43 Grand Prix races and three World Drivers’ Championships. He also knows what it takes to win in Monaco as the Mercedes driver finished in first place in this race back in 2008.
Lewis Hamilton has been on top of his game for the last two years winning the Drivers’ Championship ahead of teammate Rosberg on both occassions. This time around, things are a bit different as the German seems to have the better of his British counterpart with Rosberg winning four of the first five races of the season. The long time rivals have come under scrutiny this term for having a rather strained relationship between them and it’s really hard to imagine how they’ve been teammates for so long. The two will renew their rivalry once again as they take to the principality of Monaco for the latest leg of the season.
Outright Odds: 2.50
Best Finish at the Monaco Grand Prix: Winner (2008)
Number of Career Grand Prix Wins: 43
Nico Rosberg
German race-car driver Nico Rosberg is one the biggest names in Formula One right now, and it’s not at all hard to see why. With a decade of top-class racing experience under his belt, Rosberg has managed 20 career GP wins and two second placed finishes in the World Drivers’ Championship. While he is still a far way off the success that his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton has enjoyed, the German has one thing on his side as we head into the Monaco Grand Prix, and that is form.
Rosberg has begun the 2016 Formula One season with a bang as he won the first four races of the year. In fact, he was hotly tipped to do well in the fifth race, the Spanish GP, as well, but an unfortunate collision with, believe it or not, Hamilton, lead to both drivers being retired from the race. Along with form, Rosberg has a lot of experience in doing well in Monaco as he’s won the last three editions of the Monaco GP and will surely be trying to win it for a fourth consecutive time.
Outright Odds: 2.60
Best Finish at the Monaco Grand Prix: Winner (2013-2015)
Number of Career Grand Prix Wins: 18
Daniel Ricciardo
After the Hamilton-Rosberg duopoly, Daniel Ricciardo is another talented individual who’s being highly rated to win the Monaco GP. The Australian has been racing at the highest level for five years now and he’s earned three GP wins during this time. Ricciardo has done well this year after occupying the fourth spot in four of the five races this season. He also has past experience in doing well at Monaco as he secured third place for himself in the 2014 Monaco GP.
Alongside teenager Max Verstappen, Ricciardo represents Red Bull in what is a big year for the constructors. The Milton Keynes based side began the season with Daniil Kvyat as Ricciardo’s partner, but after the first four races of the season, they decided to exchange the Russian with Torro-Rosso prodigy Verstappen. Red Bull enjoyed a supreme spell of success when they won the World Constructors’ Championship four years in a row from 2010 to 2013, but they have fallen from their lofty thrones over the last two years and are eager to claw themselves back into the top spot. Success in a race as well respected as Monaco will surely set the team on the right track once again.
Outright Odds: 8.00
Best Finish at the Monaco Grand Prix: Third (2014 with Red Bull)
Number of Career Grand Prix Wins: 3
Max Verstappen
Dutch driver Max Verstappen is arguably the hottest property in the world of Formula One at the moment. The 18-year-old set the world of racing alight when he debuted for Torro Rosso just last season. By starting the Australian GP in last season, Verstappen became the youngest driver to participate in a Formula One race. In his second race of last season, the Malaysian GP, he finished seventh and earned his first points, making him the youngest driver to earn Championship points.
A podium finish evaded him last term, but the youngster did not have to wait too long for success. After being signed by Red Bull earlier this month, the teenager won his first race for his new side as he finished first in the Spanish GP.
Verstappen is highly rated in the Formula One ranks and experts have listed him as one of the favourites to lift the Monaco GP. The youngster’s maturity and resistance to pressure will surely be tested at Monaco, which has always been known as one of the most difficult races of the Formula One calendar. Regardless of his age, Verstappen has an eye for glory and he’ll be trying his best to secure at least another podium finish.
Outright Odds: 10.00
Best Finish at the Monaco Grand Prix: (None)
Number of Career Grand Prix Wins: 1
