24/11/2020
NEWS STORY
Fresh from clinching the 2020 Formula 1 world championship, Lewis Hamilton will come closer to clinching yet more history this year if he can win Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix.
That is what William Hill NJ suggests.
The seven-time champion and all-round most winningest driver in F1 history has won four consecutive races travelling to Sakhir, the seventh time in his career he's managed the feat. Hamilton has won five in a row only once before in his career - during his second season under the Mercedes banner in 2014 - but victory in Istanbul earlier in November has him on track to match that personal record:
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The 35-year-old, who is reportedly in the running to be knighted 'Sir' Lewis Hamilton as reward for his achievements in 2020, will open the Bahrain Grand Prix as -240 favorite, according to Unibet NJ. Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen - two of the three other drivers with a win to their name this season - are the only other names at odds of less than +5000, signifying the chasm between Hamilton and the rest of the current field.
Sakhir will provide the field with another opportunity to test Pirelli's 2021 compound tyres, though that won't steer the frontrunner's attention away from the task at hand. Hamilton can't match Sebastian Vettel's all-time F1 record of nine successive Grands Prix wins (set in 2013) this season, though he can still finish the season with seven straight in a reduced calendar.
Victory on Sunday (November 29) would also see Hamilton tie level with Vettel for most wins in in the Bahrain Grand Prix, having previously clinched the crown in 2014, 2015 and 2019:
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Many consider the Briton to be the best Formula 1 driver of all time, though his relative lack of competition in recent years combined with Mercedes' outright dominance in the technical department will always leave some room for doubt.
An unquenchable thirst to beat his own high standards has been a key contributor to Hamilton becoming the star of today, however, and he'll prove he's got plenty of gas in the tank if he's able to match a record he hasn't managed in six years.
Driver | Odds |
Lewis Hamilton | -240 |
Valtteri Bottas | 400 |
Max Verstappen | 600 |
Charles Leclerc | 5000 |
Sergio Perez | 5000 |
Daniel Ricciardo | 5000 |
Alexander Albon | 10000 |
Sebastian Vettel | 10000 |
Carlos Sainz Jr. | 12500 |
Lance Stroll | 12500 |
Pierre Gasly | 15000 |
Lando Norris | 15000 |
Esteban Ocon | 15000 |
Daniil Kyvat | 50000 |
Kimi Raikkonen | 250000 |
Antonio Giovinazzi | 300000 |
Romain Grosjean | 300000 |
Kevin Magnussen | 300000 |
George Russell | 300000 |
Nicholas Latifi | 400000 |