Looking ahead to this weekend’s Italian GP
On September 1st September, the 2024 Italian Grand Prix gets underway at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza via more than 53 laps of its 5.79km track.
First held in 1921, the Italian GP is the fifth-oldest national race within the Grand Prix and historically has been dominated by Team Ferrari with 20 wins to their name.
The record for most wins at the race is currently tied between the great Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.
Who will be laying their own claim to the legacy this weekend? Let’s see what the market is saying.
Recent Form
The current 2024 driver standings have Max Verstappen (Red Bull) leading the helm with 295 points to his name, Lando Norris (McLaren) in second with 225 and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in third with 192.
That being said, Verstappen will be weary of having his lead eroded with Lando Norris winning the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend.
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) is also making inroads having done the business at the Belgian GP and British Grand Grand Prix.
One has to go back to June for Verstappen’s last GP win at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona but could this be the Dutchman’s race? He has won it for the last two years in a row and could be fancying a win at Monzo for the third year in a row:
2023 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2022 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2021 – Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)
2020 – Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri)
2019 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
Meanwhile, Hamilton will surely be licking his lips to cement his place at the top of the board for most ever wins at the Italian Grand Prix with 5 currently to his name.
Current Favourites
Lando Norris
Flying the flag for McLaren, British-Belgian Norris is currently marked as the bookie’s favourite with nearly every major bookmaker in the Irish market marking his odds down at around evens.
Given his barnstorming performance to win the Dutch Grand Prix, this is no surprise and Norris will be very keen to put the pressure on Verstappen.
bet365 1/1 (Evs), William Hill 11/10, Unibet 1/1 (Evs), Ladbrokes 1/1 (Evs)
Max Verstappen
Verstappen has been tremendous in recent years and it’s no surprise that he remains in the frame to win the Italian GP.
Not too far behind, Verstappen’s odds are relatively short and he will want to get back to the top of the podium.
bet365 11/4, William Hill 3/1, Unibet 11/4, Ladbrokes 3/1
Oscar Piastri
Australian driver Piastri has been in decent form as of late with a smattering of podium finishes and a win at the Hungarian GP.
bet365 6/1, William Hill 7/1, Unibet 19/4, Ladbrokes 7/1
Charles Leclerc
From magnificent Monaco, Leclerc races for Ferrari and given the Italian carmaker’s historic prestige at Monzo, the Italians might well be cheering on for him.
Leclerc has had two consecutive podium finishes but will be hoping to go all the way for this one just as he did in 2019.
bet365 11/1, William Hill 9/1, Unibet 10/1, Ladbrokes 10/1
Carlos Sainz
Spaniard Carlos Sainz is another hope for Ferrari though his form has been mixed as of late with his podium finished seemingly ad-hoc this year.
bet365 14/1, William Hill 12/1, Unibet 18/1, Ladbrokes 14/1
Lewis Hamilton
Could Lewis Hamilton finally beat Schumacher for the most Italian GP wins? Despite his recent form, the bookies remain unconvinced!