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Remind me next time

The Formula 1 2018 campaign gets underway in Australia on March 25 and Lewis Hamilton could face a real battle to retain his status as champion.

The new regulations brought in ahead of 2017 allowed Ferrari to close the gap and for a while it looked as if Sebastian Vettel would mount a real challenge but his form tailed off and in the end it was another procession for Hamilton.

There are some positive noises coming from both the Scuderia and Red Bull ahead of the new campaign, while Valtteri Bottas has been warned he needs to up his game in the other Mercedes.

Daniel Ricciardo to win the Drivers’ Championship @ 15/2 - BET NOW

Both Red Bull drivers have the potential to be world champions and Max Verstappen also appeals at 4/1 but at a bigger price in the Formula 1 betting Ricciardo is the value call – particularly with the each way option available. 

The Australian, who posted some decent pre-season testing times in Barcelona, is in the final year of his deal at Red Bull and at 28 he has admitted he knows time is against him in his battle to claim the top prize in Formula 1, so there can be no question in terms of his hunger and desire this season. 

Reliability was a massive issue for Red Bull last season and if those problems have been ironed out both could launch challenges in 2018.

Ricciardo beat Verstappen by 32 points last year so it is a surprise to see his Formula 1 odds significantly higher than his team-mate’s, and as talented as the latter is, he is still learning his craft and isn’t quite the finished article just yet.

Vettel also looks good at 7/2 if he can rediscover his early season form from 2017. The German is clearly the favoured driver at Ferrari and is likely to benefit from more help from his team than the Red Bull pair or the Mercedes duo.

Mercedes to win Constructors’ Championship @ 4/7 - BET NOW

It pains me to go for a heavy odds on favourite but it is hard to look past the Silver Arrows for team honours in 2018.

Mercedes have been so dominant in recent years and they have an excellent driver line-up as well. Hamilton has been told a new deal is a formality but Bottas has been warned he has to step up to earn a contract for 2019 and beyond. That may work in their rivals’ favour in terms of the drivers’ title – with both Silver Arrows taking points off each other if the Finn can raise his game – but it is bad news when it comes to the Constructors’ Championship.

Mercedes won the title by nearly 150 points last season and that is a huge gap to close for the other teams, and the smart money has to be on another team crown for the Brackley-based outfit.

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