Weekend Review: Bookies benefit from Lewis Hamilton crash in German GP
Race favourite Hamilton finished ninth after a truly torrid race as Enable's winning streak continues to hurt the layers
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen took the title in the German Grand Prix this weekend as a Lewis Hamilton crash saw betting go the way of the bookies.
Hamilton started out as the big favourite for the Hockenheim GP but endured an uncharacteristically poor race, making two key mistakes before finishing in ninth position.
Verstappen raced over the line in bad weather to secure his second win of the season, while Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat, a whopping 200/1 shot, came in third.
Just an amazing win! It was all about not making too many mistakes in these really tricky conditions. Big thanks to @redbullracing and @HondaRacingF1 for the right strategy and great car. Very happy! ?? #KeepPushing #GermanGP ?? pic.twitter.com/N38G7mJyqi
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) July 28, 2019
Betway’s Chad Yeomans said: “What an exciting race the German Grand Prix was – it had everything.
“Max Verstappen was a popular choice with punters and given he didn’t have the most ideal start, he did exceptionally well in a such a hectic race.
“Daniil Kvyat made the podium and was available at 200/1 to do so before the race began.”
Kindred Group’s Ali Gill said of the race: “The German GP turned into a spectacle due to weather, with crashes and some great driving.
“Although Lewis Hamilton of course saw the most money pre-race, Max Verstappen was very well supported and his win saw us well in the red for the race market.
“Hamilton finishing 11th did no harm to the overall margin though,” he added.
I’m not going to lie, this hurts. But days like this are sent to test us. We learn from it and move on. I’m going home to try and sleep this off, come back stronger next weekend. Thank you for your continued support. I appreciate you ?? And congrats @Max33Verstappen great drive! pic.twitter.com/Do4pVnlWlf
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) July 28, 2019
Betfred’s Peter Spencer said: “The F1 was fairly obvious. Hamilton was favourite and he didn’t win, so we did alright on that one.”
In the horseracing, superstar horse Enable fought off stiff competition from Crystal Ocean in a fascinating King George at Ascot to make it 11 wins on the bounce.
Betfair’s Barry Orr said: “She was the most popular horse in training and was backed accordingly. It was a bad result but we’ll survive.”
Kindred’s Gill added: “Despite the odds, Enable was still extremely well backed on the day as the superstar in the field.
“The appealing price of Crystal Ocean as well as his undoubted ability meant he was popular with punters, which helped soften the blow slightly, but ultimately the race went the way of the punters as we were left with a fairly significant negative margin.”
Away from sport, Boris Johnson’s appointment as UK Prime Minister has shifted several odds in the Betfred political markets.
The odds have shortened to 4/5 for a general election to be called this year, while a No Deal Brexit to be delivered in 2019 has come down from 9/4 into 13/8.