Max Verstappen is PointsBet odds favorite as Formula 1 returns to America for 10th United States GP

By Oct 22, 2022, 2:51 PM EDT
PointsBet United States odds
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After clinching the Drivers’ Championship in Japan, Max Verstappen leads Formula One’s return to America with a -240 line to make him the odds favorite at PointsBet Sportsbook for the 2022 edition of the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). Verstappen won the inaugural Miami GP this May with an opening line of +110.

Verstappen also won last year’s edition of the United States Grand Prix as part of eight consecutive results of first or second place finishes. That was his third straight podium at COTA, a track on which he’s finished worse than fourth just once in six starts.

With minus odds, the way to determine a payout is by subtraction. In order for a bettor to earn $100, he must wager $240 this week; with that wager, he will get back his initial stake and winnings of $100.

For bettors more comfortable with fractional odds, a bet of +300 is the same as 3/1.

Lewis Hamilton is ranked second, and while that may come as a surprise considering the struggle at Mercedes this season, his COTA numbers have been stellar. Hamilton won the inaugural edition of this race in 2012, finished fourth in his next outing and has not failed to finish on the podium since. Last year, he was second to Verstappen by a little more than one second. Hamilton posts at +550 and is the only driver other than Verstappen under 10/1.

Carlos Sainz, Jr. is ranked third at +1000. While Sainz has been consistent on this track with six results of sixth through eighth, he has failed to score an elusive top-five. That has not been the case in 2022. He has a top-five percentage of .647 that includes a win in the British GP. Sainz crashed on the opening lap in Japan in the most recent round and snapped a six-race streak of results eighth or better.

With Verstappen winning the 2022 Drivers Championship, team orders could favor Sergio Perez (+1100) in his quest to give Red Bull Racing their first 1-2 finish in the standings. Perez finished third in this race last year, which was part of a four-race streak of top-fives. He’s won twice in 2022 with the most recent coming in Singapore.

Perez has a slim one-point advantage over Charles Leclerc (+1200) in the championship standings. Leclerc is seeking his first COTA podium, but he’s finished fourth in his last two attempts there. With three, Leclerc is second to Verstappen in 2022 wins. His most recent victory came in Round 11 at Red Bull Ring in Austria.

PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner, and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.

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Ford Mustang GT3 test has Austin Cindric dreaming of Daytona: ‘I want to drive that car’

By Mar 22, 2023, 2:30 PM EDT
Cindric Ford GT3 test
Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
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Austin Cindric wasn’t the “mystery” test driver behind the wheel of the new Ford Mustang GT3 at Sebring International Raceway, but the Team Penske driver desperately wanted to be.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, an amateur sports car driver himself, made the big reveal via a Tuesday tweet that provided the first video evidence of the GT3 Mustang on track.

“I’ve watched the video in question about a million times,” Cindric said Wednesday during a Ford Performance Zoom news conference to promote NASCAR’s first road course weekend of the season at Circuit of the Americas. “Definitely exciting times for sure. I want to drive that car. It suits my experience level and also the relationships that I have.”

Ford will enter the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next season with its GT3 Mustang, entering a two-car factory effort (that will be managed by Multimatic) in GTD Pro and making customer cars available in the GT Daytona category.

That increases the likelihood of seeing more NASCAR drivers crossing over to IMSA. Cindric has been the only full-time Cup driver in the Rolex 24 at Daytona the past two years, but Ford Performance global director Mark Rushbrook has said the GT3 Mustang will provide more opportunities.

Ford has used its GT4 Mustang as a NASCAR driver development tool in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with Harrison Burton and Zane Smith combining to win the season opener at Daytona International Speedway in January.

“We’re excited about the Next Gen car and the new architecture there and the similarities between that car and GT3 and even GT4 cars,” Rushbrook said at the announcement of the Ford GT3 program in January 2022 at Daytona. “We think it’s a great opportunity and to do be able to do that in a 24-hour race and get NASCAR drivers even more time is something we need to consider taking advantage of that opportunity.”

Given his sports car background, Cindric probably still would be in the Rolex 24 regardless. He has eight IMSA starts since the 2017 season opener at Daytona, racing a Lexus RCF GT3 and Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the GT category. The 2022 Daytona 500 winner made his second LMP2 start this year with Rick Ware Racing.

But Cindric’s preference naturally would be in a Ford, particularly with sports car racing enjoying convergence and crossovers in both GT and prototype racing.

“It’s an exciting time in GT racing, just as it is now for prototype racing with a lot of new regulations and manufacturers building new GT3 cars,” he said. “And also the opportunity with WEC (the World Endurance Championship) and Le Mans and how that all lines up for that category of car. It’s definitely an exciting time. I want to be as much of a part of that as possible.”

Though those odds seemingly will increase with multiple Ford entries in the Rolex 24 field next year, Cindric said NASCAR drivers still have to put in the networking to land rides as he has in recent years.

“Now how (the GT3 Mustang) relates to specifically NASCAR drivers and how often they want to be in the Rolex, could it be an influence? Absolutely, as far as the tie-in with the manufacturer,” Cindric said. “But the challenge and the drive and the logistics of getting an opportunity for a race like the Rolex 24 will be just as challenging as it always is to find your one-off ride for the race. At least from my experience, that’s what I still anticipate.”

It turned out the “mystery” test driver wasn’t from NASCAR (Farley revealed the driver to be 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Joey Hand after a fan asked whether it was Joey Logano).

But Cindric believes there could be more Cup drivers — and perhaps himself — behind the wheel of Mustang GT3s in the future.

“There’s definitely more of a pathway than I think there would be before as far as Ford drivers are concerned,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll get the opportunity to drive that thing. It’s obviously a great looking car. That’s the first box you’ve got to check. And it’s cool (to have) a guy like Jim Farley, no doubt he’s a racer just as much as he is steering the ship for Ford. It’s cool to see he’s just as excited as the rest of us about it.”